Dealerships adapting to evolving habits
New research has revealed how dealerships are adopting technology to meet a change in customer behaviour.
According to CarGurus, demand for contactless features in the car buying process has risen by 43%. Virtual appointments are among the most popular with 32% of dealers now making them available, while contactless purchasing, which enables buyers to either pay for or finance a vehicle remotely is now offered on nearly half (46%) of all vehicles for sale by dealers on the CarGurus platform.
The recent introduction of WhatsApp as a communication method between dealership and customer has also proven popular.
Wendy Harris, vice president of European Sales at CarGurus said: “In an industry that has sometimes been accused of being slow to embrace new technologies, the speed with which car dealers have adapted to the changing landscape is extremely impressive. Just a year ago the concept of booking a virtual appointment at a car dealership would have seemed far-fetched, and yet today we have nearly a third of all paying dealers on CarGurus UK embracing technology and offering this service to prospective buyers.
“Aside from demonstrating how dynamic the businesses that make up this industry are, perhaps it also emphasises the scale of the challenge still faced by the industry in light of Covid-19.”
