Down to two brands: why a slow first reply loses the deal before you've quoted

Buyers used to give dealers time. They would research for half a year, keep a handful of brands in mind, and wander into a few showrooms before deciding. That buffer is gone. The person emailing your dealership today has already done the homework, cut the list, and is close to signing. If your first reply is slow, you are not losing a lead. You are handing a nearly finished sale to whoever answered first.

By the time they enquire, they've almost decided

The car-buying journey in Australia has compressed sharply. CarExpert's 2025 Road to Purchase Study, which surveyed Australians aged 18 to 70, found the average journey has shortened by 18% year on year to about four months, down from roughly six, with the research phase now averaging three months. Just as important, the shortlist has shrunk: the average number of brands a buyer considers has dropped from three to 2.2, though 71% of buyers say they remain open to influence during the consideration phase before they commit.

That combination is the whole story. Buyers do the heavy research quietly and online. Think with Google, drawing on a Kantar/TNS study of 500 Australian consumers, found that Aussies spend more and more time online researching before they ever visit a dealership, and that 65% of new car buyers bought a brand different from their last vehicle. So loyalty is not locked in, and the field is already narrow. When someone finally raises their hand and enquires, that enquiry is not the start of a conversation. It is close to the finish line, and you are one of only two or so brands still standing.

The first reply is the one that counts

Speed at that moment is not a nice-to-have. The Lead Response Management Study by Dr James Oldroyd at MIT, run with InsideSales.com, found that the odds of contacting a lead called within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop by 100 times, and the odds of qualifying that lead drop by 21 times. The study was blunt about the priority order: immediacy of response far overshadows both time of day and day of week in its effect on contact and qualification rates, a point Motarme highlights in its summary of the research for sales teams.

For a dealership, that maths is unforgiving. A buyer who has narrowed to two brands and fires off an enquiry is at their peak of intent right then. Wait an hour and they may have already spoken to the other name on their list, booked a test drive, or moved on. The reply that lands in minutes reaches them where they are, phone in hand, still deciding. The reply that lands the next morning reaches someone who has half-forgotten they asked.

How to win the first hour back

Winning the first hour is a process problem, not a talent problem. A few things make the difference. First, acknowledge every enquiry the moment it arrives, so the buyer knows they have been heard while their interest is still hot. Second, make sure no enquiry waits for business hours: a large share of car research happens at night and on weekends, so the plan has to cover the times your showroom is dark. Third, route each enquiry to a person who can actually help, and give them the context to reply properly rather than with a holding message. Fourth, back the whole thing with a consistent follow-up rhythm so nobody slips through when the floor gets busy.

This is exactly the gap Dealerloop is built to close. We make sure the first response goes out in minutes, day or night, every day, so your team is talking to buyers at the point of highest intent instead of chasing cold ones the next day. In a market where the shortlist is short and the decision is quick, being first to reply is one of the cheapest advantages your dealership has.

The research has already been done before the enquiry lands. What you control is the reply. Answer first, and more often than not, you sell first.

Sources: CarExpert study reveals accelerated car-buying journey in Australia (CarExpert 2025 Road to Purchase Study), Mi3, The path to purchase for new car buyers: Why Aussie brands and OEMs need a digital-first strategy, Think with Google (APAC), Lead Response Management Study (Dr James Oldroyd, MIT / InsideSales.com), How Much Time Do You Have To Respond To Sales Leads?, Motarme. Figures are industry findings, not Dealerloop results.