Using online retail to make the car buying experience easier and more convenient for customers is something every dealership is working on. And it seems one Canadian based dealer, Koch Lincoln, is doing just that by telling customers to skip the hassles of the dealership.
Koch Lincoln has begun promoting a ‘test drive from home’ feature that allows potential car buyers to order a test drive from the comfort of their own laptop. After ordering a test drive, a Koch Lincoln product expert will deliver the chosen vehicle straight to the customers front door where the car will stay for 48 hours.
Their website makes it clear that this feature is made with the buyer in mind, “The new Koch Lincoln program aims to work with your busy schedule by allowing you to book a personalized, one-on-one experience where you can examine and drive the vehicle in the comfort of your own neighbourhood.”
What the Koch Lincoln site looks like when you go to order a home test drive
Les Koch, Director of Sales for the Alberta based Lincoln dealership told DrivingSales he came up with this idea to try and amaze customers.
“Discussions of the ‘wow factor’ come up a lot in the Luxury car industry, because giving the car buyer an unexpected, personalized experience is a great way to build a relationship. We believe the ‘wow factor’ needs to exist throughout our business, so we want to apply that personalized experience to our test drives.”
Koch also understands that not every customer will have the time, or wants to spend the time it takes to test drive at the dealership. That’s another important aspect of this new offer, “There are the obvious benefits of saving the customer’s time, creating convenience, and access to expert knowledge with no pressure. All of these factors create a memorable experience that feels exclusive to our customers,” Koch said.
The feature is on the Koch Lincoln website, however they haven’t begun the test drives from home yet. But still, Les Koch anticipates positive feedback from those who use it. He also hopes these ‘order from home test drives’ continue for years to come, “Our long term goal is to improve the car buying experience. Selecting a vehicle is an important decision, and people need to be in the right state of mind. What better environment to determine if a vehicle is right for you, than your own neighbourhood?”
As for any dealers who may want to try this, Koch says focus on the ‘wow-factor’ and creating real relationships, “It is easy to focus on the sale and financing of a vehicle, but if you are looking to build long-lasting relationships with customers, you need to go the extra mile at every touch-point of your dealership.”