INDUSTRY
WEBSTORES
Super Stores
The pandemic demonstrated that webstores are essential for dealers but, in order to maximise their potential, they must provide the experience that customers are looking for
D
uring the pandemic online sales grew
be wowed by the look and feel of it - and they need to
by 48% as many shops had to close,
find what they are looking for quickly, and have enough
and 50% of orders were placed via a
information on the page to hit ‘buy.’
mobile device. For dealers too, many sales switched overnight to online;
“If the customer can’t logon to the webstore, or if there is a problem, or if when they do a search it takes
those with a professional, responsive, mobile-optimised
10 seconds, that is not a good experience for an existing
ecommerce website, along with a relevant product offering
customer or, worse, a new or potential customer.”
and the flexibility to cater for the rise in homeworking, had a distinct advantage over their rivals. “More and more businesses are waking up to the fact
Of course, it is also important how the webstore looks. It needs to be eye-catching when it goes live, and this needs to be kept up throughout the duration of the
that online is super-critical,” says Steve Bilton, managing
webstore’s life, Steve adds. “It needs to have the tools for
director of FusionPlus Data. “We are having conversations
the dealer – if they have the skills – to constantly innovate
now with dealers who were totally anti-ecommerce three-
on the look and feel of the site. Or the dealer needs to
to-four years ago but now have realised its value. It should
have a relationship with an organisation that can do that
be the most powerful sales tool they have, along with their
for them.
sales team.”
“In addition, it should not just be beautiful on the
For Steve, there are several crucial aspects that dealers
customer’s laptop, but also on their tablet and mobile too.
must focus on if their ecommerce solution is to deliver
Customers research products on their ‘phones in their
the revenue that owners might hope for. “Speed and
lunchbreaks, so that mobile experience needs to have the
reliability are the foundation of a webstore experience,” he
full fidelity of the main store, meaning they can place an
says. “The customer needs to be able to log on - ideally
order, download statements etc.”
[10] NOVEMBER 2021
www.dealersupport.co.uk
