Almost three-fourths of customers in all industries want the ability to take care of service needs themselves, and car buyers are no different. If given the opportunity, 75% of them would consider moving the entire car-buying process online, including research, scheduling test drives, applying for financing, price negotiation, and back-office paperwork. In fact, over 60% now start the car buying process on a digital channel before entering a dealer showroom.
Top auto companies are meeting that demand through self-service chatbots on their websites, mobile apps, and messengers. The bots are available 24/7 (unlike dealers), and can answer questions from current and potential customers, set up test drives, recommend models based on consumers' personalities and preferences, and more.
When your customers can schedule directly through a self-service interface, conversion rates for in-dealer appointments rise, creating a lift of up to 4% in overall test drives.