Dealer's Gone Lead-Gen Crazy

[joe.pistell]

I am seeing Home Pages POLLUTED with visual chaos, much of it is aimed at lead-gen.

As I cruise about the USA, I'll post 'em as they cross my desk. If you see one, grab a screen shot and post it here. If you can, grab a screenshot of the mobile site too.

 

[joe.pistell]

I haven't seen a scientific study to prove or disprove my thesis, so what I am about to discuss is MY OPINION only.

Observation: By the time the car shopper gets to the dealers home page, they've been on a long shopping journey. The shopper has narrowed their consideration set (# of vehicles on their favorites list) and they're looking for a dealer that will give them a productive shopping experience.

Thesis: The CTA clutter on the home page causes the shopper to lose focus.

If I am correct: An A/B test should reveal superior engagement stats seen in analytics (e.g. TIme on site, time on SRPs, # SRPs seen, time on VDPs, # VDPs seen, % Return, and even the lead gen rate, etc.).


DESKTOP:

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In this example, I see13 clickable messages may or may not align with the users intent.



MOBILE:

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SCENARIO: If our shopper is at a competitors store, he's taken a test drive of a Chevy Traverse, but, his wife hates the color, he pulls out his phone and he has 3 minutes to shop while the salesman is away... Eeek! he mutters, how do I find the selection of Traverses?
#UIFAIL

 

[Ryan Everson]

PERQ is one vendor I absolutely despise because they infest a dealer's site with tacky flashing / blinking GIF's and popups.

There's a fine balance between having a site that doesn't convert and one that annoys 97% of your customers just to get a few extra leads.

The root of the issue though is dealers' unrelenting thirst for more leads.

Vendors know if they don't get "enough" leads for their dealers, the dealer has a propensity to jump ship and move on to the next vendor that promises them more leads.

So vendors resort to badgering site visitors into submission, demonstrated by your screenshots of CTA overload. This way they can prove their "worth" and dissuade dealers from cancelling.

 

[Jason@nabthat]

This is a Catch-22.
Dealer sites, there are some worse than others, do not convert well (I'm being kind) and dealers have to resort to adding 3rd party CTA's to get higher conversion rates. Vendors want a low churn rate and will do "whatever" they can get away with. It is ultimately the Dealer's who are responsible to limit the amount of CTA's on their site to make sure that the UI/UX is not being negatively impacted. This also goes for Chat and Text services, too many times, I see Chat/Text, etc. buttons covering important CTA's (maybe intentionally, maybe not).

I think whenever adding a CTA button or feature it is important that all parties get involved in the UI impact as well as making sure that clear KPI's are agreed upon.

We make sure our CTA's look as good as possible on each site we work with. IMO, if you serve the customer, then you are serving the dealer.

 

[joe.pistell]

It is ultimately the Dealer's who are responsible to limit the amount of CTA's on their site

Hi Jason,
You're so right. The homepage reflects the GM/Owners persona, it's where they drop all their CTA focus. But, what most of our dealers forget is... The Home Page doesn't sell cars.

The homepage is the flyover page. Shoppers are on a mission, IMO, it's wisest to help the shopper get into the shopping experience ASAP.

Most of these CTAs have a place and can add value to the dealer and shopper, but, they need to be nested within the UX in the right place and at the right time.

 

[joe.pistell]

It is ultimately the Dealer's who are responsible to limit the amount of CTA's on their site to make sure that the UI/UX is not being negatively impacted.

That last part of the sentence jumped out at me...

Ultimately, the website is an extension of the dealer's persona. but, as a trusted technology partner to dealers, I believe it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to warn dealers of "unintended consequences" of lead gen page pollution. Our deep understanding of "All Things Digital" does not mean we are all knowing. At every chance possible, we should have studies done to explore (including this theme .

 

[Jason@nabthat]

Hi Jason,
You're so right. The homepage reflects the GM/Owners persona, it's where they drop all their CTA focus. But, what most of our dealers forget is... The Home Page doesn't sell cars. The homepage is the flyover page. .

Completely agree with you regarding the Home Page. We, internally, refer to the Home Page as a "Launch Pad" - Let the consumer get to where they want to go as easy and fast as possible. Simple.

 

[Ryan Everson]

Hi Jason,
You're so right. The homepage reflects the GM/Owners persona, it's where they drop all their CTA focus. But, what most of our dealers forget is... The Home Page doesn't sell cars.

The homepage is the flyover page. Shoppers are on a mission, IMO, it's wisest to help the shopper get into the shopping experience ASAP.

Most of these CTAs have a place and can add value to the dealer and shopper, but, they need to be nested within the UX in the right place and at the right time.

I know by GM you mean General Managers, but the homepage also reflects General Motors persona for GM dealers.

GM is test piloting a program in Florida where each dealer is assigned a digital strategist (in addition to the GM required CDK procare advocate) who for lack of a better word babysits dealers to make sure they are doing everything they deem necessary. For small single point stores it's probably a godsend but for larger groups like us it tends to be a waste of time with more homepage banners and CTA's being the answer for everything. Really hope this doesn't get rolled out nationwide.

 

[Alex Snyder]

This is a Catch-22.
Dealer sites, there are some worse than others, do not convert well (I'm being kind) and dealers have to resort to adding 3rd party CTA's to get higher conversion rates.

In the battle to convert a visitor to a lead has anyone asked whether leads do help sell cars?

 

[Ryan Everson]

In the battle to convert a visitor to a lead has anyone asked whether leads do help sell cars?

Absolutely. It's a lot easier to get someone in the door if you have their phone number and email address.

For our chain of sub-prime dealerships, 55% of our total monthly sales come from website leads.

Dealers also love leads because it makes "attribution" easier.