Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
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www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT NOVEMBER 2016 27 Shopping for a website can be a daunting task. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed comparing platforms. Instead, use this checklist to find the website provider that can help your dealership succeed online and drive sales both on your website and in-store. Colleen Malloy is the director of marketing at ARI Network Services. Prior to joining ARI in November 2013, Malloy served as the editor of Motorcycle and Powersports News. She is dedicated to the mission of helping dealers improve their operations through the implementation of ever- evolving best practices paired with ARI's suite of award-winning data-driven software tools and marketing services that help dealers "Sell More Stuff!" — online and in-store. ARI removes the complexity of selling and servicing new and used inventory, parts, garments and accessories for customers in the outdoor power equipment, powersports, marine, RV, automotive tire and wheel, and white goods industries. More than 22,000 equipment dealers, 195 distributors and 140 manufacturers worldwide leverage ARI's website (www.arinet.com) and eCatalog platforms to "Sell More Stuff!" ■ OEM whole goods. As I mentioned earlier, your website is more than just a business card for your dealership. In this day and age, your customers expect to see all of your available inventory on your site. A platform with the top OEM catalog content included enables you to conveniently add the latest unit inventory to your website. Your customers will appreciate browsing and comparing your available inventory online. ■ Parts lookup. Incorporating an online parts lookup tool on your website is a huge opportunity to generate revenue for your dealership. Find a website with a parts lookup tool that lets shoppers easily find the parts they need and order them directly from your website. ■ Dealership Management System (DMS) integration. Make your technology solutions work for you. Integrating your website with your DMS helps your customers find and order products quickly, keeps your online inventory up-to-date, and keeps your inventory updated in your DMS. Look for a website platform that works well with your DMS to help you and your team work faster and smarter. #3 Easy to manage As an OPE dealer, you're busy enough running your business. Running your website shouldn't make your days significantly longer. Ensure you're investing in an easy-to-manage website by looking for the following features: ■ Intuitive back-end editor. Managing your website shouldn't take a degree in computer science or hours on the phone with technical support. Look for a website platform that allows you to easily make changes to your page content, inventory, pricing and promotions to make running your site as efficient as possible. ■ Mobile or app-based editing tools. On-the-go tools that allow you to simplify tasks like uploading photos of your in-stock inventory to your website or pushing units to third-party sales channels can save you a significant amount of time when it comes to managing your website. ■ Lead generation & management. When you start raking in leads from the lead-generating calls to action I mentioned earlier, they should automatically aggregate in the back end of your website. While you're shopping for a new site, look for a platform that allows you to view and manage your leads directly from your website management tool. ■ Multi-location support. If your dealership has multiple locations or if you're considering opening up a second location in the future, make sure your new website supports multiple locations. Being able to post all of your inventory in one central place that supports all of your locations can help you drive sales from customers you might not have otherwise reached. ■ Built-in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Your website won't do much good if shoppers can't find it. While there are a number of on-page SEO tactics you can use to ensure your site appears on search engines, finding a website platform that includes built- in SEO can boost your search engine ranking and help you reach more shoppers. OPE