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Auto Dealerships Let Drivers Steer with Virtual Reality

Posted by Isabella Passey | Fri, Aug 05, 2016 @ 12:50 PM

Auto Dealerships Put Drivers Behind the Wheel with Virtual Reality Videos

You’re test driving a new car fresh off the lot. Your hands run over the clean leather seats, your eyes covet the state-of-the-art navigation system, and your nose takes in that classic new-car smell. Why travel to a dealership when you can use virtual reality to “take a test drive” from the comfort of your own home?

All of that and more is possible with the integration of affordable virtual reality (VR) production by American auto dealerships.

On August 1, 2016, Digital Dealer disseminated a press release introducing 360VR, a product allowing auto dealers to create and show customer engagement videos on multiple media platforms utilizing VR. The product was released by Flick Fusion, a company that provides video marketing tools to auto dealerships.

“Virtual reality images are three-dimensional with a sense of depth that gives viewers a feeling of complete immersiveness,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion. “Auto shoppers feel like they’re actually sitting in a vehicle, giving them a realistic experience and helping to set expectations for that vehicle.”

Auto manufacturers including BMW, Volvo and Infiniti have already incorporated virtual reality into their test drive video campaigns while makers like Cadillac plan to use it to create virtual dealerships. The auto makers are using pricey VR camera equipment and computer generated imagery (CGI) that can be too expensive for local dealers to reproduce on their own.

Auto Dealerships Are Doing It for Themselves

The press release goes on to say Flick Fusion’s 360VR is an affordable alternative in VR production for both single and multi-store auto dealerships. To produce a 360VR inventory video, auto dealers need a 360-degree camera which ranges from about $200 to $1,000.  After filming, dealers upload the footage to Flick Fusion’s advanced video marketing platform called Smartflicks. This application distributes the VR videos to the dealership’s website as well as social sharing sites and third-party auto shopping sites that employ the 360VR player.

Virtual reality is becoming a growing interest worldwide. Last year on Google, the global search interest for VR videos grew by almost four times. A Google ad study performed with Columbia Sportswear showed that a VR video ad resulted in a 46% higher view count, higher click-through rates, interaction rates, shares, and subscribes. In total, Columbia’s VR ad brought in 41% more earned actions than their previous standard video ad.

“Dealerships that are first to offer virtual reality inventory videos will be marketing trailblazers,” said James. “VR videos offer an incredibly high level of engagement and are especially appealing to Millennials, who are the fastest-growing consumer segment in the U.S. and who purchased more than four million vehicles last year.”

Auto dealerships keeping up with the latest technology generate a wider audience that translates to more customers. Technology is especially critical at the back end where outdated payment methods can slow or inhibit the sales process.

Make sure that your revenue stream is not being diverted by bad checks. Specifically designed for auto sales, CrossCheck’s C.A.R.S. Auto program gives your dealership a quick and easy way to process and guarantee your check transactions with features likes Future Deposit, COD (check on delivery) for your parts and service departments, and desktop conversion to erase trips to the bank.

Please download our free guide to learn more.

auto dealer remote deposit capture

Topics: Auto Dealerships

Written by Isabella Passey