Understanding shopper behavior on dealership websites goes beyond counting leads or ad clicks. The Automotive Standards Council (ASC), an organization dedicated to setting data standards across the automotive industry, provides invaluable frameworks that help dealerships dive deeper into customer behavior. Specifically, the ASC defines standardized “retail process” events, known as ASC Events, which are integrated into Google Analytics to offer powerful insights into the buying journey.
This data, rooted in ASC Events and accessible through Google Analytics, enables dealerships to track high-intent behaviors like trade-in evaluations, financing inquiries, and credit applications. Using these insights, dealerships can strategically retarget shoppers who demonstrated strong buying intent but exited the process without completing a lead submission. In this blog, we’ll dive into the value of ASC Events, how they’re structured in Google Analytics, and the significant impact they can have on dealership marketing.
What Is the Automotive Standards Council?
The Automotive Standards Council (ASC) establishes standardized event naming and definitions within digital marketing platforms like Google Analytics. By setting these consistent standards, ASC enables dealerships to capture, measure, and compare shopper behavior across the industry. The retail process events defined by ASC give dealerships a way to monitor actions like financing inquiries, credit applications, trade-ins, and leasing options. These events offer actionable data insights by pinpointing high-intent behaviors that indicate when a shopper is close to making a purchase.
The ASC’s retail process standards are more than just data points; they’re a roadmap to understanding each step of a shopper’s journey, from researching vehicle options to calculating financing and finally purchasing. Dealerships can use these insights to retarget shoppers at critical moments, enhancing their marketing effectiveness and boosting conversions.
Leveraging ASC Events in Google Analytics
Google Analytics, with ASC integration, categorizes key actions under ASC_retail_process events. These events track essential flow stages like trade-in, financing, leasing, and credit application, organized by specific parameters, including flow_name and flow_stage. Here’s how dealerships can analyze drop-off points in each flow to understand why shoppers exit and to develop targeted retargeting campaigns:
- Trade Flow Analysis: The trade-in process captures shoppers’ initial interest in evaluating their current vehicle’s trade-in value. Events such as “trade start,” “trade proceed,” and “trade submit” help dealers identify where shoppers may abandon the process. If users exit after the “start” or “proceed” stages, retargeting campaigns can address potential concerns by offering competitive trade-in valuations or online tools to simplify the trade-in process.
- Financing Flow Analysis: For users exploring financing options, Google Analytics can capture events like “financing start” and “financing proceed.” Drop-offs at the “recalc” or “proceed” stages indicate users who may be hesitating due to financing concerns. By retargeting these users with promotions like low-interest financing or customizable payment plans, dealerships can address their concerns and encourage them to re-engage.
- Credit Application Flow: For shoppers entering the credit application process, ASC Events track key stages like “credit_app start” and “credit_app submit.” Drop-offs here often signal uncertainty about financing approval. Retargeting these users with messages about flexible financing or no-credit-check options can encourage them to reapply, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
- Lease Flow Analysis: Users who engage with the leasing process might abandon due to concerns about leasing terms or costs. Google Analytics tracks stages like “lease start,” “lease recalc,” and “lease proceed,” making it easy to identify drop-offs. Retargeting ads that emphasize flexible lease terms or special leasing rates can address these hesitations and re-engage users who showed high leasing intent.
The Marketing Power of ASC Data in Google Analytics
Using the retail process data captured through ASC Events in Google Analytics, dealerships can develop personalized retargeting strategies that go beyond typical lead-generation tactics. Rather than targeting users at the top of the funnel, dealerships can reach out to shoppers who are deep into the buying journey but need an extra push to convert. Here’s how:
- Audience Segmentation for High-Intent Shoppers: By segmenting users based on their drop-off points within the ASC-defined flows (trade, financing, credit app, lease), dealerships can tailor retargeting messages to each shopper’s exact needs. For instance, users who exit the financing flow might respond well to retargeting ads offering promotional financing rates, while trade flow drop-offs could be re-engaged with trade-in bonuses or valuation guarantees.
- Incentive-Based Campaigns: ASC data helps dealerships identify high-intent shoppers who could be nudged back into the sales funnel with the right incentives. Using Google Analytics, dealers can set up retargeting campaigns that offer specific incentives—like limited-time lease offers or special financing terms—to users who dropped off during the leasing or financing stages. This targeted approach can maximize return on ad spend by focusing on users who are already interested and likely to convert.
- Multi-Channel Retargeting: With Google Analytics data from ASC Events, dealerships can retarget shoppers across multiple channels, including social media, email, and search ads. For instance, a user who drops off in the credit application flow on the dealership’s website could receive a retargeting ad on social media that highlights flexible financing solutions. This cohesive, cross-channel strategy keeps dealerships top-of-mind for shoppers as they move through their decision-making process.
