A substantial growth in online sales enquiries for new and used vehicles fuelled a 21% year-on- year increase in all customer enquiries during the third quarter of 2016.

Dealerweb collated data from volume- and premium-brand dealers across the UK and found that leads from online sources increased by 62% year-on-year from July to September.

While the total number of leads from physical customer visits remained higher than the number of online enquiries, the rate of increase from walk-ins was far more modest, with volumes growing just 0.6%. This contributed to a 21% overall uplift in enquiries for the period.

Dealerweb also recently surveyed 1,000 UK motorists on their expectations of the car buying process. The research found that 49% of buyers are more likely to complete a new or used car purchase if they receive a response to an online enquiry within one hour.

25% of these buyers say they expect the dealer to respond in under 30 minutes, and 34% of buyers would take their enquiry elsewhere if the dealer didn’t respond in under four hours.

James Hill, Sales Operations Director at Dealerweb, adds, “When customers visit a dealer website and submit an enquiry, a quick response is essential to ensure the best possible chance of converting a lead. An efficient online enquiry procedure increases the likelihood of a satisfied customer and a positive purchasing decision. Without a speedy dealer response, buyers are increasingly likely to simply take their custom elsewhere.”

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