When merchandising online, please “departmentalize” your thinking

A few weeks ago there was discussion in our BDC about language used in finance specials and link navigational menu label as being a cause of confusion. Apparently a few contacts reported to our Internet Coordinator  that they do not understand what “Low APR finance” means.  After discussion, we changed “Low 0% APR Finance Offers” language back to a non-descript “Finance Specials” offered by Dealer Dot Com as default lingo.  I complied but am not in concensus with the decision.  Here’s why:

It’s not a question of merchandising. Shopper confusion speaks more about shoppers being uninformed about the mechanics of financing, and not that the menu labeling was itself confusing. Changing the labeling back to “Finance Specials” won’t inform customers on the definition and mechanics of vehicle APR financing. There’s content or an internet sales person handling this ideally.

Current manufacturer specials tout 0% APR financing rate on select models.  The APR is the motivator. Not a sale price. So why shouldn’t the menu label speak precicely to this?   

Though I have reverted the menu label copy back to the original default state, I believe any sound argument made for optimal relevant merchandising  of products to improve customer expectations and SEO in of great priority. Designing the menu around the finance department will not  better educate the uneducated shopper.  Relevancy positively improves the online shopping experience  by reducing shopper click fatigue (unnecessary clicks) which then improves expectations translating to higher quality online leads, reduced bounce rates and exit rates. Shoppers don’t link to think to safely navigate your website’s content blind -  not knowing what’s to come after that next “click”. 

Evidence shows that department shopping isn’t a significant consideration anyway.  Customers shop by brand, new or used type, payment, or by APR rates and by vehicle qualities. When shopping for a vehicle, shoppers shop for “deals”, “offers” and not for ”specials”.  “The incorporation of “specials” as automotive website copy is a big no and is best left for restaurant websites only.  Check for yourself on Google Insights For Search.  Also check your website’s analytics keywords reporting tool.  I’ve observed that online shoppers who shop terms as “new Toyota finance”,  they aren’t seeking on find your dealership finance department. They want opportunities derrived from the department, but the department is irrelevant. Appeasing department management shouldn’t influence merchandising decisions. You are the expert. So make finding your low APR finance offers as easy as possible for the shopper thru cultivating relevant abridged click streams. Make finding manufacturer lease and finance offers, or service  and accessory coupons easy.  Anchortext used as menu link labels become the property of the page to which they link. So label the menu links precisely for the content of the webpage where they link to.  A menu label that links to a offers (specials) page having only  2.9% APR Financing on Toyota Certified Used Camry’s listed, then it’s smart to label that link 2.9% TOYOTA Certified Camry Finance Offers.   We shouldn’t make selling the department a priority,  and force it on the shopper. Departments as we tend to think of them are best kept offline, left to their own devices – as physical locations, an administrative construct for managing inventory and other resources within the brick and mortar environment of influece.

“Departmentalized” thinking can create barriers to effective merchandising and search engine marketing. Sure, online department can serve as content categories to create structure for content. But categories don’t have to be departments and they don’t have to determine how you merchandise.  The next time you are merchandising  a finance offer or purchase offer. Yes it may be used or new, and yes it may be physically managed by a new car sales manager or used car sales manager in some showroom or lot.  Always remember that our “offline understanding” will not necessarily translate as “best practice” when applied ”online”.  Make sure not to fall into the trap of merchandising online as you would on your lot or showroom.

 It is my opinion, that when there is sufficient reasoning for using keyword-rich ”Low APR finance Offers” as replacement menu language for a non-descript “Finance Specials” label, change it.  That’s precisely what the content behind the menu label hyperlink is afterall.   A navigation menu label “Low APR Finance” is more relevant and seems most appropriate for shopper experience and SEO quality as it takes shoppers and search engine crawlers to exactly what they would expect to find after reading a menu label –   “Low APR finance offers”.  What’s behind the menu? -  “low APR  finance offers”.   Online shoppers don’t necessarily shop by departments, the shop by criterial.  And so should we likewise merchandise.  We shouldn’t always be concerned with paralleling department structure online with offline  if there are advantageous reasons for relevant merchandising.   

Cars are financed, like houses are financed, but that doesn’t stop mortgage lenders from advertise 4.9% 30 year fixed rates on television because  most first-time home buyers don’t know what a 4.9% 30 year fixed rate means. Any in market buyer would take responsibility for learning and  reach out.

The role of the special is to generate leads. It’s the BDC’s role educate a prospect arriving from any 0% APR finance lead.  Education is not the main purpose of a special but that of customer service. Internet Specialists are consultants and should be willing to answer questions to educate customers and begin a relationship.   There will always be uninformed first time buyers regardless of industry needing explanation of terminology. Embrace them.