It’s time to go on the offense with your e-commerce

By Chuck Lewis, general manager of Boating and RV, ARI Network Services — One of the most common misperceptions among boat dealers is that all that really sells online are books and music downloads — not boats.

As a result, many dealers still approach the web as a necessary evil. Websites are perceived as time-consuming, expensive, hard to maintain and an overall black hole. Plus, don’t forget all the work that goes into promoting the site for prospective customers to even see it.

If that’s the mindset of your dealership, it’s undermining your potential. For most of today’s consumers, your website is the first look inside your dealership. If they aren’t enticed by what they see, they’ll move right along to the next site—making it more important than ever to have a website that’s powerful, functional and compelling.

How do you do that? By going on offense, applying a proactive strategy that fully leverages the potential of the web. The key is to manage your site like a storefront, using online promotions and adding value for customers to drive traffic and sales.

Your site must be dynamic enough to engage customers and lure them into “walking” through your site. Every product should have high quality images — ideally, multiple images from several viewpoints — plus a price tag. If you don’t feel comfortable listing a price, make sure you have a quote or query system. Both ways allow the data to be easily transferred into a lead management system where you can continue to build a relationship with the prospective customer.

Significant content and theme changes should occur monthly. Themes can be tied to seasons, sales and new products. Your website is the perfect place to brag about new products, models and best-in-class services.

Several dealerships have started successfully using their websites to promote and manage services. For example, one dealership we worked with recently ran an online service special. Promoting the special online allowed the dealership to reach more customers than they would have by word of mouth. Plus, it’s more cost effective than sending out mailers, which often end up unread in the trash.

Dealer websites are also ideal for showing marine expertise by offering do-it-yourself tips, summarizing frequently asked questions and creating how-to videos. These educational practices not only pique customer interest, but also foster a relationship with customers beyond point of sale.

If all that sounds like a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be. A good web services provider will offer a system that’s expertly designed to deliver great results, but simple enough that it only takes a few hours per week to manage.

Still not enough to get you in the game? Then how does boosting web sales by 15 percent to 20 percent year over year sound? That’s what many dealerships achieve going on offense with their websites. What about you?