Using live video in online live appointment-setting can increase test drives by more than a third.

Vee24 co-founder Nigel Thomas will deliver this message in a masterclass on the development of live online shopping at AM’s Digital Marketing Conference.

Taking place on February 3 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, the event explores the latest innovation, trends and challenges in the digital sphere helping retailers to meet the demands of the modern motorist.

With clients including Sky, Wickes and DFS as well as providing services for the automotive sector including Audi, Land Rover, Renault and second largest group by turnover in the current AM100 dealer group Sytner, Vee24 will share best practice and draw on its wealth of data to illustrate how to incorporate live chat to dramatically impact results.

In fact, figures from one Vee24 vehicle manufacturer client showed with no online live chat facility, car-buyers were six times less likely to visit a showroom. 

Thomas said: “Live chat has become a commonly used tool on retailer websites and the car industry is acutely aware that most car research now starts online and not in the dealership so it’s important for dealers to ‘meet’ their customers on the website.

“Like any technology, live chat has moved on since it was first introduced as a means to communicate with people interacting with a website and dealers who are not incorporating the latest technology or keeping pace with consumer expectations will lose out on valuable sales leads.”

Forward-thinking retailers have already moved to the next stage of live chat utilising video and one of the largest dealer groups in the UK using real-time live video assistants has experienced a dramatic increase in conversions from video chat conversations to test drive bookings more than doubling that of regular messaging chat exchanges.

The dealer group has seen its test drive appointment conversion rate leap to 36% when using video engagement compared to an already impressive 17% average conversion rate across all Vee24 UK dealers using regular text chat messaging.

Thomas said: “Live video chat enables customer service and sales staff to engage in a face-to-face conversation and that makes all the difference because more of a rapport develops thereby building the foundation of a relationship which is more likely to result in a test drive and ultimately a sale.

Consumers are increasingly comfortable with this kind of communication as tools like Skype and Facetime are now much more widely used and new technologies means video streams are crisp and clear with no delay.”

As well as providing insights from experiences and results within the automotive industry, this session will draw on insights from retailers in other sectors.

Website

www.amdigitalmarketing.co.uk

Tickets

Tickets are available to dealers and manufacturers, with a limited number of supplier tickets on sale. To book, please contact Emma-Louise Kinnaird on 01733 395133, email emma-louise.kinnaird@bauermedia.co.uk or visit www.amdigitalmarketing.co.uk

Venue

The Ricoh Arena, Coventry