By: Shane Marcum, General Manager, Cross-Sell and Inventory Solutions
New independent research confirms what we’ve been saying. To connect and engage with in-market car shoppers, dealers need to make an investment in developing consumer-driven merchandising strategies. Dealers need to market to car shoppers where they are spending their time. With 70% of car shoppers using multiple devices in their car shopping journey, dealers can no longer ignore mobile. To win the consumer online, they must also create a better shopping experience. They must begin to think and operate like an eCommerce business.
The 2016 Auto Shopper Influence Study conducted by PCG Research, concludes that custom photos and videos are essential for attracting and engaging in-market car shoppers.
Key findings were:
- Car shoppers want more photos – and lots of them – up to 30 for used cars, 20 for new.
- Don’t use stock photos – 74% of car shoppers expect actual photos of in-stock vehicles.
- More photos drive showroom visits – 43% of used vehicle shoppers and 64% of new vehicle shoppers would visit a dealer with more photos on their VDP pages.
- Videos engage car shoppers – three-quarters of new and used vehicle shoppers would watch walk-around video on a dealer’s website.
The study reveals that dealers who power their VDPs with multiple actual photos and customer walk-around videos of in-stock vehicles drive better car shopper engagement. Actual photos and custom videos help build consumer confidence that the vehicle is actually on the lot. These critical merchandising elements also help consumers see the condition and build an emotional connection with the vehicle before ever stepping foot on the lot.
We’ve created an infographic that outlines the key merchandising strategies to implement for eCommerce success. Using these strategies, dealers can gain a strong competitive advantage by keeping car shoppers engaged throughout the process. Dealers who want to ensure consistent, professional results should look for an inventory partner that provides professional photo and video services as part of a comprehensive inventory merchandising solution.
