ROADSTER + NADA

Dealer Impact Study 2.0

Efficiency Is the New Benchmark for Success

Last spring, after dealerships were forced to shutter their showrooms and many shifted to 100% online selling, Roadster and NADA conducted Part 1 of a Dealer Impact Study, analyzing COVID-19’s effects. The surprising results: though sales were down significantly, online engagement and efficiency were up, with dealerships able to sell more cars per person with a reduced staff.

Three months later, with showrooms reopened, we conducted Part 2 of our Dealer Impact Study to see what sales-process adaptations have stuck, what has changed, and how it’s impacted efficiency for both dealers and consumers.

Some key takeaways: 

• Units per salesperson continue to climb from 13 in May to 16 in September.
• 44% of consumers prefer to complete a portion of their purchase online, even with showrooms reopened.
• 63% of consumers said the transaction time was faster than the last time they bought a car and ⅓ said it took less than 1 hour.

Download our report to learn why and discover ways your dealership can adapt to the new normal.