Disruption is upon us in the retail automotive industry. We see it everywhere – from ride-sharing and autonomous cars to the Tesla business model to changing consumer preferences – the pressure on dealership operations is huge.
While the lines keep getting blurrier between customers’ digital, physical and in-store experiences, it’s going to take serious leadership and vision to guide a store across each moving border and back again. Evolution is happening rapidly and only those leaders who manage digital transformation skillfully will be positioned for survival in the next 5 years.
Making the digital transformation – from traditional roots as a sole ‘bricks-and-mortar’ operation into building out a digital and social commerce experience for customers – is crucial to the survival of automotive retail as we know it.
Dealers must respond to new shopper expectations. Looming changes to the status quo are forcing dealers to bridge digital and physical shopping experiences and to try different ways of transforming the retail experience.
Digital transformation means dealership operations can’t afford to be stuck.
However, dealers are getting stuck in three major ways:
- Lack of social presence.
- Data is not a focus.
- Old technology and platforms are still in post position.
I was recently on a keynote panel at an automotive conference discussing the topic of digital transformation and ways in which data should guide decisions on digital advertising dollars.
I went to this conference with the intention of listening. To pay attention to pain points, successes, and failures that were considered successes, while filtering out the noise of even more “easy solutions” to transform a bricks-and-mortar operation into a digital superstore.
Digital transformation does not occur with the purchase of just another piece of software.
Transformation requires leadership, vision and a well-defined business strategy that will take you from where you are today to where you need to be tomorrow.
Dealership operations must transform.
The majority of dealerships and dealer groups are not ready for this transformation. Many are hanging onto the old ways of doing business and for some, that may well be as far as they’re willing to go.
For those organizations who wish to improve performance and retain profitability throughout the disruption, they’re need expertise to guide them through the maze of digital reputation management. A sherpa who’s got the automotive retail chops but who’s also been on the front lines of social media for the past 9 years, witnessing the challenges daily.
You’ll need a dealership operations specialist. I’d like to help you and your organization thrive in the coming transformative years.
Let’s talk. Fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