Measuring Success with ASC Events in Google Analytics
The effectiveness of retargeting efforts based on ASC Events can be tracked directly in Google Analytics. By analyzing metrics such as re-engagement rates, conversion rates, and overall ROI on retargeting campaigns, dealerships can fine-tune their strategies and maximize conversions. Google Analytics also allows dealerships to set up custom dashboards to monitor each ASC flow, giving an at-a-glance view of where drop-offs occur and where retargeting campaigns have the most impact.
To generate more leads from a dealership website without increasing ad spend, leveraging ASC Events data in Google Analytics can be highly effective. By focusing on retargeting high-intent shoppers who have already visited the website and engaged with specific retail processes, dealerships can nurture these potential customers back into the sales funnel at minimal additional cost. Here’s how:
1. Precision Retargeting for Drop-Offs
Instead of casting a wide net with generic ads, ASC Events data enables dealerships to identify users who showed strong buying intent but didn’t convert. By using flow-specific retargeting, dealerships can serve tailored ads or pop-ups to these users based on where they exited the buying process.
For instance:
- Trade Drop-Offs: If a user drops off during the trade-in evaluation, retarget them with a message emphasizing a no-obligation trade-in offer or a special trade-in bonus.
- Financing Drop-Offs: Users who leave after interacting with financing calculators could receive ads about flexible payment plans or exclusive low-interest rates.
- Lease Drop-Offs: For shoppers who abandon the lease flow, targeted messaging that highlights limited-time lease deals or shorter-term lease options can re-engage them.
Since these users have already expressed interest, retargeting based on their stage in the journey makes each ad more relevant and impactful, increasing the likelihood of conversion without additional ad spend.
2. On-Site Personalization Using Behavioral Triggers
ASC Events in Google Analytics can track actions like clicks on financing options, trade-in evaluations, or credit applications, signaling high intent. This data can be used to customize on-site experiences through behavioral triggers. For instance:
- Exit-Intent Pop-Ups: If a user is about to leave the website after initiating a high-intent action like starting a credit application or trade-in evaluation, an exit-intent pop-up could offer them a personalized incentive—such as a financing discount, a trade-in bonus, or an invitation to complete their financing application with an easy credit check.
- Dynamic Content: For returning visitors who previously dropped off during a high-intent stage, dynamically display personalized content or banners highlighting special offers in the flow they previously exited. This creates a more engaging experience tailored to their specific interests, increasing the chance of conversion without increasing ad spend.
3. Email Retargeting Campaigns Based on ASC Events
For users who abandon forms (such as credit applications or trade-in evaluations), use email retargeting to remind them about their unfinished journey. If the website captures email addresses through lead forms, ASC data can segment users based on their drop-off stage and send automated follow-up emails with personalized messages. For example:
- Trade-In Reminders: A follow-up email could remind the user of their trade-in value estimate or offer a time-sensitive trade-in bonus to encourage them to return.
- Credit Application Follow-Up: For users who started but didn’t complete a credit application, a follow-up email could emphasize easy financing terms or include a call-to-action (CTA) to finish the application.
- Leasing Offers: If the user exited after exploring leasing options, an email showcasing special leasing deals could reignite their interest.
These email retargeting campaigns effectively keep the dealership top-of-mind for potential customers who are already familiar with the brand, making it a cost-effective way to boost conversions.
4. Creating Targeted Lookalike Audiences for Paid Social
Using the high-intent segments identified in ASC Events, dealerships can create lookalike audiences on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These lookalike audiences are based on the profile of users who engaged in high-intent actions (e.g., exploring trade-ins, credit applications, or financing), allowing dealerships to reach new potential customers who resemble those already interested in the dealership’s offerings. Since this doesn’t increase ad spend directly, it allows for a more strategic use of existing budgets by targeting audiences likely to convert, optimizing each ad dollar.
5. Improving Lead Generation CTAs Based on Behavioral Insights
Insights from ASC Events can inform adjustments to website CTAs to better align with user intent, increasing conversions without expanding ad budgets. For instance:
- Streamline Forms: For users dropping off during credit applications or financing, simplify forms or add a “Save and Continue Later” feature. Small optimizations to high-drop-off forms can capture more leads, improving the lead-to-visit ratio.
- Adjust CTA Wording: Use language that aligns with high-intent stages. For example, a CTA saying “Get a Trade-In Estimate” might perform better than “Value Your Trade” if trade-in drop-offs are frequent. Test different messaging on CTAs across the site and monitor the changes in conversion rates.
By implementing these targeted strategies based on ASC Event data in Google Analytics, dealerships can capture more leads from their website by engaging visitors already on the site, optimizing ad relevance, and maximizing each stage of the sales funnel. This approach allows dealerships to harness the power of data-driven marketing, increasing conversions without additional ad spend.
The Automotive Standards Council’s ASC Events in Google Analytics open up a new world of high-intent shopper insights for dealerships. Instead of focusing solely on generating new leads, dealerships can strategically retarget users who showed high buying intent, re-engaging them at critical points in their journey. Leveraging ASC’s standardized retail process data enables dealerships to connect with potential buyers who were close to conversion, increasing the chances of closing sales and maximizing the effectiveness of every marketing dollar spent.
