Why is it important to know what the slowest month is for car sales?
It’s important for car buyers for two reasons. One, buyers would know when and how to take advantage of the promos offered during this time, and two, they can shop with ease as there are not much people in the crowd.
It’s also crucial for car dealerships to know when sales will slow down. For one, they can know when to invest time revamping the look of their dealership. They can also use this knowledge to know when to take their time when it comes to work, and why sales slowed down. Aside from that, it’s also the best time to think of better marketing and sales strategies fit for the season.
In this post, we are going to talk about the slowest month for car sales. We also the reasons why and what you can do as a car dealership to sell better.
Sell more cars in less time for more money, no matter what month of the year!
So What Is The Slowest Month For Car Sales?
If you’ve guessed January, then you’re up to something. The truth is it’s not that difficult to guess. When you pick just one month of the year, you can simply pick one during the winter, between January and February. But if you chose February, you’re wrong, despite February being much colder than its previous month. If you think that the winter climate has something to do with why January is the slowest month for car dealership sales, you’re partly correct, but we’re going to explain that later.
Below are the top four reasons why January is the slower month for car sales.
January Comes After December
Yes, this is the top reason why January is the slowest month for car sales. It’s not really about the cold weather, but it all has to do with the month before it – December. The last month of the year is the busiest, with the holiday season and many people go shopping. Not only that, November is when we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. After New Year’s celebration, people will then mellow down and recover from all festivities. In turn, most purchasing activities will also stop.
Car Manufacturers Take A Break, Too
We’ve mentioned that people slow down with their spending during January, but it’s not just the average humans who will take a break from it all. Car manufacturers are known to be aggressive when it comes to marketing and advertising. So, in January it’s time for them to ease off as well. During the Holidays, lots of carmakers outdo themselves with amazing ads and promotional campaigns. However, car manufacturers know that, since people mellow down after the season, they take the time to just take a little break. Besides, doing promotional campaigns when there are no people interested would be a waste of time and money.
Dealership Staff Is Pre-Occupied
Now, this is one reason that has something to do about the weather. The Winter season falls between December and early March. Naturally, it’s cold during these times, especially in places up north. When it gets too cold, snow falls. This is another burden for car dealerships, as snow can damage vehicles, and it also poses a threat to the staff and customers. Because the team is busy beating the cold and the snow, they won’t be able to better accommodate shoppers. The winter can also bring dreadful weather with snowstorms and blizzards, which causes a lot of car dealerships to close down temporarily until the bad weather subsides.
What Can Make Shoppers Buy Cars In January?
Because car sales are low during the first month of the year, it doesn’t mean that used car dealerships should just relax and not do something about it. While not many people are in the mood for shopping for cars during the mentioned month, this is the right time for car dealerships to gain more sales. Here are some tips for car dealers to amp up their sales during this cold and gloomy month.
Upsell On Luxury Cars And Features That Beat The Cold
Since January is the slowest month for sales, it is much slower for luxury cars to sell. Because of this, it may be more challenging for the most expensive ones to be taken out of your parking lot. To sell out the most expensive ones in your inventory, January is the best time to offer promotional deals to the buyers.
Don’t limit your marketing strategies to luxury cars; you can also push for cars conducive to the winter season. When it’s freezing cold outside, people wish that they have a vehicle with warmer seats and tires that let you drive through snow without any problems. If you sell cars with anti-winter features, early January is the best time to put them on the proverbial pedestal and boost marketing.
Car Winter Features To Highlight In Sales
Yes, driving during the winter season is dragging, especially when you live in the northern states. Not only will the cold weather make each drive uncomfortable, the snow and slippery roads will also make your driving more difficult. That is why when you have cars with the winter features listed below, you can upsell during the winter months, especially in January.
Heated Seats
As mentioned, one of the features you should highlight is electric heated seats. Many people would think that heated seats are only available with luxury vehicles. However, many people don’t know that this feature is available in more affordable compact cars. The driver can quickly get comfortable with a heated seat – much faster than the vehicle heater, which waits for the engine to warm up. Heated seats make a more comfortable and alert driving, making it a safety feature as well.
All-Wheel Drive
If there’s anything that car owners dread the most, driving during a snowy day is at least in the top 5 of the list. Drivers drive with great care during this time to prevent sliding, something that is potentially dangerous. If your dealership doesn’t have much of the winter features listed here, you can bring all your all-wheel drive cars in the front line. There are many AWDs available, so it’s not really that difficult to sell them to buyers, for you’re giving them options.
Headlight Washers And Wipers
Another problem drivers face when driving during wintertime is reduced visibility. It’s hard to look for the road when it snows, and the snow creates a slushy mess on your windshield. When not going to take action with this, the snow and ice sludge will accumulate on the windshield, making it more challenging to drive, especially at night. Furthermore, the snow can cover up the headlights, reducing the light that helps lead the way. When you have vehicles that offer such features, don’t forget to mention the headlight washers and wipers. All cars out in the markets already have wipers, while headlight washers may only come in a handful of vehicles, mostly sports cars.
Heated Side Mirrors And Steering Wheels
We’ve already mentioned that snow and frost have an effect on windshields and headlights. Unfortunately, these winter by-products also affect windows and mirrors too. Heated side mirrors and windows thaw hardened snow and frost, which gives you more visibility to your side and rear. Meanwhile, nobody wants to drive with a cold steering wheel. It’s like you’re holding a piece of tubular ice, and you can’t let go because your life is depending on it. This is why car makers offer a heated steering wheel feature, so driving will be much comfortable with a steering wheel that doesn’t freeze your hands off.
Now that you know what the slowest month is for car sales, you should be able to determine what to do to sell more during that time. As of writing this, January is just two months away. So make sure you have your business ready by that time. If you want a platform where you can sell your vehicles, our Marketplace can help. You can check out the Marketplace here and check other cars from other car dealerships we partner with.