I Wonder if Dealership Websites Are Solving the Wrong Problem?

[Gayle Rogers]

That example with your daughter is probably the best way to explain it.

If she walked into my store asking for a pink Beetle, I wouldn’t tell her she’s shopping wrong. I’d ask a few questions first. How far is she driving? What can she comfortably afford? How important is reliability? What does she actually need the car to do?

Then show her a few vehicles that make sense and explain why.

And I’d leave the Beetle in there too. If she understands the tradeoffs and still wants the pink Beetle, that’s fine. The point isn’t to choose for her. It’s to help her make a better decision.

I think that’s the piece we’re missing online.

Some customers know exactly what they want and should be able to get straight to inventory.

Others need help getting from “I need a car” to “these are the three that actually make sense for me.”

Once they make that decision, then we get into the actual inventory, mileage, condition, history, equipment, price and which store they want to deal with.

A good salesperson already does a lot of this in person. I think the website should be able to do some of it before the customer ever raises their hand.

I don't think this is simply a "website issue"...It's a larger problem of expectations, intent and purpose. @KennySmithAutoUnite outlined it really well.

Most dealership websites, and really a lot of websites in general, are built almost entirely around getting someone to contact you. Go to a dealership website and count how many different ways you're pushed to call, chat, submit a form, check availability, get a price, etc.

The website isn't really being used as a consultative tool. It's being used as a funnel to get you off the website and into contact with the dealership.

And I think that extends to marketing in general. So much of what we put in front of customers doesn't position dealers as experts, designed to help them understand their options, make a better decision, or always make the best choice. It's designed primarily to serve the immediate goal of generating a lead.

A lot of it is systemic. We've built a lot of technology, marketing, metrics, and processes around capturing the customer instead of helping the customer.