From the risk of U.S. imposed tariffs, to a shortage of service technicians, the retail auto industry is confronting several obstacles. However, May sales were on the upswing, showing positive signs for the rest of the fiscal year. Here to go more in-depth about the challenges that face dealers today, and how to persevere through them, is David Long, a veteran of the auto retail industry who has held top positions at several high volume dealer groups.
David says that despite the fact that some dealers are reluctant to embrace digital retailing in their dealerships he believes it is here to stay, and that dealers should really begin to put more focus on to it. He says that companies such as Carvana and Fair are doing a great job in making it easier for customers to shop online and have their vehicles delivered right to their door.
However, David says that he sees this for only a small portion of the population and that the majority of the population is not quite at the point of online transactions. Therefore, he estimates that we won't truly start to see these changes develop for another 10-15 years. Yet he says the transition will come non-the-less and that dealers should work to move towards digital retailing within their dealerships.