Car buyers still feel short-changed by the haggling process offered by dealers – and it’s key to their dissatisfaction with the traditional sales process.
That’s according to new research which also reveals a strong appetite for fixed pricing in helping to build trust in the buying process.
The online car supermarket buyacar.co.uk asked more than 400 motorists about their experience of car-buying and found that only a minority report that they enjoy the process.
Topping the list of car buyer gripes for 61% is feeling that they do not trust dealer sales teams, followed by 49.1% who say that pricing information is not sufficiently clear. More timely communications between dealer and customer during the purchase process came in third on the wishlists of motorists to improve their experience.
As buyacar reported earlier in the year, only 43% of motorists enjoy the traditional car-buying process but analysts wanted to dig deeper to find out what would make buyers happier.
Topping the list of suggestions from disgruntled car shoppers who want to improve the purchase experience was scrapping the need to haggle by offering fixed prices instead.
Typical comments from motorists*, when asked what would improve the car-buying process, included;
“Fixed prices, no false negotiating”
“Set prices – why negotiate when you don’t have to with any other purchase”
“Not being made to wait for prices while the sales person discusses it with the manager”
“No need to haggle”
“More transparency on pricing, rather than the haggling system they use”
“I hate the need to haggle, even though I do”
Industry experts believe that the popularity of fixed pricing as well as the convenience of home delivery is one of the biggest reasons for the rapid growth of online car supermarkets, such as buyacar, which has more recently been joined in the market by the likes of Cinch and Cazoo.
Andy Oldham, Chief Executive of buyacar.co.uk, said: “We already understand from our own customer feedback that confidence is the magic ingredient for happier car-buying and this research reveals the biggest factor undermining confidence in the traditional car-buying process.
“Although trust in dealer sales teams is remarkably low among a majority of car buyers we believe that the problem is really about trust in the pricing information and the tradition of haggling over price in a physical dealership.
“The comments made by customers during this research overwhelmingly support the need for a transparent and fixed pricing model as key to building confidence during the car-buying process.
“We believe that transparent, fixed pricing is just as significant in driving the rapid growth of online motor retail as the convenience of home delivery.”
*Article Source www. Http://buyacar.co.uk
