Ninety-four percent of consumers globally research cars online before they buy, and about a third would be willing to buy a car over the Internet, according to an annual survey by consulting firm Capgemini. GM says their online initiative is particularly aimed at attracting Millennials, who spend much of their time online and are driving less than their predecessors. Purchases of cars by young people took a particularly hard hit following the recession but recovered somewhat in 2012, when Millennials bought more than 1.2 million new cars, according to data from auto research firm Polk. A push to online sales could help encourage even more young people to become car owners.

“This sort of evolution of use of the web in the industry has been going on for quite a while,” says Tom Libby, a senior forecasting analyst at Polk. “It’s in a seller’s best interest to take advantage of this trend.”

Some dealerships may be wary of offering online sales, as it could hamper their ability to sell customers additional features in the store. It’s also more challenging to cultivate loyal clients if customers are interacting with a computer instead of a human being. On the other hand, online sales could lure in a group of buyers who are looking for a straightforward shopping experience instead of the drawn-out process of visiting a car dealership and haggling with a salesman.