Retailers that do the best job adapting to the need for safe, contactless shopping are leading the rebuild of the post-COVID-19 economy, said Frankie Russo, founder and CEO of 360 AUTO, which specializes in customer experience technology for the automotive industry.
Fueled by demand for contactless sales as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 360 AUTO, a Louisiana-based Inc. 500 company, is among the top MarTech companies that are flourishing during this ever-changing time.
In July, 360 AUTO entered the digital retailing business with their best-in-class digital retailing technology for automotive consumers.
“Our CXM now seamlessly allows consumers to complete a car buying transaction without ever entering a dealership,” Russo said. “360 AUTO has turned over all the controls to the customer!”
360 AUTO’s new Digital Retailing technology, Russo said, empowers the everyday dealership to deliver an experience that, to date, only Carvana and Tesla have offered.
360 AUTO’s centerpiece, the 360CXM, is a customer experience technology for automotive dealers with a focus on identifying, scoring and targeting in-market car buyers for marketing, equity mining, digital retailing and attribution purposes.
Russo said the latest trends show that 50% of consumers, across income levels, are using digital retailing tools when they enable a faster and easier car-buying process. And when customers engage those tools dealers experience a closing rate 15% higher than typical internet sales, higher F&I profits and in-store deals are completed within 30 minutes.
Making that experience memorable in a digital retailing world is crucial for dealers. And what makes 360 AUTO’s technology unique is that it creates a personalized website for each customer.
Studies show that car buyers are spending less time shopping for cars, making decisions more quickly and that fact, coupled with the COVID-19 shopping experience, is forcing companies to switch their mindset from being product-focused to being customer-focused and making every single customer interaction that much more important.
“Every employee, from the top to the bottom, has a role in CXM,” Russo said. “Each employee has a chance to meet or exceed expectations as they all play a part in designing and reacting to customer interactions. The hope, obviously, is that each interaction leads to greater customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.”
Because many customers come armed with more information and are ready to buy when they arrive at the dealership website, it has changed that key interaction between salesman and customer, Russo said.
“Today’s consumers are smarter and more informed than ever and you need to treat them that way. So, today’s salesman should serve as more of a consultant as customers want honesty and transparency throughout the customer experience journey,” Russo said.
For more information, visit 360 AUTO.
