Automotive News Canada - November 2021 - 12_SUPP

12
BEST PRACTICES 2021
FROM THE
COVID-19
YEAR 2
'Do we need to be as large and have as many
customer-facing tools? Customers aren't
hanging out in our showrooms anymore'
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
WHAT THE POST-PANDEMIC
dealership looks like is anyone's guess,
but Canada's auto retailers know it
will be different:
Likely smaller and
with fewer features
as customers
lean more heavily
on their electronic
devices to interact
with businesses.
And that's precisely
where many
dealers want to
invest their time
and money, as
opposed to building
oversized,
overstuffed showrooms
that now
seem less relevant
with each day the
pandemic persists.
The gradual
pre-COVID-19
evolution to digCEO
of the Canadian Automobile
Dealers Association (CADA). With
new-vehicle sales and volumes down
and customers active online, it's no
time for automakers to push for pricey
showroom upgrades, he told Automotive
News Canada.
Boquist:
Questions the
" several million
dollars " Ford
wants him to
invest in his
Winnipeg store,
but says Ford has
been flexible.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
ital transactions " got turbocharged "
when the pandemic hit, said Tim Reuss,
" The pandemic has shown very
clearly that where investment is
required is in the processes and the
systems, the IT, the online transaction
world, the digital transaction, etc., "
Reuss said in the March 5 edition of the
Canada Conversations podcast.
" That's where the investment needs
to be and where it can really add value
to the customer, not necessarily whether
the tile on the floor is two shades
darker or lighter on the Pantone scale of
colours. "
Dealer Trevor Boquist is wrestling
with a large capital investment at his
River City Ford dealership in Winnipeg.
Ford of Canada wants him to spend
" several million dollars " to update the
dealership, he said. Yet Boquist questions
its relevance now.
" Do we need to be as large and have
as many customer-facing tools? " said
Boquist, who is 2020-21 chairman of the
CADA. " Customers aren't hanging out
in our showrooms anymore. "
FEBRUARY
EDITION
FROM THE
MARCH
EDITION
FROM THE
It has been 12 months
since the first lockdowns
took place in
Canada, forcing
the auto sector
to adapt like
never before.
Vaccines have since arrived
and case numbers are
falling. It's not over yet, but
many of the lessons learned
are permanently reshaping
the industry.
APRIL
EDITION
EDITION
FROM THE
MAY
The practical showroom
JULY
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR RETAIL?
Across the country, dealers and automakers
are trying to get a bead on just
how much the pandemic will change
the way cars are sold and serviced in
the future.
FROM THE
Kevin Zimic has committed $5 million,
plus the purchase of land, for
a new building that will replace his
78-year-old Ridgehill Ford store in
Cambridge, Ont.
An old building
on the new site
has been razed
and construction
is about to
begin on the dealership,
which
will be renamed
Cambridge Ford.
" Right now,
FROM THE
SEPTEMBER
EDITION
Zimic: Wonders
about the $5
million he has to
put into building
a new store.
FILE PHOTO
I'm staring at my
navel, wondering
what I'm doing, "
Zimic said. " It's a
lot of money. "
Ford declined
a request for an
FROM THE
OCTOBER
EDITION
interview but said in a statement that it
expects retail to remain a combination
of virtual and in-person experiences.
" Many consumers will research
their vehicle online, with the majority
utilizing the dealership to see, touch
and test-drive a vehicle, " the statement
said.
FROM THE
NOVEMBER
EDITION
Ford said it will " continue to monitor
consumer preferences and refine
our strategies to deliver the best posEDITION
FROM
THE
EDITION
FROM THE
AUGUST
EDITION
JUNE
Automotive News Canada - November 2021

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