It’s Time to Rethink Leads: How Modern Shoppers Really Engage with Your Dealership
In today’s car-buying world, the idea of a “lead” has changed, and we’re here for it! For years, dealerships have relied on and solely sought out lead forms and even withheld information on their VDPs just to get customers to fill them out. But today’s shoppers engage differently. A recent study showed 65% of U.S. customers feel more confident messaging a business than filling out a form. Plus, 73% said live chat is the most satisfying way to connect, beating phone calls and emails.
This shift means many buyers prefer real-time conversations over traditional lead forms. If dealerships only track leads as form submissions, they’re likely missing out on real engagement, and misunderstanding how well their digital marketing is working.
A lead today is any opportunity to connect with a potential customer. And since the path to purchase isn’t linear, a shopper who messages you today might not be ready to buy tomorrow, but that conversation still matters. Shoppers bounce between your website, YouTube, TikTok, and even the OEM’s build-and-price tool before they make a decision. Although these shoppers aren’t always filling out lead forms, or at least not right away, would you really call all that online shopping activity irrelevant?
Of course, getting a shopper on the phone or in a chat is valuable, but if we judge digital marketing success by the number of leads alone, we miss the bigger picture. Success is about understanding what today’s shoppers actually do online, meeting them there, and making it simple.
Where to Start:
- Make It Easy to Chat: Add live chat and messaging tools to your site so customers can reach you in real time.
- Go Mobile-Friendly: Most shoppers use their phones for car research, so your site needs to be simple to navigate on mobile. If you haven’t already, you should test shopping your dealership website from your phone to see what the experience is like.
- Be Transparent: Give customers the info they need upfront — it builds trust and helps them move forward. Gone are the days of hiding behind a ‘get e-price’ call to action.
- Track Engagement Metrics: Pay attention to how shoppers engage across channels, not just form submissions.
Shifting How You Measure Success:
Leads aren’t dead, but they are only a part of the entire picture. Are your digital marketing efforts working beyond a lead? Start tracking these metrics:
1. Website Engagement
- Time on Site: Shoppers who stick around longer are more interested.
- VDP (Vehicle Detail Page) Views: See which cars draw attention.
- Engaged Prospect Metric (from sMedia): Measures meaningful time spent on your VDPs.
2. Traffic & Return Visitors
- Brand Searches: More people Googling your dealership name signals stronger brand recognition.
- Return Visitors: Shoppers coming back show ongoing interest.
3. Ad Interaction
- Social Media Engagement: Likes, comments, shares, and video views (especially on TikTok) show interest.
- View-Through Conversions: Tracks who sees an ad, doesn’t click, but later visits your site.
- Inventory Interaction Rates: See which vehicles get the most attention in your dynamic ads.
4. Chat & Messaging Insights
- Chat Volume: An increase usually signals higher purchase intent.
- Response Times: Faster replies lead to happier, more engaged shoppers.
5. Offline Impact
- Google Business Profile) Activity: Track direction requests, website visits, and calls.
- In-Store Visits: Connect showroom visits back to your online activity.
What’s Next?
What are your total sales, and how many of those can you directly tie to a lead form fill? You could be bucking the trend, but the averages and trends say that forms are not likely your largest source of sales. So if you’ve been optimizing all your efforts towards just one metric, you could be missing out on the big picture when it comes to tracking the sources of your opportunity.
Check all your metrics every month and compare them to actual sales. Over time, patterns will emerge that show which digital behaviors lead to more deals. When you stop chasing leads and start measuring engagement, you’ll get a clearer view of how your marketing is driving real results — and more cars off the lot.
