It’s hard to overstate the impact that Covid-19 has had on the US market – on consumers and businesses in general, on car buyers, and more specifically on car dealers.
Last Fall at the CarGurus inaugural Navigate Summit in Boston I was leading a panel called, “The Changing Face of Auto Retailing” where we focused on the differences and similarities that each of the companies the three panelists represented were seeing in shopper behavior, e.g. online activity, friction, and crossing the bridge to transaction.
Little did we know at the time that it would be a global pandemic forcing acceleration of these ideas and theoretical best practices.
The big question today is, “Now What?” As auto dealerships face an uncertain future, what are some of the changes that dealers have made in the last six months to adapt to reaching customers during the pandemic? What about differentiating themselves from your competition? And how will Covid impact the purchasing experience in the long run?
These are some of the questions we plan to explore in this year’s panel at the Navigate Summit by CarGurus which of course is being held virtual on Tuesday October 27. The virtual summit begins Monday October 26 and runs for two days, and I am honored to be invited back to moderate the follow-up panel from last year.
Panelists this time around include:
- Jeff VanderWal from Clearshift
- Trisha Habucke with Ford
- Michael Hoopes from Marine Chevrolet Cadillac in North Carolina
VanerWal was on the panel last year and afterwards appeared on my live weekly webcast – The Mobility Tech & Connectivity. See, Not Your Dad’s Car Lot – Live from Boston with Jeff VanderWal of ClearShift.
The name of the U.S. Dealer Panel this year is, “Well Now What? Auto Dealerships and an Uncertain Future.” This panel session brings together forward-thinking dealers large and small to talk about changes they’ve navigated so far, how they’ve adapted their approach to marketing and customer communications, and how to build a 2021 strategy in the face of uncertainty.
Register to Attend – It’s Free
Unlike last year where there was a registration fee to attend the in-person event, this year there is NO COST to attend. So, if you are looking for a fresh approach to collaborative thought-leadership beyond AutoConversion then simply follow the link below to register and you will see me there.
Ask the Panelists
Use the comments section below to chime in with your two cents on the subject. And if you have specific questions for the panelists that you think would make the discussion engaging, post them here in the comments section before Tuesday October 27th. As the moderator, I will state your name and ask your question either during the Q&A segment, or during the conversation.
