How to implement QR code vehicle display notices
It's an exciting time to be part of the motor vehicle sales industry. Despite a rocky start to the year with continued delays of new car imports, 2022 promises to be a transformative period driven by new technology. Dealerships across the country have experienced a turbulent twelve months with rising inflation causing uncertainty amongst prospective buyers. So how are Australian dealerships adapting to these uncertain times? By focussing on their customers and implementing new technology to leverage opportunities.
We believe that technology, such as the QR code vehicle display notice and SMS marketing, is the way forward for new and used car dealerships worldwide. This article provides a functional checklist for creating QR code display notices in your dealership.
QR codes comes to the motor vehicle sales industry
The modern customer expects a lot out from car dealerships. Those expectations, in turn, have lead to increased online sales and fewer customers engaging with salespeople. If we were to try and isolate the reason for this shift, we could point to any number of factors: sweeping societal change, emerging online focussed dealerships, buyer behaviour and more.
With all of this considered, it's interesting to note that QR codes —a decades-old solution— would circle back to the forefront, causing so much positive disruption. Yet here we are, with QR codes leading the way forward. According to LXAhub, a whopping 45% of responding shoppers from the United States stated they had used a marketing-related QR code in the three months leading up to the survey. This is particularly noteworthy because, unlike Asian markets where QR codes have thrived since their inception, the Western World has only just begun to see the depth of their utility. Worldwide, there are expected to be more than one billion QR code scans this year alone.
When you look at incredible, growth-based stats like these, it becomes readily apparent that QR codes have well and truly found their moment in history. With that said, let's take a brief look at what QR codes can offer car dealerships.
Digital display notices
QR code display notices are the cornerstone of QR tech's efficacy in the motor vehicle sales industry. That's because a quick QR scan provides an easy gateway to your online vehicle listing and other website functionalities. With these codes, customers can view everything they need to know about a vehicle whilst making it quick, easy and accessible to book a test drive, make an offer, or request more information. All whilst offering your customers the personalised experience they’re looking for.
Dealership analytics
Receive automated sales and marketing performance reports that offer real insight into team performance. Motivate and encourage your sales team to respond to opportunities promptly with our in-built gamification feature that identifies and rewards top performers.
SMS marketing
DealDriver ‘growth’ customers receive access to our most popular feature yet. SMS marketing allows dealerships to send promotional text messages to an audience of prospective buyers who have scanned a specific type of vehicle but not yet purchased. Have a promotional sale coming up? Go ahead and notify customers or schedule a test drive via a personalised text message.
Tips for making the switch to QR code vehicle display notices
Choose a suitable plan
The first step in the process is setting up a visually compelling menu for your customers to interact with. QR code technology allows you to link simple QR code scans to a web-based platform featuring high-quality pictures of EVERY item on your menu, as opposed to the few select entrees and appetizers featured on a traditional menu. In turn, this boosts customer engagement, increases upsells and cross-sells, and nets extra revenue from each order.
Create your QR codes
Once you've completed your initial menu setup, you should take some time customizing the layout and functionality of your QR code menu. A quality digital menu solution will allow you and your management team to add, delete, or even temporarily suspend menu items depending on their availability.
In addition, spend time setting up recurrent specials such as daily entrees or a happy hour. No matter what choices you make for your business, menu optimization is an essential step in your overall integration blueprint.
Print and display
You want to get the most out of your digital menu. In this day and age, advanced menu functionality is imperative. Without ordering and payment options, your QR code menu is little more than a novelty.
The next step in your menu setup is enabling the right mix of ordering, delivery, and payment options for your business model. The modern-day customer has come to expect an all-in-one digital solution capable of guiding them through the dining experience from start to finish. Payment and delivery options provide all the functionality that your clientele craves.
Invite your team
Once you've set up your QR code menu's order and payment functions, it's time to make them play nicely with your point of sale (POS) system. A feature-rich digital menu and payment platform will give you customizable options. It's up to you to figure out if you want to fully automate the entire process, sending QR based orders direct to the kitchen, or whether you want your waitstaff to audit the process by hand punching orders into the POS. Choose whatever works best for the scale of your eatery.
Considerations for maximising customer engagement with QR code display notices
Once you’ve successfully created and printed your QR code display notices, it’s time to start placing them onto the vehicles in your yard and consider how you will maximize the number of prospective leads.
Assume ownership of the process
Transitioning from paper display notices to QR codes may require a bit of customer education at the outset. It's important, however, for you to assume ownership over the process. That means communicating that QR code vehicle display notices are “just the way you do things” at your dealership. Take for instance the real estate industry - prospective buyers’ contact details are collected before every open home, so why should car browsing be any different? The good news is, the modern customer craves a contactless experience and QR codes are already accepted as the most seamless way to collect information.
Position your QR codes prominently
Education is one part of the equation; marketing is the other. Don't call your QR display notice an app. That implies extra work on the part of the customer. QR code usage does not require additional downloads or setup. With the right platform, all your customers have to do is scan the code with their smartphone and verify their contact information to instantly access your online vehicle listing.
Encourage customers to engage
Be sure to position your QR codes either inside or outside of vehicles to ensure they can be easily scanned by customers. For vehicles with heavy tinting - consider placing QR codes in waterproof sleeves and having them hang outside of the window. Ideally, QR code display notices should be kept flat against the glass. DealDriver QR code display notices are legally compliant and will always display the minimum vehicle information required by law.