Customer Experience (CX) Automotive Mystery Shop Study published by DAS Technology reveals four key trends and areas for improvement in the interactions between consumers and auto dealers during the car shopping, buying, and ownership process.
Top 4 trends:
Firstly, dealers heavily rely on standard autoresponders and frequently overlook specific customer questions. In addition, online reviews with dealer responses can improve sales and service, but dealers are not taking advantage of this opportunity. Similarly, although consumers prefer video, which can increase engagement, only some dealers utilize it. Finally, Google is the most trusted source for car shopping, but dealers aren't fully utilizing these capabilities.
“DAS Technology’s second Mystery Shop Study is one of the largest and most timely in our industry. The study outlines consumer and dealer challenges throughout the vehicle lifecycle, provides statistics on how dealers respond to consumer inquiries online and imparts the tech solutions to solve those issues. Responding to leads fast with relevant customer information, using reviews to drive service and sales, creating engaging custom videos for customers, and taking advantage of Google are ways dealers can get a competitive edge as the inventory increases and consumer buying slows. DAS Technology has patented solutions that have proven to assist in nurturing consumers and ensuring the best consumer experience,” said Jason Barrie, COO of Digital Air Strike.
The study also shows that 62% of dealer responses were autoresponders with almost no specific vehicle information. In fact, 45% of VDP responses had zero information about the vehicle. Interestingly, not providing details enables dealers to enhance the car shopping experience and increase the chances of closing a sale from an inbound inquiry.
Additionally, the study found room for improvement in how dealers can use customer testimonials to improve service and sales and engage more effectively. The analysis revealed that only 1% of dealers included customer testimonials in their responses, and 46% did not respond to comments on Facebook. Also, according to a 2022 study by Digital Air Strike, 93% of car buyers reported that online reviews influenced their choice of dealership. Therefore, there is a significant opportunity for dealers to use customer reviews and testimonials to improve customer communications.
“DAS Technology provides powerful technology solutions that help our dealership engage and respond to consumers faster than we could without their help, which is a big competitive advantage in today’s market. DAS understands what it takes to deliver a top-notch vehicle shopping, buying, and ownership communication experience. Their technology is always evolving, and it easily integrates with our other solutions to deliver consistent and relevant messaging that gives consumers the information they want at the right time,” said Kevin Cravo, sales director of Royal Automotive Group in Arizona.
About DAS Technology
DAS Technology is a Customer Data and Experience Platform (CDXP) that helps over 7,800 businesses and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) improve their consumer response and lead conversion rates through the use of AI-powered digital technology. The company offers a wide range of solutions, including digital response, social media marketing, and online reputation management, and uses a combination of messaging tools, mobile apps, software, and consumer engagement technology to monitor, respond to, and convert more consumers into customers.
