Tips for car dealers from the Remax Doors team
Studies show that the more comfortable people feel in a space, the more likely they are to spend more time there – and the more likely to trust the people running, living, or working in that space.
You may not be aware of what exactly makes you feel comfortable in a space - but let's face it, architects don't go to University for seven years for nothing! They are trained to know exactly how and what to do to produce a particular feeling from a building.
Commercial car showrooms are a unique area where the space needs to:
- House large products (cars)
- Be welcoming for customers, and ultimately
- Produce a sale.
Without one of these three elements in play, business for your car showroom will be lessened.
Here are five ways you can make your car showroom a more welcoming and a trusting place for your customers to buy from you.
1) Make your car showroom more than just a sales environment
If a customer is going to walk through your car showroom doors, the chances are they have done their research online and are into the second stage of their purchase decision: testing and finalising what they want.
That means the last thing any customer wants is to have all eyes on them as soon as they walk in, and to be made to feel as though the salesman is talking at them and not listening to what they want.
Ask yourself: when a customer walks into the car showroom, are they greeted straight away by a friendly face? Is your showroom logically zoned so that a customer can view all the small cars together, all the sports cars together, or all the utes together in one area for easy comparison?
Do you have directional signage showing customers where they can ask a question or grab hard copies of information?
Think about how you like an area presented yourself. It's not all about commercial branding but about the customer.
Image below: Rockar showroom by Dalziel and Pow, Bluewater – UK
Have you thought about installing or hiring interactive areas which could be incorporated into your showroom? It could be another way to get your target customers to spend more time in your showroom or to keep coming back.
For example, an Isuzu dealership in Western Australia offered an onsite 'cash grab machine' where new car customers could attempt to grab as much money within a set time. This cash is then offered towards accessories or upgrading the vehicle with features such as car bumpers, pearl paint, window tinting, extended warranty, alarms, a sound system and more.
2) Make the most of the time customers spend in your car showroom
Since the customer in your showroom is likely into stage two of their buying journey, what other value can you add at your dealership while they are there?
This is the chance to really show off features & accessories, perhaps a test track, show off new tyres, introduce your servicing team, or even offer customers a car wash. It's a no brainer to have catering facilities onsite to offer hot and cold beverages while customers check out your display cars.
The more time that you can have with the customer, the better. And the customer may not mind hanging around a bit longer if they can grab a coffee onsite.
Movidor High Speed Doors installed at a Melbourne Car Showroom car wash facility.
3. Think about the entrance to your showroom
Keep in mind that a car owner will likely return to your dealership for a service MANY times, and this experience needs to be honoured by the showroom design. No-one likes to sit at a dealership, and very few customers want to stay. So make sure your customers feel welcome as they enter your showroom.
Do your lounge areas resemble a sterile doctor's waiting room? Think about installing several smaller lounge areas such as a quiet lounge and a separate TV lounge.
If you have multiple buyers onsite at once, they are more than likely to come along with family, spouse, even kids. Aim to be able to provide their own lounge area, rather than a row of chairs, so that they can discuss vehicle specifics. Help them make the most of their time at your dealership.
In summary, make sure you understand the processes at play, and the experience that you want your customer to have.
One last point on car showroom entrances: virtually every automotive brand has a set of very strict design guidelines that MUST be met, as well as minimum facility sizes, features and finishes. Keep all these things in mind when thinking about your car showroom entrance.
Image below: Volkswagen Center by hell und freundlich, Dortmund – Germany. They focused on the customer navigation and orientation. With the creation of a new entrance, which is well visible from the property entrance and the parking places, they communicate a true new “Welcome” with clear guidance.Note also - the curved ceiling, creating a warm, 'enveloping' feel.
Image below: BMW MINI showroom by Plajer & Franz, Berlin – Germany. The MINI showroom is the biggest of its kind and successfully conveyed the image of MINI: fresh, young, individual and sportive. The choice of clear colours and a modern interior feel accentuate the new look for a young and hip target market.
4) Create a community feel for customers
Another way you can create a "sticky customer" (one who keeps coming back) is to introduce them into an exclusive club where new car owners are made to be part of something exciting.
Porsche are a great example of this. The marque plans regular meets and drives where club members can meet up, go along on a drive through the countryside (or city), and meet up for lunch or drinks and talk about everything Porsche related.
How exactly does this create 'sticky customers'? With a club, members can be informed of special releases, new accessories, specific service agreements, special access to bars or coffee shops or be informed first about discounts and much more.
Of course, a club is also a great way to network with your customers. And if members meet up together fairly often, they can discuss new accessories and hear reviews about which dealer, alarm system, car radio, or GPS unit is the best.
Note though that this can also be the easiest way for a bad experience to spread like wildfire among the group - which means your service and parts have to be top quality at all times.
Image Below: Intersect by Lexus flagship by Wonderwall, Tokyo – Japan. The design evokes the feeling of a clubhouse or salon that can serve as a platform for gathering and sharing a variety of information and activities. Inside the three story building are a café, a garage that can be utilized as a gallery, a lounge, and a clubroom.
Image below: Dapper Coffee Co. & Club9 by Rivets and Rockets, Cape Town – South Africa
5. Consider your customers' comfort
It's tempting to design a showroom with a 'car garage' mindset. Perhaps you assume that the male population will feel right at home in an area which mimics a typical garage, with elements such as hard concrete flooring, bulky overhead compact sectional doors, an overload of stainless steel, and minimal natural light.
Yet if you stop and think about how much money your customer is potentially going to spend on a new vehicle, there is a fair level of loyalty and trust required by the customer before signing the bottom line.
Some effective ways in which luxury car dealerships have made their car showrooms more appealing and friendly, yet professional, is to ensure that they have clean, clear sight lines both inside and outside the car showroom.
For example, think about the overhead clutter caused by standard overhead sectional doors, where the beams protrude over the ceiling space. By contrast, a compact sectional door will tuck neatly into a unit within the overhead door space (or within the ceiling space itself), ensuring that your showroom can feature lights and skylights right above the entrance / exit.
Expert advice on fitting out your car showroom
Taken singly these seemingly minor improvements may not appear to make too much of a difference. Yet your customers will feel these luxurious improvements without exactly pinpointing what it is - now that is superior design!
For more information on how to create the ideal car showroom fitout, get in touch with the expert Remax team online or call us on 1800 010 221.
Sources:
http://retaildesignblog.net/category/store-design/car-showroom/
https://www.quora.com/How-does-one-design-a-car-showroom