Automotive e-Commerce Opportunities Ahead

Beyond 2015, those who track automotive e-commerce foresee continuous advancements.

Video is increasingly important to the in-market car buyer, says Peter Leto, an automotive strategist for Google

“Sixty-four percent of shoppers will watch video on their path to purchasing a new vehicle,” a 20-fold increase from four years ago, he says. Much of that viewing is on YouTube, he adds. 

A warning comes from Nicole Gignac, vice president of sales at digital marketing firm L2T Media.

“A lot of dealers are checking items off in a box, thinking that they are paying somebody for search-engine optimization and pay per click,” she says. “But they’re not actually analyzing how it’s generating more leads for the lowest possible cost while increasing Web traffic.”

She speaks of opportunities, “especially by monitoring people’s movements through geo-targeting on their mobile devices. That’s the level of closeness we want to get to.”

Geo-targeting can pinpoint a potential customer’s proximity to a dealership via their mobile device; identify them as a relevant consumer based on age, gender, languages, interests, and social media connections; and send them a targeted marketing message. Gignac says the retail industry uses geo-targeting but the technology has yet to be embraced by dealers.

“We want to take it to the next level,” she says. “It’s kind of crazy how customized you’re going to be able to get with advertising but it’s all about relevancy to the consumer.”