Sharp rise in conversions for dealers’ reminders

• Bookings from email reminders jump from an average 24.2% to 34.5%

• Increase in conversions is highest for owners of older cars – up from 12.2% to 24.1% for vehicles over seven years old

• Data highlights opportunity to re-engage lapsed service customers

• Combining MOT and service reminders further improves conversion rates

There has been a sharp rise in the proportion of car owners who make service bookings following an email reminder, according to new research from Marketing Delivery. The firm evaluated over 200,000 customer records held by franchised dealers across the UK and found that, on average, 34.5% of eligible customers made a service booking in response to an email reminder during the first five months of 2023, compared to 24.2% during the same period last year.

Particularly notable is that the increase in conversions is highest among owners of older vehicles and, with an ageing vehicle parc, this presents franchised dealers with greater opportunities to retain aftersales business for longer. For cars between five and seven years, bookings that result directly from an email reminder rose from 16.2% in 2022 to 27.7% in 2023, and for cars over seven years old, the conversion rate increased even more significantly – up from 12.2% to 24.1%.

Conversions highest when reminders combine service and MOT

The analysis also highlights how conversion rates from email reminders continue to be highest when a franchised workshop advises the customer on how to combine service and MOT work within a single visit. During the first five months of 2023, 43.6% of combined service / MOT reminders led directly to a booking – a marked rise on the 35.5% during the same period last year. These findings echo recent consumer research commissioned by Marketing Delivery, which identified that 77% of UK motorists feel they would be more likely to book their car into a workshop that found a way to combine MOT and service work into a single visit.

“This new analysis is consistent with anecdotal feedback from our dealer partners,” comments Jeremy Evans, Chief Executive at Marketing Delivery. “When it comes to aftersales-related communications, email remains the mechanism preferred by most consumers, and this is increasingly being reflected in conversion rates. This changes a little once the car has been dropped off, at which point consumers favour the immediacy of calls or text messages to check on status and approve work. It’s important for dealers to employ communication tools and processes that are flexible enough to take account of the changing preferences of customers.”