As 2019 draws to a close, one thing is clear within the automotive industry – more cars are being sold online than ever before. According to Digital Commerce 360 and the 2019 Automotive E-commerce Report, used car digital sales had a compound annual increase of 7.61% between 2015 and 2019. In comparison, total car sales increased just 1.73%.
Overall, consumers are spending a majority of the car buying process, from research to purchase, online. As automotive e-commerce becomes more prevalent, consumers are no longer confined to their local dealership. Now, consumers can purchase any vehicle from anywhere, and this trend isn’t changing anytime soon; according to the Frost & Sullivan research firm, 1.3 million cars will be sold online each year by 2035. With this shift in purchasing behavior also comes an increase in customer expectations.
As consumers turn to the internet for all their buying needs, they also demand a faster, easier, and more transparent vehicle buying experience, but automotive retailers are struggling to keep pace. This new era of automotive e-commerce can be compared to the period two decades ago when dealers realized they needed their own websites. It’s time to open the virtual doors to start selling more cars online because omni channel retailing is the future of commerce. Providing a cohesive, seamless car buying experience both in stores and online is critical to thriving in the digital age.
Vehicle home delivery provides the ultimate experience for a consumer who purchased a car online. The vehicle can be delivered to the consumer’s front door in a matter of days, fully detailed, plated and ready to drive but finding the right provider to execute this level of service can be difficult.
Most asset-based vehicle logistics companies leverage a car haul only delivery approach which presents a number of challenges including truck access, delays due to multiples stops in transit, and highly variable delivery windows. A better solution for a timely, efficient delivery is multi-modal transport: the vehicle can be hauled on a semi to a storage hub where the vehicle can be washed and serviced, then transported via a flatbed or driven by a professional driver to the final destination via vehicle home delivery.
Automotive retailers need a partner that can meet the demand of speed but also provide superior service, comprehensive protection of assets, multi-modal infrastructure, and visibility into shipment status – all while delivering the vehicle in road ready condition.
ACERTUS’ suite of vehicle logistics service offerings including car haul, flatbed, drive away, and multi-modal transport combined with our scale of more than 6,600 active carriers, 1,000 driveaway drivers and more than 55 secure storage distribution hubs makes our team uniquely qualified and fully equipped to deliver vehicles safely to the customers door. We have experience and expertise in residential delivery including limited-access areas such as densely populated cities, narrow streets and roads with low-hanging trees. Our highly efficient, fully optimized proprietary technology features real time data and vehicle tracking so status is never in question. Upon request, vehicles can be delivered fully detailed, filled with gas, titled and registered by one of our highly professional drivers, dressed in company-branded gear who can provide vehicle feature training.
While automotive retailers focus on selling more cars online, ACERTUS will go the final mile as a trusted, dedicated partner, working behind the scenes with a relentless drive to deliver. Learn more here.
