The use of visual displays for advertising has had a major role in advertising for those in the automobile industry. This form of advertising allows customers to see and experience the vehicle they are interested in purchasing before actually making the purchase. Advertising is a major focus in the U.S. So much so, that in 2016, the U.S. led the world in spending more than $190 billion in U.S. revenue. The automobile industry has been characterized by this trend under high-cost advertising by investing a lot in advertising campaigns worldwide.
Creating a Visual Display
The first thing a dealership owner must do is create the perfect visual display is to ensure potential customers have adequate viewing ability of the cars on the lot. This starts with the way the vehicles are positioned in the lot. The vehicles that need to be sold first should be on the outside, in direct view of the customer as they approach the dealership. Many dealerships use the wind dummies placed in various locations at the front of the dealership. The blowing wind makes these dummies appear to be ‘waving’ at customers in an attempt to draw attention to the dealership. This is an excellent method of providing a visual advertisement to the dealership because people notice these dummies right away.
Using Visual Merchandising to Sell Vehicles
Visual merchandising needs to have the right and required components to apprehend the customer’s emotions and perceptions for it to be effective. It’s important to recognize the functions of visual merchandising as it’s used to appeal to customers within the vehicle showroom. It’s also important to understand and know what other incentives are necessary to get those customers to the moment of purchase. It is imperative for the car dealership to have a design approach that pairs well with the customers purchasing mannerisms. When a dealership enables the correct stimuli that entices customers’ to enter the showroom and, ultimately, to make the purchase of a vehicle, then all attempts at visual merchandising have been proven to be effective.
Creating Visual Displays to Increase Sales
Visual displays are created as an effort to aid the merchandise to get to a point of selling itself. When setting up the dealership, it must appear productive and efficient in order to elevate the potential for selling cars. Customers feel confident when walking into a showroom that is neat and organized. This gives the customer the security that the salesperson assisting them is just as efficient and organized and the car buying experience will go as smoothly as possible. Your dealership must be set up in a manner that appeals to the customer and encourages them to want to come inside and see what else there is available there.
Remember to Appeal to All Your Customer’s Senses
Keep in mind that when you are creating visual stimuli to encourage customers to visit your auto dealership, that they actually have five senses. If you wish to employ the whole vehicle buying experience with your potential customers, you must be able to touch them completely. Some of the ways you can get in touch with your customer’s and potential customer’s five senses include:
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- Sight: There are limitless visual prompts that you can use to convey a message to your customers. You can use certain colors to generate a psychological response in customers, as well as use lighting to control the atmosphere of the showroom. Dimmer lighting usually creates a more relaxed mood in people, whereas bright lights will create another mood. These are two visual components that can have remarkable effects on visual marketing.
- Sound: By playing certain music in the showroom, you can create an elusive effect on the way customers act while in the showroom. The genre and style of music that you choose to play should depend on who your target audience is.
- Touch: Allow your customers the opportunity to ‘touch’ the merchandise, such as offering a test drive of the vehicle interested in to get a feeling for it will enable you to persuade the purchase.
- Smell: There is such a thing as ‘scent marketing’. The smelling sense is very powerful when it comes to memory and emotions. Ensure that you have a warm, relaxing scent in the lobby of the showroom to make your customers feel at ease.
- Taste: This sense is not very helpful when in the automotive industry. However, if you offer coffee and donuts to your customers as they browse and wait on the paperwork, it will make the process go a lot smoother, which can reward you later with a good review for customer service.
Creating an Effective Visual Display
When you are planning a visual display for your dealership, you need to make certain it is going to be effective. The best way to do that is to ensure the correct elements are involved in accurate proportions. Below are some of the elements needed to create an effective visual display for your automotive dealership.
- Ensure there is correct balance with the display — asymmetrical is better than symmetrical.
- Organize the cars on your lot in a manner that is going to be appealing to customers as they approach the dealership from the street.
- Use colors that are good for creating relaxing moods and feelings.
- Create a focal point for the display, by using props and signs, that point the way to the deals on the lot.
- Make sure to have appropriate lighting that enhances the special features of the vehicles.
- Make sure you have plenty of signs that advertise the sales at the dealership.
- Remember to keep it simple. Less is more, so do not try to overdo the display with too many unnecessary items.
Get Your Employees Involved
Lastly, but by no means least, is for you to ensure to get all of your employees involved in setting up and preparing the marketing displays for your dealership. Let your employees give some input on how the display is set up. Often times, you might find that taking another person’s ideas and/or viewpoint will give an added perspective to the situation. As the points in the article have shown, visual displays can prove to be very effective when planning a marketing campaign for your automobile dealership. Sources: The Balance, ScienceDirect, Shopify
