In the United States, the ultimate retail store was the car dealership. It was, in fac,t the only place you could go buy a new car a few years ago.
Car dealers staged huge fall events to entice customers to come to the “lot” to look at the new models, as well as promote sales of last year’s close-outs. This was a very successful store retail model until the customers went rogue and took control of their shopping experience.
Consumers today can research, review, and purchase cars from anywhere, and arrange delivery from any location. The unparalleled access to information, and freedom of choice, of how to engage is totally disrupting the car retailing of the past. From Amazon to Tesla, omnichannel is changing everything about how we shop and buy cars in the U.S.
Why this is important: Omnichannel is driven by changing consumer behavior patterns, and how they disrupt every facet of traditional retailing. Woe be it to stores that don’t realize that omnichannel is the new normal, even for car purchases.
Consumers have moved beyond the traditional car store (dealership)
Automobiles is the biggest merchandise item that we purchase for private use. Substantial prices for new or used warrants a lot of consumer scrutiny when buying a vehicle. In order facilitate consumers shopping and purchase, car manufacturers funded dealerships who built large lots so customers could come and see many styles and various options. Two decades ago, a car dealership (store) was the only place you could go see and purchase a car. Today, it is hard to imagine that the only consumer information for cars used to be the glossy brochures and paint chips only available at car dealerships.
Fast forward to the present. We can now go online and see ALL of the car styles and options available. We can read umpteen reviews on best models, as well as the “lemons” we should avoid purchasing. And even more importantly, we can go online to get the very best estimates of what consumers are paying for automobiles in our area. No more guessing if we are getting a good deal or getting hosed by the salesman.
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Retail Customer Experience