(May 11, 2020) LOS ANGELES — Despite the incredible personal and economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are starting to see some "green shoots" of an end to the total lockdown. OEMs are now starting to prepare for restarting production and dealers are preparing to be open for sales of the millions of vehicles currently on their lots. What must happen immediately is for OEMs and dealers to create significant demand.

They will use their tried and true tools of advertising, incentives and e-leads, but will they be enough or right for the "new normal?" Even if they work, they will be at great cost and will still miss many buyers looking for a reason to act. AVC Capital's Doppler solution has an essential role in providing a unique path to a group that is often "invisible" to OEMs and dealers.

Unlike many other platforms, Doppler tracks the entire purchase process. Our data shows that 65% of people who bought following a Doppler product experience did not ask to be contacted by a dealer. Moreover, they had not previously considered the brand they test drove, yet they bought that brand and product after their Doppler experience. This represents huge untapped demand that is waiting for a reason to buy. A Doppler at-home product experience is the right tool for today's car market.

"The data is telling us that simply relying on the traditional sales approach leaves a lot to be desired," said Dean Braunstein, managing director of Doppler.   "There is untapped demand waiting to be captured through a superior, tailored, at-home product experience with Doppler."

Like it or not, in an era where customers are leery of visiting busy dealerships and of becoming "leads" in the traditional sense, how does an OEM or dealer cost effectively move beyond their owner base and conquest? According to Autotrader only 13% of traffic comes from a dealer's own site. Our data proves that Doppler's at-home brand and product experiences convert outside the model the industry has traditionally relied upon.

"The traditional model of turning a shopper into a lead and then a sale is not just outdated, it's counter-productive. Its focus on the deal with minimal product discussion reduces new car margin and hurts customer satisfaction," says James E. Press, AVC Capital Group board member.

Doppler puts the product experience front and center. This shift drives higher new car grosses and superior customer satisfaction. It is time for the industry to rethink its strategies and tactics in the "new normal." The traditional lead model will remain for some time, but Doppler's data shows there is enormous untapped potential waiting for OEMs and dealers.

Some of the takeaways from this revelation:

    •    Nurturing hand raisers should get the same attention as lead conversion
    •    At-home deliveries and interaction with shoppers is the new foot traffic
    •    Serving only traditional leads with at-home deliveries is missing a large group of buyers

Doppler is leveraging this and other data to continue rolling out nationally as the industry's leading, turnkey, at-home product experience solution.

About Doppler Automotive


Doppler Automotive enables true, consumer-first, multi-dimensional retailing for OEMs and dealers through anywhere, anytime, brand and product experiences. The Doppler platform combines a proprietary reservation and dispatch system with a national network of delivery agents to provide a seamless integration of online shopping and live vehicle experiences.