Most dealerships don’t have a lead volume problem. They have a lead handling problem.
That’s the uncomfortable truth sitting in After the Lead Lands, Impel’s new report on website enquiry handling across UK automotive retail. The study combines a structured mystery shop of 91 dealer website enquiries, consumer research from MOTORS and Cazoo’s panel of over 2,000 UK car buyers, and behavioural data drawn from 304,741 UK leads and 89,103 customer engagements.
If you’re responsible for converting inbound interest into sales, this report is for you.
The gap isn’t where most dealers expect it.
Almost every inquiry gets a response. That’s the baseline. What varies is the quality, timing, and persistence of what comes next — and that variation is where sales are won or lost.
The consumer research puts a number on what buyers expect at every stage. The results make clear that the bar isn’t just high — it applies around the clock, with every lead.
The data reveals where momentum is lost.
Impel’s customer insights add important context to what the mystery shop surfaces. Buyer behavior doesn’t follow a neat sequence, and it doesn’t align with opening hours. The patterns in the data show exactly where the capacity gap shows up and what it costs.
Some of the numbers will surprise you. Others will confirm what your team already suspects but hasn’t had evidence to act on.
The opportunity is already in your pipeline.
The report’s core argument is straightforward. For many dealers, the greater opportunity isn’t generating more leads. It’s extracting full value from the ones already arriving. The data shows where that value is currently slipping, and what a better model looks like.After the Lead Lands is available now.