Imagine, sitting in the comfort of your own home and being able to virtually walk around a car dealership to shop for your next vehicle purchase! Well believe it or not it’s now a reality! Technology is such an incredible thing in today’s day and age. Many car dealerships are expanding their brand with virtual reality. This has evolved with the next generation of consumers wanting the desire to create a different experience that will soon be desired by all consumers. As a result in this, virtual reality is a strong consideration in sales and marketing. It has elevated the car buying experience through engagement and is taking car sales to the next level!
Purchasing a new vehicle is a large investment. People often want to be able to personalize specific details to their needs and wants. Before, the only way to do this was to show the vehicle on brochures, or on a digital screen and website. When deciding on the type of material for the interior, it was based on a picture. With that, people no longer spend as much time at the dealership anymore. The online presence of car company websites is thriving, allowing people to have more access from anywhere. This allows the consumer to inform themselves about a vehicle before they step foot into the dealership, taking the thrill of discovery away from going into the dealership to shop for their next car purchase.
Car dealerships had to react and offer a different type of car buying experience. This is where virtual reality has come into play! With virtual reality becoming a new technology, it has the potential to become the new standard. Adopting this medium is a big advantage! Audi started investigating in VR early and now has more than 400 “Customer Private Lounges” where customers can get a realistic experience of their own configured vehicle, down to the last detail! Using high fidelity 4K rendering creates a real-life appearance, allowing dealerships to present all types of models, options, and features.
Virtual reality goes as far as being able to drive a complete range of car models around different iconic racetracks! Not only can you test drive, but you can also open doors, configure interior, interact with the steering wheel, horn, mirrors, gearshift and more! Visual quality and interactivity are two important features in the VR world, especially within the automotive industry. Consumers want to have a realistic experience that feels like a true representation of the actual product.
Car companies are beginning to see that if they do not invest in virtual reality, they are going to fall behind. The automotive industry is evolving, and it’s important to keep up on new technology and different ways to improve consumer education. Virtual reality has helped facilitate these changes by paving the way for digitized showrooms, bypassing the problem of limited physical inventory and the complex range of car models and specifications.
This is just the beginning! We’re seeing more and more examples of automotive brands and dealerships working together to provide fully interactive retail experiences. DeAngelis Advertising is developing state of the art programs just like this. Keep your dealership ahead of the game in this new era of automotive retail and let us show you why our clients are outselling the competition!
