Visiting your local dealership showroom to buy a new car could be going the way of the dodo quicker than anticipated, according to new research.
A report from automotive video company CitNOW suggests that the majority of buyers will purchase their new cars online as early as 2020, potentially striking a fatal blow for the traditional forecourt.
Showroom visits will become a thing of the past, while selling and part-exchanging your own car will also be totally remote within the next four years, the report suggests.
Majority will buy cars online
CitNOW also stressed the increasing importance of video reviews to buyers, with more than 75 per cent of people watching reviews of their next purchase before even setting foot in a dealership.
The company’s CEO Alistair Horsburgh, said: “At the moment, the car industry is waking up to the importance of using video to communicate with their customers but, by 2020, it will be a two-way conversation.
“Within five years, the entire process of buying a new car, from researching different models to agreeing a price and a specification, will be done remotely. Motorists won't ever have to visit the showroom, except perhaps to pick up the car they've ordered.”
Importance of video reviews to buyers
CitNOW predicts that buyers will soon be able to haggle with dealers, agree part-exchange prices and order their new cars via video call apps like Skype and FaceTime.
The research also found that dealers who use personalised videos to sell their wares sell cars quicker than those who don’t, and are more likely to retain customers in the future.
Horsburgh added: “It all sounds a bit daunting but it's the way the whole industry is going. Consumers these days expect this level of convenience, speed and quality of service.”
