Dealership groups suggest that through pooling the resources of many dealerships, they can offer their customers benefits beyond the capabilities of a single store. We wanted to know; how appealing are these potential benefits to vehicle buyers? Do car buyers even recognize a dealership group when they see one?

After reviewing the websites of many large dealership groups, we found 15 common benefits groups used to entice potential car buyers to visit one of their stores. Then, we put these benefits to the test, asking over 2000 recent new and used car buyers to tell us “Which of the following characteristics of a dealership group would make you think one of their dealerships is a good place to buy your next vehicle?”

What’s a dealership group anyways?

While most people working in the car business could quickly name a few dealership groups, do vehicle buyers know what they are? After reading a description of what a dealership group is, we found that only 63% of new car buyers and 56% of used car buyers were familiar with the concept. While groups may have additional benefits for customers, these all come with a slight issue that customers may still need someone to explain what a group is for them to fully understand.

What vehicle buyers love about groups

Regardless of whether they know what a dealership group is, vehicle buyers love to hear they can save money, so it’s no surprise that a dealership group being able to lower costs tops the list. After that, it’s access to more inventory or the ability to compare different brands that catch customer's attention. Another popular item is groups suggesting their staff have training and follow process, so customers know they’ll be working with a team of professionals. Finally, familiarity is important; although many people don’t know what a group is, there is still benefit in having a familiar name that’s been around for a long time.

How to promote your dealership group

While all of these are great benefits, customers aren’t likely ready to hear about them all at once. We’d recommend that you combine 2-3 of these statements together depending on what a customer is trying to do:

• If they’re on your homepage, help them know you’ll have the right car because of your large inventory and multiple brands.
• If they’re looking at a specific vehicle, remind them how being part of a group means they can offer the best price and they can confidently buy because of how well your group trains all their sales staff.

Perhaps most importantly, this research shows that being in a dealership group could really make a difference for a new store. With customers saying your group being in business for a long time and having a recognizable name will make your stores more appealing, any new store under a group banner is going to be more appealing and have immediate credibility. This would normally take decades to build independently.

Customers do care about your dealership group, and that group’s reputation can make a big difference to your bottom line. If you want to see how all 15 benefits ranked, check out the full list from our Automotive Remarketing Canada conference presentation.