Many people are afraid of shopping online. Even internet savvy millennials. Especially when we are talking about buying cars online. Buyers need a tangible experience with the car and have concerns about sharing personal information. However, the internet has become a major player in auto sales.

According to a McKinsey report, ten years ago an average buyer visited 5 dealerships before making a decision. Now they visit 1.8. People are spending more time researching online in advance and less time at dealerships.

Many people consider that buying in a dealership is a slow laborious process. 75% of Brazilians and 90% of Chinese, 45% of Germans and 35% of French would prefer to buy cars online.

What is stopping them?

The worst things about buying cars online

According to various investigations the Top e-commerce fears are:

♦ Security. People are afraid that their credit card information might be stolen. One in three are too scared to share credit card details when purchasing online.

♦ Delivery. Clients are not able to track orders. Moreover, a lot of people miss the immediate sense of self-fulfillment, when they pay for something and then have to wait weeks before actually receiving it.

♦ Returns policy. People are not sure what they can do if they don’t like the product.

The best things about buying cars online

There are a lot of positives associated with buying cars online:

♦ It reduces time spent in dealerships.

♦ When buying a new car it’s easier to find the model that you want online.

♦ Geographically, location is no longer a limitation.

♦ A client can manage their budget online: online car loan calculations are easily accessible.

♦ The client can easily research customer satisfaction ratings, fuel economy, safety and reliability and other characteristics.

But mostly people are researching online and still going to a physical dealership afterwards. Why does this happen? 

When buying cars online people are also really concerned about:

♦ Giving personal information. No one likes spam.

♦ The online store is not real.

♦ Products can look totally different in real life from photos on websites.

♦ The shopper might need personal assistance from a salesperson.

So, in general, shoppers are already wary of untrustworthy dealerships. By visiting a dealership, the buyer builds trust and rapport with the salesperson. So if a dealership can recreate the real store experience 100% online then they can also build a more transparent relationship with their customers.

Whisbi helps companies in the automotive industry to improve their digital communications with customers, bringing the real store experience online, selling more and better. Using Whisbi technology sales reps can walk around showrooms, showcasing vehicles in real time to the customer while talking on the phone.

Find out more about how we have been helping people to buy cars online here.