Consumers back continuation of Covid measures

Nearly two-thirds of showroom visitors will avoid dealers with no covid-19 measures, despite government lifting restrictions.

According to research by What Car?, 63.7% of respondents said they would avoid visiting a showroom if it had no social distancing guidelines, hygiene measures or other Covid-19 safety practices in place.

More than half (59.4%) said they want to continue to see capacity restrictions enforced even after the legal requirement to do so expires, and 74.7% want social distancing measures such as the two-metre rule to remain in place.

Meanwhile, 78.5% of in-market buyers were in support of continuing to request staff and visitors to wear masks at showroom sites, and would-be buyers were even more unequivocal about hygiene measures, such as disinfecting demonstrators after each use and offering hand sanitisers across the showroom, with 90.9% in support of these measures continuing.

Rachael Prasher, managing director, What Car?, said: “The message to dealers is simple. The majority of buyers want to see Covid-19 safety measures continue, to the extent that failing to implement them is likely to impact whether they visit a showroom. While removing capacity restrictions and easing hygiene measures to increase potential footfall and the availability of test drives may look like a positive step, it could prove counterproductive to businesses, with safety still clearly at the forefront for buyers.”

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