Can auto sales become more like online dating?
Dealers are well aware that not everyone loves the car buying experience. Edmunds.com held a contest and gave thousands of dollars in prizes for some fresh ideas on how to improve it.
Most of the ideas conveyed the theme that car shopping is not just about making a purchase but about creating a trust-based relationship, said Edmunds.com CEO Avi Steinlauf.
The winners borrowed some ideas from online dating services. The top two teams proposed using social media and other methods to match a customer to a particular salesperson based on expertise, for instance in trucks or green cars. The second place team addressed service; suggesting car owners could receive real-time information about service needs, diagnostics, links to service bays and repair bids. The third place team recommended group car buying to get the best price.
Among the judges for Edmunds.com were Tamara Darvish, executive vice president of DARCARS, and Carl Sewell, chairman and CEO of Sewell Automotive Companies, a dealership group in Texas.
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