Woman signing a contract on phone

From Chat to Checkout: Optimizing the Digital Retail Funnel

Written By Carol Marshall

Original Source: Digital Dealer | From Chat to Checkout: Optimizing the Digital Retail FunnelBy Carol Marshall, COO, ActivEngage, Inc.In the ever-evolving automotive landscape, auto dealerships are embracing the potential of online digital retail tools to enhance the car buying journey. Cox Automotive’s 2022 Car Buyer Journey Study reveals that an impressive 81% of car shoppers acknowledge the significant impact of …

5 Tips for Car Dealerships Starting Out With Live Chat

5 Tips for Starting Out with Car Dealer Live Chat

Written By Eric Schlesinger

Working in a dealership and automotive industry, you know that it takes special conversational and people skills to earn customer trust. Customers and potential buyers don’t want to be seen as just another sale; they are people (just like you) that have vehicle needs for different reasons in each of their unique lives.  Given the nature of technology and communication …

What to Look For When Opting For Automotive Chat Services

Written By Ted Rubin

In any relationship, communication is key.  Romantic relationships, friendships, business partnerships, and even sales transactions; all of these require communication to initiate, sustain, and maintain. Misunderstandings, assumptions, presumptions, and any other relational mishaps you can think of, almost always come from a place of uneven or poor communication.  In an increasingly digital world, where consumers start and sometimes end their …

The Best Automotive Digital Retailing is Connected Retailing

The Best Automotive Digital Retailing is Connected Retailing

Written By AE Staff

The best customer experiences are seamless.  This is why so many dealerships in the auto industry are focused not just on digital retailing, but on something called “connected retailing.” Connected retailing means your online offerings and processes are mirrored in-store. More than just choosing an automotive digital retailing tool for your site so you fill a requirement, connected retailing involves …

If I Had a Car Dealership…

If I Had a Car Dealership…

Written By AE Staff

a guest blog by Wes McClelland, Sales Director at ActivEngage I’ve never been a quitter; it’s not something I do, nor is it in my DNA.  In February of 1996, I was newly married and looking for a job. I was fresh out of college, where I majored in Criminal Justice. I wanted to become a peace officer in the …

Human Connection: The Missing Link in Automotive Digital Retailing

Human Connection: The Missing Link in Automotive Digital Retailing

Written By AE Staff

Online shopping has spoiled us.  Okay, that sounds a little harsh. But is it untrue?  The convenience of online shopping has changed the way we interact with businesses and our expectations of how transaction processes are completed. Understandably, the automotive industry has been a little slower going in incorporating a true online shopping experience into the mix. It is, after …

Conversational Commerce Needs Good Conversation

Conversational Commerce Needs Good Conversation

Written By Ted Rubin

Fostering great customer relationships has been an important aspect of business for, well, forever!  Communicating with customers on a human level is a foundational part of a good sales nurturing process, and an essential part of their buyer’s journey. Striking up a friendly conversation, and having organic conversations with shoppers in a familiar way, is a business strategy that establishes …

Dealerships: Focus on What You CAN Control

Dealerships: Focus on What You CAN Control

Written By Ted Rubin

Nothing discourages taking action quite like the feeling of not being in control.  It doesn’t matter the context or situation. A lack of control leads to anxiety and fear, which can manifest negatively in all aspects of life.  Think about the pandemic for a moment. COVID-19 added much uncertainty to our lives, and the constantly evolving health science around it …

How to Reassure Customers in an Inventory Shortage

How to Reassure Customers in an Inventory Shortage

Written By Eric Schlesinger

In this digital age, your dealership’s website is your front door.  The internet has afforded shoppers the luxury of access to your business on multiple levels. So much so, that they may never even need to step foot in your showroom to know what you’re all about.  Or so they think.  Perception is everything. This is especially important in the …