You’ve closed the sale with a customer, but establishing a long-term relationship – and generating more consistent revenue – comes from continuing the customer lifecycle with service. There are a lot of factors that influence whether a sales customer will return for their first service appointment, and knowing what those are will empower you to keep them coming back, both for service and eventual repurchase.

We took a look at factors that affect sales customers returning for service and discovered insightful data that you can use to improve first service visit retention with highly targeted marketing.

How Distance from Dealership Affects Retention

We analyzed recent car buyers to gain insight into how distance from the dealership affects retention. In the first six months after the purchase, close proximity buyers — those within a 15-mile radius of the dealership — came back for service about 70% of the time. Customers who drove 16 miles or more to purchase were 17% less likely to return for service.

How to Make the Drive Worth It

Put the valuable data in your DMS to work for you by targeting customers with incentives and offers based on their distance from your store — and their likelihood to return for their first service appointment. Using the AutoLoop Essentials^™ list builder, you can easily segment your new sales customers by distance to ensure every customer receives the best offers. Appeal to those customers more than 15 miles away by sending deeper discounts, reminding them of your store’s unique amenities, and informing them of the expert care they won’t get with an aftermarket service provider near them.

If you need assistance effectively targeting customers using the Essentials list builder, or have any other questions on how to maximize your marketing efforts, please reach out to your Performance Manager.