Today’s car buyers expect a personalized experience, just like they get from companies like Amazon and Netflix. To keep up, dealerships need to harness the power of data and AI, and luckily, these tools are now within reach.
Traditional dealership customer journey mapping was helpful, but it only showed you the past. Now, with AI and real-time data, you can create a dynamic, personalized experience for every customer.
But First, A Quick Look at The Lotlinx Data:
Lotlinx recently surveyed over 2,500 dealers across the U.S., and the results are pretty interesting:
- A staggering 78% of dealerships aren’t sure how to use AI properly. This shows a big knowledge gap that needs to be handled.
- Only 5% of dealers are using AI for things like predicting maintenance needs and optimizing inventory and pricing. That’s a lot of potential left untapped!
- Many dealerships are stuck in the past, relying on gut feelings and outdated methods instead of data-driven insights.
The good news is that 80% of dealers plan to invest in AI in 2025. But there’s clearly a need for more education and support to help dealerships make the most of these powerful tools and make the most out of their automotive purchase funnel.
(You can check out the full infographic of Lotlinx’s survey results here.)
Here’s How We Interpret The Automotive Purchase Funnel:
To really nail personalization, it helps to understand the automotive purchase funnel. Think of it as the journey a customer takes from “Hmm, maybe I need a new car…” to actually driving off the lot. There are a few key stages:
- Getting on the Radar: This is all about grabbing attention with things like social media and SEO.
- Exploration Time: Customers start digging deeper, checking out your website, and comparing options.
- Building Trust: You build trust by answering questions, showing happy customers, and being helpful.
- Ready to Buy: Customers are getting serious! This is where targeted messages and personalized follow-ups are key.
- Sealing the Deal: Make the buying process smooth and easy, and don’t forget those incentives!
- Keeping Customers Happy: Stay in touch, offer great service, and turn them into loyal fans.
Read more with Lotlinx here or listen to our experts talk about it!
Using AI For Personalization
It Makes Intuitive Recommendations at The VIN Level.
Instead of generic messages, AI for car dealerships can suggest the right vehicles that match a customer’s interests and needs. For example, a customer can get an email showing the perfect truck with the towing capacity they’ve been searching for! Lotlinx’s Virtual Inventory Agent can securely host and analyze a dealership’s proprietary data in real-time, making precise decisions about which vehicles to recommend based on customer browsing history and preferences.
Every Piece of Content is Retrofitted to Your Customer.
AI can create customized website content, social media posts, and even video scripts that resonate with individual preferences. It can also even help create custom campaigns (hand-picked or filtered), which make the car-buying experience more engaging and relevant. Lotlinx’s advanced solution uses deep learning and predictive analytics to develop tailored marketing strategies that speak directly to every customer.
It Predicts What Your Customer Wants Based on Data.
AI for car dealerships can anticipate customer needs by analyzing data patterns. If a customer is likely to be in the market for a new car soon, AI can alert the dealership to proactively reach out with personalized offers for a better dealership customer journey.
AI Automates The Little Tasks For You.
AI can automate tasks like scheduling test drives or answering common questions, allowing your team to focus on building relationships and providing personalized support. This can help with things like real-time pricing insights and optimized stock levels to lower inventory carryover and raise profitability.
But streamlining goes beyond just automation. You also need to provide an engaging experience on your website. Lotlinx Showroom offers interactive features that empower customers to explore vehicles on their own terms, right on the vehicle detail page (VDP). With options to view lease prices, schedule test drives, and chat with representatives, you can create a seamless and engaging experience that drives conversions.
Lotlinx is Constantly Using AI to Generate Happy Customers
Since COVID, Bonnell Ford has faced a ton of challenges – inventory shortages, rising costs, and those pesky interest rate hikes. To fight back, they teamed up with Lotlinx and embraced AI-powered marketing.
Here’s the gist:
- Lotlinx helped Bonnell Ford ditch the “spray and pray” approach and get super-specific with their marketing. They used AI to find the right buyers for their used cars, even the ones that were tough to sell.
- Lotlinx gave them powerful tools like their VIN Manager, Lotlinx Sentinel, and Lotlinx Select to track website traffic and see which cars were hot and which ones weren’t. This helped them make smart decisions about pricing and promotions.
- Bonnell Ford doubled their sales and boosted their gross profits by a whopping $62,000 in a single month! They’re on track for a massive annual growth of $600,000 – all thanks to AI.
You can be the next dealership that brings the next generation of customer experiences. Contact Lotlinx to review your options.