Offering an incentive on your dealership Web site works effectively for many reasons. It drives traffic to your site, improves lead conversion and increases repeat business. However, the main reason incentives work is basic human nature; we like receiving free things. For the majority of consumers, the Internet is a place to find free information, download free music and register for free products and services. Offering simple things can build trust, loyalty and entice visitors to return.

Successful e-dealers are capitalizing on this concept by using special offers to increase lead conversion, phone-ups and appointments by over 100 percent. Although offering an incentive on your site appears to be a simple, cost effective and profitable way to capture more leads, it actually requires a considerable amount of testing, creativity and innovative technology to be effective. Substandard results will occur if your special offer is not displayed in a highly visible location on your site, or the perceived value of your offer may not be enticing enough to motivate your customers to take action. An extremely effective method of capturing a large volume of leads is to use a pop-under certificate to offer a cash discount to your visitors in return for their contact information. A pop-under certificate is a coupon that appears behind your home page and is designed to target visitors who are about to leave your site. Even though this is a relatively common technique, it has proven to be a great method to capture leads. Since many dealers currently using these coupons are experiencing a decline in lead volume due to pop-up blockers, it is important to search for tool that is pop-up blocker resistant. Another priority would be a tool that allows you to offer multiple discounts to further qualify your leads. A great offer might be offering a $250 discount on any new or used vehicles in return for the contact information of the shopper. Then immediately offer your shopper the chance to “increase their savings” or to “double their discount” if they agree to schedule a test drive on a specific date and time. The additional discount will increase appointment show rates and entice customers to present their certificates to you upon arrival to the dealership. Your incentive amounts may vary from month to month and should be based upon your store goals and what your local competition is offering. Vol 2, Issue 10