Page 50 - GIADA-August-2018-Final

POWER OF CONSUMER: IN AUTO RETAIL, MAKE IT PERSONAL

Continued from page 44 Think of it this way: the shopper is “in But for now, one huge key is to differentiate
This new mindset comes at a time when the driver’s seat,” but not from the vantage between traditional leads and actual digital
the process of digital retailing is now being point of demand that they be in control, she retailing customers who have begun to set
looked upon, as Autotrader describes it, as said. Instead, the consumers now have the up dealers online, Stafford said.
the “age of the consumer.” access to information they need and can
obtain that info no matter where they are. The dealer has to meet the
“We’re in this time when consumers have consumer exactly where they
access to the information they need, the This has led to “more of a confident and
transparency in every step of the process informed” shopper, Stafford said. are in shopping process and
— and frankly (for) retailing in general, not the respect the time, research
even just automotive,” Stafford said. “It also can be a bit overwhelming,” she and effort they’ve already
said. “So, I think it’s our job in the industry
“Consumers have more access than they’ve to curate and aggregate that information made to set up a deal. deal set-
ever had,” she said. “They’re able to do for consumers, make it digestible and easy up they’ve already put in. That
research; they’re able to see and compare to understand in order to enable their leads to greater efficiency for
prices; they’re able to acquire things form experiences.”
anywhere they want or need or wherever both consumers and dealers
that thing exists, versus just in their current CONNECTING ONLINE TO INSTORE
location.” So what happens when the customer For dealers working with Autotrader,
who starts a deal online ends up at the Accelerate deals look quite different than
‘LEAN INTO’ CUSTOMER DEMANDS dealership? typical lead that comes into dealer CRM,
So, to go back to the question Stafford often Stafford said.
gets, yes consumers perhaps have more What Stafford calls the “golden connection
control. But it’s not even really about that; point” is the dealer’s ability to shift Some of Autotrader’s top dealer partners,
rather, the point is that the auto industry operations in order to accommodate the for instance, will have two or three
must embrace the consumer demand for online shopper in a personalized, connected people fully trained in Accelerate who are
more information. way once he or she is at the store dedicated to digital retail leads that come
into the store, she said.
“This age of the consumer is With the Accelerate digital retailing
the idea where we’ve got to platform on Autotrader, the site records, Again, it’s making the online to in-store
saves and delivers the information transition smooth.
lean into what consumers are provided by the online shopper — things
asking for and give them the like vehicle preferences and any deal terms “That connection is the critical part in this
information that they need or and components that have been filled out process for our clients and our partners that
— to the dealer
we’ve worked with. The most important
else they quickly kind of just part is making sure that when you get an
go on to the next thing or the In the future, Autotrader hopes to send Accelerate digital retailing deal through
next source,” Stafford said. behavioral data to dealers, too. and you get a customer coming in, you have
to treat them differently than a typical lead,”
In other words, it wouldn’t just be sending she said.
“I do think digital retailing leans directly the dealer what the digital retail customer
into that desire. Because through the is interested in, what their financing looks “If you treat them like a traditional
digital retailing process we’re creating this like or the trade-in information, but also, email lead and you work to schedule an
balance where we’re giving consumers the what cars they cross-shopped, add-ons they appointment and you work to try to sell
empowerment to start their deal online and viewed or their interest in car-seat space, them different things once they get into the
do their own research on their own time, for instance. store, it fails right away.” n
dig in and work through the details of their
deal while also holding the control of the The goal would be to create an even more
final purchase and the profitability and all personalized experience.
the business side to the dealer,” she said.

48 | GIADA Independent Auto Dealer AUGUST 2018