Research shows high demand for video in sales and aftersales

New research by CitNOW Group has highlighted how video continues to have an impact on purchase decisions in vehicle sales and aftersales.

In a survey of 1,000 UK motorists commissioned by CitNOW, 43% said they would be more likely to buy a used car if the retailer sent a personalised video guiding them around the specific vehicle they enquired about.

That number rises to over half (53%) among 18-24 year-olds, hinting at the demand for video among future generations of car buyers.

The research also showed that 80% of car buyers visited less than three dealerships when making their most recent car purchase, with a third of those (33%) only visiting one, highlighting the need for retailers to utilise video to engage with sales prospects.

Carol Fairchild, chief customer officer at CitNOW Group, said: “The speed of response when video is part of the customer communication is helping workshops maximise conversions and clear their service bays more rapidly.

“There is a clear demand from consumers for personalised digital communications and that is reflected in increased usage levels among our retail partners.

“Video production using our tools reached new record levels last year, with over 12.1 million videos created. That trend is also evident in dealer feedback, with 62% of dealers in our latest poll saying video communications is the most valuable digital tool for dealership operations.”

CitNOW said it evaluated the websites of the UK’s top 100 franchised dealers (by turnover) and identified that only 20% currently offer the option to request a personalised video within their used car listings.

The demand for personalised video content continues through to aftersales, with 41% of motorists in CitNOW Group’s survey saying they would be more likely to approve routine service and repair work if they were sent a video of the work required.

During 2022, 48% of videos sent alongside a quote had the work authorised by the vehicle owner within 10 minutes of receiving the video, rising to 68% of work authorised in less than 30 minutes, improving the efficiency of work approved and completed by technicians, according to CitNOW.

90% of workshop videos created by technicians were rated five stars by car owners, demonstrating the high-quality content offered through CitNOW platforms.

Fairchild added: “Video watch rates remain high; however, retailers should continue to capitalise on the popularity of video by expanding the purpose of their video usage.

“Not only can video be used for vehicle sales enquiries and aftersales vehicle health checks, but it can also be a strong tool to engage with customers on a more personal level, such as introducing the sales customer to the aftersales team, offering a thank you, a personalised handover or annual check in to build those everlasting customer relationships.”

Julian Wheway has recently been appointed to the role of chief product officer at Real Time Communications.

Real Time Communications became part of CitNOW Group in 2022. The group also acquired digital solutions provider Auto Imaging, last year.