Digital storefront is a gutsy move, from Automotive News.
At Foresight Research, we believe AutoNation is making a gutsy move by building a digital storefront for new-auto purchasers (“The retail game is about to change,” Nov. 17).
Our 2014 Dealership Immersion Report provides insights and diagnostics about dealership purchase influence and purchase experience among new-auto buyers. It shows that just 11 percent of new-auto buyers agree that “it is not essential for me to see, touch or sit in the vehicle before I buy it,” and only 14 percent “would prefer online price negotiation.” Notably, those measures shift considerably toward digital among 18- to 34-year-olds.
No wonder: There has never really been a viable way to buy online from most dealerships, so it is hard for people to imagine how it could work — and work effectively. The AutoNation approach may change that.
