Summer is one of the busiest seasons for car buyers. Families planning road trips, recent graduates looking for their first vehicles, and customers wanting to trade in for a more fuel-efficient model all contribute to an increase in showroom and online traffic. But today’s customers don’t start their journey at the dealership—they start online.
Digital retailing has redefined how people shop for cars, and dealerships that adapt to this shift will gain a competitive advantage. The key isn’t just offering online tools—it’s creating a seamless, connected experience that bridges the gap between digital browsing and in-person visits.
Here’s how dealerships can optimize their digital retailing strategy to enhance the summer car-buying journey while improving customer experience and sales efficiency.
Customers expect a convenient, self-directed buying process—whether it’s researching, applying for financing, or valuing their trade-in. By the time they visit a dealership, they already know what they want.
🔹 73% of car buyers start their journey online, spending an average of 12-14 hours researching vehicles before making a decision.
🔹 More than half of shoppers prefer to complete key steps—like loan approvals and trade-in valuations—before stepping into a dealership.
🔹 Customers who begin their journey online spend less time in the showroom and convert faster than walk-ins.
This means digital retailing isn’t just a convenience—it’s an expectation. The challenge for dealerships is ensuring their online tools are intuitive, fully integrated, and guide customers toward the next step in the buying process.
The biggest mistake dealerships make with digital retailing is treating it as a separate sales channel rather than an extension of the dealership experience. When customers start online but have to restart the process at the dealership, it creates friction and frustration.
Here’s how to ensure a smooth transition between online and in-person interactions:
✅ Smarter Trade-In Conversations That Start Online – ROboT initiates trade-in discussions digitally, creating a seamless handoff to the dealership for faster follow-ups and better engagement.
✅ Pre-Financing Tools That Reduce Time in the Showroom – Allow customers to explore payment options, apply for financing, and get pre-approved online so they spend less time in the F&I office.
✅ Save and Continue Features for a Frictionless Buying Experience – Many buyers browse online but don’t complete all steps in one session. A system that saves their progress (vehicle preferences, trade-in details, financing status) and allows them to pick up where they left off creates a smoother handoff to the dealership.
AI-driven digital retailing does more than streamline transactions—it personalizes the shopping experience.
🔹 Smart Vehicle Recommendations – AI analyzes customer browsing behavior and suggests vehicles based on preferences, pushing high-intent leads closer to a decision.
🔹 AI-Powered Chatbots for Real-Time Support – Instead of waiting for an email response, AI chatbots can answer customer inquiries instantly, helping them navigate financing, trade-ins, and availability.
🔹 Predictive Follow-Ups – AI detects where customers drop off in the buying process and triggers automated reminders, whether it’s to complete financing, confirm a test drive, or revisit trade-in offers.
With AI-driven insights, dealerships can engage customers at the right time with the right offer, improving conversion rates while reducing lead abandonment.
Summer car shoppers are on the go, and mobile browsing plays a major role in their decision-making process. If your digital retailing platform isn’t fully optimized for mobile, you could be losing potential buyers before they even reach the dealership.
✅ Mobile-Friendly Inventory Browsing – Ensure vehicle listings are fast-loading, easy to navigate, and visually engaging on mobile screens.
✅ One-Click Appointment Scheduling – Reduce friction by allowing customers to book test drives or service visits in seconds from their phones.
✅ Seamless Payment Calculations – Customers should be able to adjust loan terms, compare financing options, and see real-time price estimates without struggling with clunky interfaces.
A smooth mobile-first experience keeps dealership engagement high and ensures customers can take action anytime, anywhere.
A well-executed digital retailing strategy should result in higher in-store conversions. Instead of restarting the conversation, sales teams should have customer insights readily available, including:
🔹 Trade-in values already estimated
🔹 Saved vehicle preferences
🔹 Previous customer interactions with chatbots or online tools
This allows for faster transactions and a more customer-centric experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and increased sales efficiency.
With higher foot traffic, increased online activity, and summer buyers ready to make decisions, digital retailing isn’t just a convenience—it’s a sales accelerator.
Dealerships that invest in seamless online-to-showroom experiences, AI-powered personalization, and mobile-first platforms will create a frictionless car-buying journey that drives more leads, faster conversions, and higher customer satisfaction.
As the industry shifts toward a more digital-first future, now is the time for dealerships to refine their approach and ensure they’re meeting modern customer expectations – both online and in person.
