Dealers can benefit by building reassurance online

• 41% of dealer websites home pages make no prominent reference to COVID-19 secure measures
• 23% of dealer website home pages are displaying COVID-19 secure measures prominently 

“Showroom doors may be open across England, but dealers can benefit by investing additional time in promoting their social-distancing and sanitisation steps to build essential customer confidence and reassurance to create footfall online and in the showroom.” This is the observation by MotoNovo Finance’s Deputy CEO Karl Werner, reflecting on the findings of desktop research undertaken for MotoNovo Finance in the first week of trading in England.

With the vast majority of car sales starting online and recognising that many customers will be seeking reassurance before visiting a showroom, dealers can help themselves by building this reassurance prominently into their digital presence. Since re-opening mandates that showrooms must be ‘COVID-19 secure’ having completed a full risk assessment and taken all necessary safety and sanitisation steps to minimise risks, promoting these measures is a natural value-building opportunity.

Looking at the range of website approaches to COVID-19, many dealers have taken some steps, but have not necessarily provided a full picture of their tactics. As well as the data above:

• 19% of dealer sites were prominently displaying Click & Collect options
• 9% displayed the COVID-19 secure poster logo/image, but without explaining its meaning
• 8% were allowing showroom visits by appointment only

In closing Karl notes; “We are working hard to champion the need for reinvention of the dealer model to reflect the ‘new normal’ trading environment. A full engaged, dynamic digital strategy that is; current, promotes transparency and customer care should be seen as a priority. In this respect, not promoting the steps taken to keep customers and staff safe prominently is a missed opportunity. That said, we saw some outstanding examples of good practice that recognise that customer safety is ‘top-trumping’ price.”

Press release issued by MotoNovo Finance, June 2020