Roadster launched the Spanish version of its Express Storefront in response to dealer requests. More than 150 use it as of early October.
Sales employees noticed the issue first.
Spanish-speaking customers would send questions to Toyota of Irving because they couldn't find information while browsing the dealership's website, said Jereme Schoemaker, general manager of the suburban Dallas store.
Schoemaker: Proper communication “is key to the store being successful.”
While the dealership employs Spanish-speaking sales reps, he said, its website lacked adequate translation into foreign languages — a problem in a diverse market where people speak multiple languages and dialects. And with car-buying moving increasingly online, that meant Schoemaker's store, which sells about 300 new and used vehicles each month on average, wasn't getting through to all of its prospective customers.
"They're wanting information, and they're not seeing it online," he told Automotive News. "Sales staff started asking for changes, and at the time, we're like, 'Well, we're looking at a solution to help.' "
In September, Toyota of Irving was among 30 dealerships in 10 states that rolled out a Spanish-language version of Express Storefront, an omnichannel retail software platform developed by Roadster Inc.
Roadster, of San Francisco, said it launched the Spanish version in response to requests from dealers, particularly those in markets with higher populations of non-native English speakers. By early October, Roadster said, the number of dealerships using the option had jumped to more than 150 in 17 states. The company counts more than 700 dealerships on its platform.
From websites to audio messages during the finance and insurance process, dealers are demanding more options in languages other than English, such as Spanish in the U.S. and French in parts of Canada, as a competitive edge and a way to enhance the customer experience.
"I hope the outcome results in retail transactions, but that's the ultimate goal, right?" Schoemaker said. "Being able to properly communicate with customers or potential customers is key to the store being successful."
He said it should be about 60 days before Toyota of Irving has solid data about how Roadster's Spanish version is working.
Roadster rolled out a pilot with a handful of dealerships in the summer and now offers the Spanish option to any of its dealership customers, CEO Andy Moss said. The translation is offered to dealership clients at no extra cost.
He added that the capability sets up the company to eventually offer French in Canada.
"It's effectively just giving those dealers more choices in how they serve their customers," Moss said.
Other companies say they, too, are responding to dealers' requests for more language choices.
Dealership management system giant Reynolds and Reynolds Co. offers its docuPad device in French in Canada, spokesman Tom Schwartz said. Dealers use the interactive device to go over F&I options with customers. Some U.S. dealers have asked Reynolds to translate a dealership's audio message on the docuPad, Schwartz said, though he could not elaborate on how many dealers use the translation services.
Dealer Inspire, acquired by Cars.com in 2018, has supported Spanish-only dealership websites for three years, CEO Joe Chura said. The company has created about 100 Spanish-language websites across vehicle brands that are live now or being developed.
That means separate websites in English and Spanish for some dealerships as well as single websites with tools to switch between languages. The translation is done either in-house by Dealer Inspire employees or by the dealership if it has the expertise, Chura said.
Additionally, Dealer Inspire has created the Language Intelligence Team, a group of employees who can offer not only translation services for websites but marketing and strategy support to dealers looking to reach multilingual customers.
Dealerships that want to increase communication with growing populations of non-native English speakers have an opportunity to also grow market share, Chura said.
"If they're not thinking about this and their competitors are, then who's a Spanish[-speaking] customer going to go to?" he said. "It's becoming a necessity."
At Longo Toyota in El Monte, Calif., employees speak multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese and Korean, to mirror the population of neighboring Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, said Brendan Harrington, COO of Penske Motor Group, a subsidiary of Penske Corp. that owns five dealerships in California and Texas, including Longo Toyota.
Before Roadster came out with its Spanish option, customers who spoke the language largely needed to come to the dealership to meet in person with a Spanish-speaking salesperson, said Harrington.
Now, customers can research vehicles at home and discuss options with family members before coming into the store, he said. It also improves dealership transparency, Harrington said — when customers understand what they're reading, it reduces the perception that the dealership didn't give them all the information.
Longo Toyota previously launched a Spanish-language version of its dealership website.
"Anytime you meet people in their native language, it feels better, right?" Harrington said. "Anytime you can improve the knowledge of your customer, improve the transaction and improve the feeling of transparency, it's a huge win for both the consumer and for the dealer."
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