Your Online Sales Process Could be Turning Away Serious Car Buyers
Shopping for a car has come a long way. In the past, car buyers had to visit dealerships in person, spend hours browsing the lot, and go through manual processes like in-store credit checks — only to find out they couldn't get approved or afford the vehicle they wanted. This outdated process frustrated shoppers and wasted valuable time for sales and finance teams.
Today's buyers expect a different experience. They browse inventory online, compare options, and want clear, upfront financing details before they commit. But while this shift is consumer-friendly (and a significant opportunity for forward-thinking dealers), some dealerships are still losing serious buyers because their websites aren't meeting modern shopper expectations.
This article will help you assess whether your online sales process is holding you back — potentially driving buyers to competitors instead of keeping them engaged through the purchase journey.
Why Buyers Go to Competitors
Today, instead of treating financing as an afterthought, car shoppers go online to find clear, quick, and straightforward information about every part of the buying process — financing included.
Dealerships that offer complete financial transparency throughout the buying journey tend to have a competitive advantage over dealerships that don't. In fact, it's become so integral to the buying journey that if shoppers don't see financing details fast, they leave for another dealership's website
Where does your online dealership fall in line between the old and new ways of car shopping? Does it give modern shoppers the tools, information, and financial transparency they seek, or is it turning shoppers away within the first few minutes of a virtual visit?
Struggling to Keep Online Buyers Engaged on Your Website?
Modern online shoppers are fickle (always moving from site to site) because they can afford to be. Shoppers leave dealership websites before buying or contacting anyone because the following dealership is just a click away.
Shoppers want pre-qualification financing information right off the bat. They want to see how much their monthly payment will be and whether they can afford a particular car. They also want a personalized experience online dealerships can deliver by capturing the right shopper information.
Building trust, holding the shopper's attention, and providing a transparent, personalized shopping experience is incredibly difficult without this information. If your dealership doesn't do these things, shoppers will find one that does.
A Simple Self-Check for Your Dealership
By now, you might already be evaluating your dealership's digital retailing process to determine whether shoppers want to shop on your website or venture off to another dealership. If you don't already know where your dealership stands, here are a few simple questions that you can ask to spot problems in your process:
- Can shoppers easily find pricing and financing details on your website?If you answered “no,” it's time to change your strategy.
- Are you gathering helpful information from visitors to follow up later?If you answered “no,” it's time to change your strategy.
- Is your sales team spending too much time tracking down leads that don't buy?If you answered “yes,” it's time to change your strategy.
- Are shoppers leaving your site because they get confused or frustrated?If you answered “yes,” it's time to change your strategy.
Don't Lose Serious Buyers — It's Time to Rethink Your Online Sales Process
The online car buying process has come a long way and so have dealerships' tools to capture and engage customers. To keep buyers engaged and prevent them from leaving for a competitor's website, consider these key improvements to your online sales process:
- Ensure financing details are visible early in the buying journey:Shoppers expect to see financing options, payments, and rates upfront, ideally on the vehicle detail pages (VDPs) and within the shopping cart.
- Incorporate digital retailing tools:Features like online credit pre-approval, trade-in estimators, and payment calculators empower shoppers to move forward confidently.
- Optimize for mobile users:Many buyers browse and shop for vehicles on their phones, so your website should load quickly, be easy to navigate, and display financing details clearly on mobile devices.
- Use automated lead capture and follow-ups:Capture shopper information through pre-qualification forms or interactive financing tools to ensure your team can follow up with serious buyers before they leave.
The way buyers shop for cars has changed, and dealerships that fail to meet modern expectations risk losing valuable qualified leads. Independent dealerships can remain competitive and convert more serious buyers by offering upfront financing details, digital retailing tools, and a seamless online experience.
Now is the time to look at your online sales process to see how you can grow and compete in the new world of online car sales.
