The Pandemic has Upended Auto Detailing and It Will Never Be The Same
Felix Lin
Pickup, delivery or Tabao? It’s a question Singaporean have grown accustomed to answering for food delivery and groceries during the coronavirus pandemic. It also might be something they’re asked when detailing their vehicle.
The Covid-19 crisis has upended auto detailing current modus, and we don’t think they will ever be the same again. It is pertinent that we adapt our business strategies and invest in new digital sales tools as consumers’ demand more online and personalized services.
For digital, this whole disruptive period with corona is an inflection point from which there’s no turning back. What that means for consumers is being able to choose how much or how little of the process they want to conduct online. That includes scheduling an appointment or delivery of a vehicle to appraising the paintwork.
More importantly, it should result in less, if any, time waiting at workshop and flexible options such as having the vehicle picked up or delivered – It’s a more flexible process that doesn’t have to be conducted during traditional business hours.
The coronavirus pandemic has been an accelerant to online sales for the industry, which has been reluctant to adopt such processes due to fear of disrupting their profitable physical operations.
The Anticipated Changes
That doesn’t mean physical workshop won’t be needed going forward. It’ll just be different, including new sanitization processes and a larger combination of online and in-person sales.
The bar has now been raised for any company that wants to perform in this marketplace. We will need first-class digital capability, a safe environment for our customers and a safe environment for our associates. – That is the Holy Grail going forward
We believe the majority of our customers want to visit our showrooms and witness their vehicles being treated. But in many cases, they will do the majority of their shopping online, they may even narrow down the exact service they want prior to coming to the store, but they want to set an appointment, drop the vehicle and make sure they like it.
About 15% of EA Detailer’s sales include delivering vehicles to a customer’s home. And this will evolve over time, more people will take advantage of this.
Online Engagement
We expect the coronavirus will have a long-lasting impact on our industry and consumer purchasing behaviour, particularly online processes.
Most of the customers have been comfortable with it in other parts of their lives, but in auto detailing they haven’t been as comfortable with it, as times goes by they will certainly be more comfortable with it today.
Our focus is on providing a process that “moves customers seamlessly between the online world and offline world.”
This pandemic has propelled our entire company into the digital space. And while online sales aren’t completely supplementing the loss of traditional sales due to the coronavirus pandemic. But we believe the traditional model may be fading or diminishing. Floor traffic won’t go away 100%, but online is just an easier process for everybody involved.
Online Engagement
After three months of hard work and dedication, we are delighted to officially announce the launch on 15th June 2020. We wanted to make the new website faster, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly.
As a market leader, it’s important for us to make information regarding our thought leadership, services and trends easily accessible for our current and prospective clients. We endeavour to provide our client with the most accurate, up-to-date information and share our knowledge and expertise in the field of auto detailing.
Our goal with this new website is to provide our visitors an easier way to learn about EA Detailer’s services and to browse information based on their own choice. The new website gives better access to How We Work, Case Studies, Expertise & Services, Blog and a more direct manner in communicating with us.
