That might be the case, but the old pitch might be dead, says AutoTrader, as cars appearing on a buyer’s shortlist may not all have been found through a conventional search.
The first time a customer sees a salesperson may no longer be across a showroom desk. It may be on Instagram or TikTok, where a quick walkaround of a newly arrived car lands in their feed.
Sometimes they are already looking for a car. Sometimes the video simply puts a model on their radar. They save it, compare similar vehicles, watch a review, calculate repayments and send a WhatsApp enquiry. Only then do they visit the dealership.
The sale still ends with a car changing hands, but the journey leading up to it is spread across listings, social media, search results, finance calculators, messages and face-to-face conversations.
The scale of online activity is significant. AutoTrader’s 2025 Industry Report recorded 649 million searches and 439 million advert views from more than 46 million users during the year.
Not all of that activity becomes an enquiry, but it is clear that the online listing is no longer simply a preview of the showroom. For many buyers, it is where serious shopping starts.
George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader, has watched this change at close range. “Buyers are spending longer in the research phase, comparing alternatives and testing pricing against the market before enquiring. For dealers, that raises the bar,” he says.
Research elsewhere suggests the showroom remains important even as more homework moves online. Cox Automotive’s 2025 Car Buyer Journey Study found that buyers in the United States (US) spent an average of seven hours and 11 minutes researching and shopping for a car online. Yet only 7% completed the entire purchase online, while half handled all transactional steps in person.
While these figures cannot be treated as representative of South African behaviour, they illustrate that online research and dealerships are increasingly parts of the same journey.
By the time they arrive:
A customer walking into a dealership may already know the model and derivative they want, what competitors are charging and roughly what their current car is worth.
Simply repeating the brochure is therefore of little value. Salespeople need to understand what the buyer already knows, correct misunderstandings and explain what still matters, from the true cost of the deal and warranty cover to whether the vehicle suits the customer's lifestyle.
That conversation is also happening across more channels. A clear WhatsApp response could be the reason a buyer chooses one dealership over another. A vague answer or poor follow-up can just as easily send them elsewhere.
When the salesperson becomes the content creator:
Salespeople are also increasingly filming walkarounds, answering questions on camera and sharing new stock through their own social channels.
Done well, this gives buyers a chance to become familiar with the salesperson before making contact and can introduce them to vehicles they may not have considered.
However, views do not necessarily equal buying intent. Social media can create awareness, while automotive marketplaces are more likely to capture shoppers actively comparing available stock.
Accuracy remains essential. Repayment terms need to be clear; vehicle information correct and follow-up consistent. A salesperson can build a large following and still lose a customer if the showroom experience does not match the online persona.
Technology is also helping buyers navigate the growing volume of information. AutoTrader Intelligence includes Vehicle Highlights, which compares listings with similar stock and identifies distinctions such as lower mileage or better fuel economy. Consumer Recommendations uses browsing behaviour to suggest other relevant vehicles.
Selling a car in 2026 therefore asks more of the person on the showroom floor. Product knowledge still matters, but so does the ability to respond digitally, communicate naturally and engage with a customer who may have spent hours researching before making contact.
For many buyers, the dealership remains where final confidence is won or lost. The salesperson still closes the sale. The difference is that the customer has already travelled a considerable distance before walking through the door.
The Festival of Motoring (FOM) opened its doors to the public today at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and will run until Sunday. Over the course of the weekend, vehicle manufacturers from across the industry will showcase their latest offerings, with several models having already been launched to the motoring media yesterday.
Tesla and eight other automakers say they will recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the country's largest automotive recall.
South Africa's automotive industry is struggling to find the specialised technical skills it needs, even as the country faces high youth unemployment.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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South Africa's automotive industry is struggling to find the specialised technical skills it needs, even as the country faces high youth unemployment.
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A local technician's job dedication, attention to detail and product knowledge will take him to China to face global counterparts in the ultimate Omoda and Jaecoo technical skills competition.
