Car Shopping: Virtual Reality Tips

Shopping at the car dealership might be so 20th century! Car shopping virtual reality-style might be the new trend in hunting for a new vehicle. Don’t go shutting the door to the dealership yet, though. Dealership trips can still be part of the process!

If shopping for a car via virtual reality sounds a bit futuristic, well, this is the future! Get ready to step into a new reality! Here’s how to go car shopping in virtual reality. Buckle up and take a virtual ride!

Does a Virtual Reality Car Dealership Exist?

While it’s possible to go car shopping using virtual reality, consumers may wonder if car dealerships have gone virtual. Does a virtual car dealership exist?

While it might not be possible to put on a virtual reality headset and step into a local car dealership, there are virtual reality car showrooms that allow shoppers to preview and check out a huge inventory of vehicles.

Local dealerships could offer their own virtual reality experiences. They also could offer a virtual tour of their own showroom online. Or they might even post a tour of their showroom via YouTube, and this experience also could be ‘virtual’…even if it isn’t virtual reality.

Virtual experiences can take the place of the in-person experience, saving the shopper time and allowing them to browse at their leisure. Using a virtual showroom could be one of the first steps in the buying research process for consumers who might not know what type of vehicle they want. Or maybe a virtual showroom could be used to browse through many different vehicles just to virtually window shop.

Go Virtual for Less Pressure

While shoppers can still visit numerous different dealerships in their area or peruse their website, a virtual showroom can be useful for shopping without commitment or pressure. Do buyers love the high pressure of the dealership? Apparently…not so much.

Edmonds.com conducted a survey of car buyers, and the results weren’t shocking. Ninety percent of those surveyed don’t want to negotiate, instead they’d rather just have the price set. More than 20 percent would go without sex for an entire month if they didn’t have to deal with all that negotiating! Meanwhile, Edmonds reported that 33 percent would choose that airplane middle seat, a visit to the DMV or handle their taxes instead of dealership negotiations.

Millennials, though, disliked those negotiations more than Baby Boomers, according to the survey results. This could be because Boomers have more experience and the process of buying a car is more familiar to them. Or maybe their parents taught them a few tricks?

Virtual shopping can help Millennials and all car shoppers delay those negotiations a bit. Instead of being pressured in the dealership, shoppers can take all the time they need trying to find the car that appeals to them. With the internet and virtual experiences, the computer can be shut down and shoppers can come back to the sites later.

When researching online, shoppers can make notes about the cars and the features that they want and need. Then they can visit dealership sites to compare prices and prepare for their visit. Knowing what they want before the visit can help save time. However, shoppers still may have to negotiate at the actual dealership!

Car Shopping: Virtual Reality Tips

Navigating Through a Virtual Car Showroom

RelayCars offers a virtual car showroom with a massive inventory of makes and models. Shoppers can visit the online virtual car showroom to explore all the virtual vehicles

When visiting RelayCars’ website, users can enter the virtual showroom on the site’s main page. They will see a form that allows them to select the make, model, year and trim. How far back do the model years run? That depends on the vehicle. When available, RelayCars may offer models as far back as five years…or maybe more.

Once the user has selected their vehicle option, they can view it virtually. Using the mouse, the car can be viewed from different angles and turned around to view different vantage points. Users can even look inside the vehicle. RelayCars also lets users view the vehicle in different paint hues, however the paint options are based on the options for the make/model.

What About Pre-Owned Cars?

Many car buyers opt for preowned cars. While RelayCars allows users to look at past model years, the site does not provide images of a specific dealership’s pre-owned inventory. Shoppers that are interested in a specific model year can use RelayCars as a resource for reference purposes. When shoppers are looking at preowned options, they should contact their local dealer for more photos of their inventory.

Shoppers Don’t Need a Headset!

Virtual reality might conjure up images of big bulky headsets and space-age environments. While headsets are used to access virtual environments, RelayCars’ online virtual reality car showroom does not require a headset or any special equipment. The virtual showroom is open 24/7 to anyone with access to the internet. However, a high-speed internet connection is recommended, and the user’s internet speed may affect the loading time of images.

Car Shopping: Virtual Reality Tips

How Much Does it Cost to Go Car Shopping in Virtual Reality?

Think of RelayCars as online, virtual window shopping. The experience is free, and users can check out virtual cars any time of the day or night.

Shopping for a car virtually puts the buyer in the driver’s seat. Visit the virtual showroom when it’s convenient. RelayCars is meant to be a shopping resource. Research the look and design of different cars. Buyers can use the virtual showroom to weed out the cars that they don’t like so much and find the models of the cars that fit their needs.

Sometimes shoppers may even discover new models that weren’t on their radar. Since RelayCars lets users decide what they want to view, the virtual experience can be fun and enjoyable. The site also offers many different luxury models; if visitors want to check out a Porsche, they are free to explore those models virtually.

After the Virtual Visit

During their visit to the site, though, car shoppers might want to make a list of the vehicles that they prefer. Then they can visit their local car dealership’s website to find out about any promotions and to research prices. Those who are looking for preowned models might need to search for that particular model year via local dealerships.

What Does the Future Hold for RelayCars?

Technology is always changing, and RelayCars is constantly adding new inventory to the virtual reality showroom. As new models roll out, these may be available in the virtual showroom.

New experiences also may be added in the future. Augmented and virtual reality are part of extended reality. These experiences change how users interact with the world. And both augmented and virtual reality can provide unique car shopping experiences.

Augmented reality showrooms allow users to actually place a graphic depiction of a vehicle in their own environment. Augmented reality uses the camera of a phone or tablet to showcase the real environment and overlay graphics within that space. This technology lets users preview cars in the backyard, the garage, the driveway or even on a bed! If the car fits, augmented reality can show it in any space!

Check out RelayCars often to find updates about new virtual inventory as well as any new virtual or augmented reality experiences that will be available on the site.