REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Retention solutions provider Xtime has released its proprietary statistics of dealership mobile activity for 2017. Analysts found that, in 2017, mobile service appointments increased by 56% and desktop appointments increased by 5%.

Nearly one-quarter (22%) of online service appointments were made after hours, making this a critical feature for dealers, according to Jim Roche, Xtime’s vice president of marketing and managed services.

“The takeaway here for dealers is that you must be mobile in order to provide consumers with the absolute best experience no matter where they are,” Roche said. “Additionally, according to the Cox Automotive Maintenance & Repair Study, 45% of consumers that did not book online said they did not know they could, so there is great potential in mobile use continuing to increase.”

More than one-third (35%) of web appointments are now made on mobile devices, Roche added, and Xtime’s proprietary mobile statistics show that data and digital optimization can enhance customer engagement with dealerships’ fixed operations.

“Our customers continue to move toward a mobile-first approach and we are happy to accommodate their preferences,” said Del Grande Dealer Group Fixed Operations Director Tully Williams. “The Xtime data continues to show that we are in the right direction using technology available to us to improve our guest experience.”

Xtime’s mobile activity statistics were based on data from 4,434 dealers with a go-live date before December 31, 2016.