Dec 2020

Online Auto Sales Are Here to Stay

The recent digital move to online auto sales has been accelerated due to the pandemic and the sellers’ need to connect with consumers in new/touchless ways.

In JD Power’s 2020 Sales Satisfaction Index, they prove customers want to engage digitally, and it is unlikely we go back to decades old process of going directly to a dealership. The digital retail contributes to a better overall experience their study suggests.

“The pandemic provided dealers with a wide-open path to allow different approaches to sell vehicles outside of their traditional showroom sales process,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “It’s revealing, too, that 44 percent of online shoppers are now selecting the exact vehicle they want from inventory on a dealer’s website, which is an increase of 13 percentage points from January of this year.” He said, “nearly one in four buyers say their purchase experience during the pandemic will make them less likely to shop in person in the future, indicating that digital retail processes are here to stay.”