Consumers are so out of touch with the technology that comes in their new cars, that a new opportunity is arising for car audio specialists.
Aftermarket retailers can hold car technology clinics to explain the factory technology in customers’ cars and then take the opportunity to show them what’s new in the aftermarket.
Let us explain.
Thirty-six percent of drivers don’t know if their car has Apple CarPlay, according to a new study by JD Power. Forty-three percent don’t know if their car has Android Auto or MirrorLink.
“It’s alarming how many technologies consumers have in their vehicle but aren’t using because they don’t know they have them or don’t know how to use them,” the study concluded.
JD Power said that car dealerships now play a critical role in how consumers use technology. If your navi system wasn’t properly explained by the dealer, you will tend not to use it.
But why only car dealerships? How about aftermarket retailers?
As we said, at KnowledgeFest, Harman’s Jeff Fay suggested retailers put a sign out front saying “Free Bluetooth Pairing.”
It’s a way to exploit a weak point of the OEMs–that consumers don’t really understand the technology in their cars.
It may go against 30 years of marketing aftermarket car audio, but a big draw to getting customers in the store may be by acknowledging that there is some decent OEM technology in cars and here’s how to use it.
Of course, once you are seated in the customer’s car and explaining the navigation controls, you can mention, ‘I see your car doesn’t have a backup camera,’ or ‘Have you considered a blind spot monitoring system?” or “Have you ever considered adding a subwoofer?”
Getting a customer into a brick and mortar store isn’t easy these days. But consumers want the technology in new cars and you can show them the same technology is also available at your shop.
Consumer demand for car technology is so strong that a third (37 percent) of consumers are willing to switch car brands for one with better connectivity features. That’s double what is was in 2014, according to a McKinsey study.
