Buying online but still having the dealership experience, studies say over a third of car buyers want to visit the showroom but finalise the purchase online.

eBay Motors Group’s new research shows that 34% of buyers are “very comfortable” driving a test car at a dealership and then purchasing online along with 21% saying it would be their preference.

However, 70% of consumers still want the traditional process to visit the dealership to view cars, test drive and finally purchase their automotive.

Despite Covid increasing online sales for the majority of industries, the automotive sector still relies on vital parts of the process of buying a new car such as test driving and speaking with a product expert in person to complete the purchase.

Because of this, only 1 in 10 buyers would opt for a full online experience.

"While the 'full' physical experience remains the preference for the majority of buyers, the Digital Touchpoints Survey highlights the opportunity for automotive retailers to provide omnichannel solutions to engage with customers who want to choose which parts of the transaction they want to conduct in person at a dealership or online," said Dermot Kelleher, head of marketing and research at eBay Motors Group.

eBay also commissioned research in June 2021 to explore how buyers were affected by the impact of the Covid-crisis and discovered that buyers are spending longer online researching their next used car purchase.

On average, car buyers spend 6 weeks searching for their next used cars.

These are key findings from the 2021 eBay Motors Group Digital Touchpoints Survey, conducted by Insight Advantage.

At Autoguard Warranties, we’re asking the question; do your customers have the option to buy online or only at the Dealership, or can they choose to take a hybrid-style of purchasing?

Source: eBay Motors Group https://www.ebaymotorsgroup.co.uk/news/over-a-third-of-car-buyers-want-part-online-purchase-but-still-expect-showroom-visit-reports-ebay-mo/