Though they have not yet warmed up to e-mail, auto dealers are turning to the Web, judging by a new survey from the Polk Co., Detroit.
Of a random sample of 300 dealerships surveyed by telephone in January, 62% have their own Web sites not connected to those of their manufacturers. They use these sites to advertise new cars, other products and services, and financing or leasing options.
The majority of those with Web sites are “responding to customer inquiries within 24 hours, and a select number of dealerships (20 percent) respond to customer requests within one hour,” said Bill Barrett, managing director of transportation information services dealer and regional programs for Polk, in a statement.
Barrett added, “It’s obvious that dealerships with the quickest response times will have the most appeal to information-hungry consumers who are ready to buy. In fact, our results indicate consumers who defect from their previous dealer or manufacturer use the Internet at a much higher rate.”
Ninety percent of all dealerships have the option of being connected to their manufacturer’s Web pages. And yet only 10 percent of salespeople nationwide are using e-mail to communicate with customers. Almost 75% of the dealerships have not yet equipped their salespeople with e-mail capabilities.
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