Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
Issue link: http://autodealermonthly.epubxp.com/i/117504
TECHNOLOGY 1. PARTS AND ACCESSORIES IS NOT A LOCAL MARKET. Franchised dealers have a supreme advantage in terms of organic search results on Google. That���s because Google has refned its search algorithm over the last few years. So, when a consumer searches ���Toyota dealers,��� he or she is provided with local dealers based on the shopper���s physical location. That means dealers are only competing with a handful of other dealers in their area selling the same vehicles in the same designated market area (DMA). Vehicle repair and maintenance services are even more hyper-local, and Google���s algorithm responds accordingly. It knows consumers looking for ���brake repair��� or ���oil change��� services are not going to travel more than 20 or 25 miles. Parts and accessories, however, is completely different. If I need a brake light for my Ford F-150, I���m just as likely to buy it from someone shipping it from 3,000 miles away vs. having someone ship it to me from the same ZIP code. Again, Google���s algorithm refects this consumer behavior, which means there is no local infuence whatsoever in the search results you get for an ���F-150 brake light.��� special finance leads 100% Guaranteed Exclusive Organic Leads Month to Month Commitment No Sign Up Fees automotive direct mail 100% Exclusive Lists Custom Credit Scores Bankruptcy Mailers All Direct Mail programs include our free call center. We set your appointments and do the direct mail follow up. triggercomplete��� 100% Turnkey for Dealers We make the calls We set the appointments We do the follow up next generation lead service new & used car leads Free Inventory Listing Click to Call You: No Bad Phones 100% Guaranteed Exclusive 10 AUTO DE ALE R MONTHLY ��� APRIL 2013 2. PARTS AND ACCESSORIES IS AN ONLINE TRANSACTIONAL BUSINESS. We sometimes forget that for most consumer shopping sites, the end result is a purchase, not a phone call or e-mail lead like it is on dealers��� sites. Traditional e-commerce sites, including parts and accessory sites, have a layer of complexity that doesn���t exist on a traditional dealer website, such as a shopping cart checkout process. To run a parts and accessories website, you need a fully functioning shopping cart engine, a credit card gateway, a pricing module for shipping and a pricing module for taxes. It is a dramatically more complex platform than a dealership website, which stops at the lead form. Most dealers haven���t worked with a site like this before and many aren���t prepared for its complexity.