The automotive industry is booming right now. Car sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels and have even increased from there. In fact, car shoppers are wanting to buy new and used cars at faster rates than auto dealerships are able to provide options on their lots. Many auto dealerships are currently struggling with inventory shortages as a result of manufacturing delays that are largely consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic–not to mention the worldwide microchip shortage that has limited the production of new vehicles since late 2021.
The current high demand for vehicles on the mainstream auto market coupled with widespread inventory shortages has created a significant amount of competition among automotive dealerships. This heightened competition has left many auto dealerships struggling to keep up with other dealerships in their area. If your auto dealership is looking for new and unique ways to increase your sales or keep your sales numbers high moving forward, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to discover 5 top strategies to increase your auto dealership’s sales this summer.
1. Extend Your Hours
One way to increase car sales starts with your sales hours. If your auto dealership is only open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, you’re missing out on a lot of business. Many car shoppers want to browse for their next vehicle or take a test drive before or after work, which means extending your dealership’s business hours can help your dealership capitalize on shoppers who want to come into your dealership earlier in the morning or later in the evening. This is especially important during the summertime when there are more hours of daylight during which people are more likely to be out shopping.
However, there are things to consider when it comes to extending the business hours of your dealership. It is important to make sure you have enough employees on-site to cover the additional service hours you add to your daily schedule in order to prevent employee burnout and keep your staff feeling satisfied and content without feeling overworked or spread too thin.
2. Encourage Customer Reviews
You may be surprised at how far a good review will go when it comes to increasing car sales. Car shoppers are much more likely to make their next vehicle purchase from an auto dealership that has received a high number of positive customer reviews. Make sure that your dealership has active Yelp and Google Business pages and always encourage your customers to leave reviews for your dealership when they do business with you.
Even negative customer reviews can help increase your sales–as long as there are not too many of them, of course–because they show that your business is legitimate and that your customer reviews are well-balanced and come from real customers. If every single one of the reviews your dealership receives is a 5-star review, some potential customers browsing through these reviews might get suspicious that the feedback is actually made up of paid reviews rather than reviews from real customers who have made purchases from your dealership.
3. Offer More Online Options
From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 to the end of 2020, online car shopping increased to make up less than 2% of car purchases to account for more than 30% of car purchases. This is a major increase, and it represents a notable change in the auto industry in terms of the way people shop for cars. Remember there is much data that you can get from online options.
Due to the increasing online orientation of the auto industry, it is very important for your dealership to offer a good amount of online options for car shoppers. Make sure your dealership website is optimized for mobile device use because many car shoppers browse for vehicles on their smartphones or tablets. Keep your vehicle inventory updated on your dealership website, and offer pre-financing approval options if possible in order to make the process of shopping for a car from your dealership as easy and as smooth as possible for shoppers.
4. Make Phone Calls
Despite how much of the car shopping and purchasing process is being completed online now, phone calls are still very important in the auto industry. It is important to put a good amount of your marketing budget into phone marketing.
Making phone calls to follow up with customers and reach out to potential customers helps your auto dealership seem more trustworthy and reassures car shoppers that your dealership is run by real, helpful people who are more than happy to address any questions or concerns they may have.
5. Offer Customer Incentives
To increase car sales, many dealerships will try different offers and incentives. Offering unique customer incentives can help your dealership keep up with competing dealerships and increase your dealership’s sales significantly. The customer incentives you offer don’t have to be anything major. Car shoppers are much more likely to make their next vehicle purchase from a dealership that offers incentives than they are to make their purchase from a dealership that offers them nothing extra in return.
If your auto dealership offers vehicle maintenance and repair services, consider offering certain services at free or discounted rates for customers who buy their vehicles from your dealership. You may also consider offering gift certificates to customers who purchase vehicles from your dealership. That way, they can use their gift certificates toward any service their vehicle may need in the future.