Supporting Car Dealerships During COVID-19

COVID-19 spreads from person to person or via contaminated surfaces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that droplets from the mouth or nose of someone who coughs or exhales can either land on surrounding surfaces or people. Individuals can catch COVID-19 by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth after coming in contact with the droplets.

COVID-19 is contagious and easily spread throughout communities according to the CDC. Social distancing slows the rate at which it spreads, reducing strain on hospitals and ensuring higher risk patients a better chance at receiving treatment.

To read more about why social distancing is crucial to slowing down COVID-19’s spread, click here.

If your dealership is dealing with partial closures because of COVID-19, focus on the services that you can offer. If your sales department is closed, the service department can offer customers incentives like pickup and drop-off.

• Keep your website up to date
• Practice social distancing and sanitization in the departments that are open
• Focus on virtual interaction for other departments

Although physical locations may be closed, there are plenty of ways to keep your business going. Staying virtually open and offering customers a guided retailing experience is key during uncertain times.

• Offer 24/7 messaging to consumers so they can access your dealership at any time
• Update your website to state that you are virtually open
• Offer clear and straightforward updates regarding your current situation because of COVID-19 and how you plan to proceed.
• Think about implementing incentives on your dealership site.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates down to zero, hoping to stimulate the economy. The last drastic cut we’ve seen was in 2008. Click here to read more on the federal rate cut.

Dealers can now borrow money at a lower interest rate than before, and they can also bargain with customers and offer better rates, bolstering sales.

Read more on the Federal Reserve dropping interest rates to zero.

• (WHO) World Health Organization
• (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention