Who is the emerging Internet Buyer, and why is he breaking the Traditional Car Sales Mold? The typical Internet shopper is not that Techie of 5 years ago. The Net is now mainstream and the user numbers keep growing! For practical purposes we will break down the web into three main areas: 1. Entertainment: Disney, Comedy Central, ESPN etc.. These people don't mind waiting for stuff to download and will be more tolerant to slow loading sites. 2. E-Commerce: Amazon.com, etoys.com, MVP.com etc.. People use these sites to do direct purchases. A car is a very large purchase, and usually requires a test drive and at least one trip to a dealer. 3. Research: This is where the Car shopper should be. He is looking for new and used vehicles, photos, invoices, prices, book values etc.. Your web site must download fast and be easy to understand and surf through. If it takes longer than a minute for a shopper to figure out how your site works, they are gone. Treat your web site like a sales tool and keep it simple. Online shoppers don't care about slow loading Flash presentations, company jingles, and slow moving text boxes. Provide the researching shopper with the right stuff and you will sell more cars! 83% of people doing research online will use at least one Search Engine or Directory to find what they are looking for. Are you coming up in the Search Engines? Why are more people using the Internet to shop for cars? It is simple. Picture yourself with the following at your fingertips: A computer, an Internet connection, a comfortable place to sit, and plenty of information about you and your competitors products available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The online shopper is now in control of the buying process and can easily remove you with one click. Not only can shoppers view your inventory, get prices, and gather info about your dealership, they will also contact you direct via immediate email. This means the shopper contacts you when he is hot, not 8 hours later when you open. Every morning when you come in you will have messages on your computer from shoppers. The common perception among Internet shoppers is there are better deals on the Internet than if they just walk on your lot. In reality, the biggest difference is that the Internet shopper has access to a fountain of information about blue book values and invoice prices that several years ago was hard to find. This shopper will get a better deal primarily because they possess that information. Compare the traditional hit the streets and shop til you drop buyer with the emerging Internet shopper that will do most of his pre shopping online gathering information and already have a deal before leaving the house. Which style of buying do you think will win out in the long run? People will travel! Our research has found that many people will travel for the right vehicle or deal. If you ignore the out of state leads you get you are missing a great opportunity to sell cars to nationwide audience. It is happening right now at Arizona Dealers. Most common states seem to be California, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. However dealers have shipped to Chicago, and other mid-west states. Most people, if you can make a deal, will hop a plane and come see you if you are ready to do business. People online expect fast responses. If you are slow at responding someone will beat you. Remember, you are not the only dealer online and a shopper may contact 5 or 6 other dealers as well as you. The Word is spreading! Kelley Blue Book, Edmund's, how to buy web sites, plus thousands of information rich Auto Buying Services. As more people online discover the ease of shopping online they will demand more interaction from dealers. There is no doubt that the Internet will continue to grow. Many Dealers will come on with great resentment but market forces will require participation. For whatever reasons people are online or going online, one thing remains constant: The need is not only for you to have a presence, but also an impact. To have an impact you must understand who the Internet shopper is and adapt to deal with him. Online Shoppers will contact you if they know you are out there. They will buy from you if you treat them right and give them what they are looking for, information. Who is the Internet shopper? In just a few short years the average Internet user has gone from an early adopter techie to a more general profile, including your dad on AOL. This mainstream move will continue, so it is important to reinvent the way you sell cars in order to survive online. The things online car shoppers crave are information and control of the buying process, and they will search until they find it. So if you refrain from providing it, rest assure, someone else will. If you think that the Internet Shopper today is still that Techie Mooch of 5 years ago, you are wrong. The Internet is now mainstream, with Women now comprising 50% of the Market. The car shopper of tomorrow (16-22 yr. olds) will use the Internet the same way we used the telephone for years. It will be internalized into their daily activities. Growth of Car Owners using Internet for Automobile information 1997 16% 1998 25% 1999 40% 2000 55% *2001 66% *2002 75% *2003 80% *projected Stats 1999 J.D. Power and Associates Click here to return to Training Homepage All information is copyrighted ©1996-2005 by AutoNetUSA Inc Any reproduction or distribution of this material without permission  from AutoNetUSA IncC is strictly prohibited.