Should dealerships use shipping companies? 

JUST two decades ago, the only way for people to buy cars was to visit a dealership, check out their inventory, haggle, test drive different cars, haggle again, and try to reach an agreement with the salespeople about their chosen car. If it doesn’t work out, onto the next dealership. 

Fast forward to the present, things have changed significantly. Thanks to the power of the internet, people can browse the inventory of a dealership from the comfort of their homes. More often than not, people may find good deals or their desired car in the inventory of a dealership outside their area or State. 

For dealerships, being able to transport vehicles to customers in different regions in a timely manner could be the difference between making a sale and a missed opportunity. If you own a dealership, there are several benefits of having a shipping company in your list of contacts. 

Why dealerships should use shipping companies

• Convenience

This is arguably the biggest benefit shipping companies offer dealerships. Transporting a car across state borders or over long distances requires a lot of time, planning, and resources. Most dealerships aren’t just equipped for these and even if a dealership were to incorporate all these into their services, it’d still be far more convenient to partner with a reputable shipping company. 

Shipping companies are experts at what they do – moving cars across State and even international borders. Some companies like https://www.a1autotransport.com/ have transported almost anything you can think of – cars, boats, campervans, household goods, motorcycles, heavy equipment, and so on. 

So, it makes sense for dealership to have shipping companies move their inventory instead of handling it themselves. 

• Build Customer Loyalty 

With so many dealerships out there, one of the ways you can make yourself stand out from the crowd is through excellent customer service. When you partner with a reliable shipping company that delivers automobiles to customers how and when they want it, customer will be happy and begin to trust your brand. 

Customer satisfaction is key to building customer loyalty which leads to customer retention. Happy customers will also readily refer you to their friend and family and any entrepreneur or business manager understands how powerful word-by-mouth recommendation is. 

• Vehicles arrive in top condition

One of the reasons for transporting new vehicles is to avoid putting unnecessary miles on the vehicles, especially if the dealership is far from where the customer lives. An experienced shipping company will also take steps to protect the cargo during transit to prevent damages. 

Major causes of damages to cargo during transit includes improper handling, water exposure, and other possibilities than can damage the cargo. When a cargo is damaged during transport, it affects customer satisfaction and replacing or repairing damages may even cost more as the cargo may need to be returned to the seller.

As mentioned earlier, experienced shipping companies have handled all sorts of cargo. They know what to do and what not to do to ensure that cargo arrives in the same condition they were before transport. 

• Affordability

Shipping companies usually offer discounts to dealerships on multiple cars or for being dedicated customers. So, a dealership is more likely to get a better deal from a shipping company compared to the average individual. This immensely benefits the dealership as they can offer their customer more affordable and cost-effective. 

Customers tend to browse through different shipping companies, get quotes, and compare them to what you are charging them for shipping. They’ll be thrilled beyond when they find out you are offering them a good deal.

Should dealerships not use shipping services?

The only way dealerships can do without shipping companies is if they intend to deliver themselves, let customers handle shipping, or operate only in a particular region. For most dealerships, it’s simply not feasible to handle shipping themselves since they don’t have the resources, network, and technical know-how. Also, you can’t compare yourself with those that are heavily invested in the shipping industry. 

There is also the option of letting customers arrange shipping. And while some customers may prefer this, the truth is that many customers would rather not get bothered with the shipping procedure and prefer you handle it for them. So, being able to offer shipping could make a significant different to your sales volume. If you focus your business in a particular area, you may not need to deal with shipping but you’ll be missing out on the power of the internet. 

Major problems with shipping services include delay due to traffic or weather and transport truck breaking down. Delivery may also take long as large truck can only travel at limited speeds due to cargo. Experienced shipping companies understand this and try to eliminate or minimize these problems to the very least.