Damn your Finance Calculator!

Damn your Finance Calculator!

Do you know what your dealership website is saying to customers? If you have a finance calculator you are telling customers the wrong thing! You are creating another channel of friction for your customer. TLDR: turn off the finance calculator on your website. Most...
What do Dealership, Gambling, and Porn websites have in common?

What do Dealership, Gambling, and Porn websites have in common?

In 2001, I was handed the reigns to my dealer group’s website. Back then, showing a list of cars like a spreadsheet was a big deal. Photos? Ha! Those were untenable due to cost. Third parties weren’t much of a thing, but neither was the online shopping experience. The...
Digital Retail is missing something:  YOU

Digital Retail is missing something: YOU

Every car deal involves numbers, the dollars and cents of the deal. When numbers are presented, customers react. This has been happening since the first car was sold. With current automotive digital retail tools, we lose the rudimentary act of gauging a...
I hate digital retailing (Part 2)

I hate digital retailing (Part 2)

For Part Two (part one here), we must first acknowledge that car shoppers are irrational and emotional. More often than not, we make purchase decisions based on what looks good and feels cool instead of choosing vehicles with adequate comfort, decent gas mileage, and...
I hate digital retailing (Part 1)

I hate digital retailing (Part 1)

In 2014 one of my Dealer.com coworkers had an idea to put a “Buy This Car” button on dealer websites and present payments to the customer after soliciting their trade and credit information. He believed dealers were the problem for...
March engagement grew

March engagement grew

As hard-hitting COVID-19 was on the world it did not cripple online car shoppers. As more manufacturers launched more compelling incentives and quarantining measures prevented showrooms full of ups, people went online. The above graph shows the engagement rate, by...