How Dealers Can Win Smartphone Shoppers

Dealers: Take a moment to look down at your hand. Is there a smartphone there? Yes? Now take a look at your next 10 prospects’ hands. Are there smartphones there? We’re going to guess yes! eMarketer predicted last year that 2014 would be the year mobile usage surpassed desktop usage, and it looks like they were right on the money.

Speaking of Money…

As mobile usage increases, consumers in the market for cars are using their smartphones to research dealerships and vehicles prior to and during a dealership visit. Cars.com has picked up on this trend and offers dealers tips for keeping up with the mobile movement in an e-book called “Navigating Mobile Marketing: A Dealer’s Guide to Winning Smartphone Shoppers.” Here are a few of our favorite tips from the e-book:

• Test special offers. Bringing in new traffic is about showing shoppers you can meet their needs better than those other guys, so experiment with offers to see which are most effective at converting shoppers.
• Make it easy for prospects to respond to you — and then respond to them. Save your prospects from unnecessary button-punching by implementing clickable numbers on your website and in your emails so they can call you at the click of a button. (Just make sure your salespeople have brushed up on their phone skills. See below.) If they submit an inquiry via your web form, be ready to respond ASAP, or else they’ll be on to the next dealership in their search results.
• Have a good sales team on your side. Make sure your sales staff is trained to adapt to mobile shopping behavior. They should be understanding of shoppers using their phone for research, match each prospect with a deal that really meets their needs and treat them with respect and honesty. Having a great staff is key to generating positive online reviews for your dealership as well.

Want more mobile marketing tips? Go download the e-book!