Building Online Relationships – How The Evolving Retail Landscape Affects The Automotive World

In 2017, the internet is everywhere we look, it’s in our homes, our offices, our pockets and even our cars. So, it goes without saying that this shift online is having a big influence on the dealer-customer dynamic.

The PwC Global Total Retail Survey 2016 found that 54% of people buy products online at least once per month, and that 67% are influenced in their purchases by either reading, or writing on, social media. These statistics clearly highlight the need for the automotive world to be on the front-foot when it comes to engaging with potential customers online. In a relationship-led industry it’s vital to have a presence across all platforms potential customer may inhabit.

It is this topic that is explored in Chapter 4 of ALPHERA’s hard-hitting report, ‘Financing the Car of the Future’. The chapter, entitled ‘Looking forward: building relationships online’, explores the impact of the internet of the motor trade. It looks at how the customer buying journey has evolved how vehicle manufacturers and dealers are managing the sales process as both an on- and offline experience for consumers today, and importantly how this affects the relationship-building process to secure a sale.

To read the Chapter, as well as the rest of the report, please visit http://alphera.co.uk/sites/default/files/final_report.pdf