DrivingSales
More Engagement, More Leads, More Deals: All-New Autotrader Delivering More Value for Dealers
ATLANTA, August 7, 2018 – Six months into its dramatic transformation, Autotrader is delivering the more dynamic car-shopping experience it pledged to car buyers and dealers at the beginning of 2018. For consumers, the optimizations have yielded a faster and more personalized online shopping experience with true price transparency, contributing to increases in traffic and overall site satisfaction on desktop and mobile devices. These consumer-driven enhancements have led to better exposure and attributal value for dealers with increased engagement of vehicle inventory, higher quality leads, and considerable growth in high-impact value activities, such as phone calls leads, emails leads, chats and texts. Online deal-making also has seen significant engagement with more shoppers initiating their deals directly from Autotrader vehicle detail pages (VDPs) with the ease of Cox Automotive’s new Accelerate digital retailing platform.
“Autotrader’s faster, more personalized online shopping and buying experience is delivering the best of both worlds, helping meet evolving consumer expectations and improving client performance,” said Jessica Stafford, senior vice president and general manager of Autotrader. “Driven by a substantial increase in overall site satisfaction, Autotrader is offering more value than ever before, raising the bar when it comes to generating the highest quality leads to dealers that are converting to real deals.”
All-New Autotrader Highlights from Q2 2018:
- Improving Site Satisfaction with Mobile-First Experience: Over the last year, site satisfaction is up 13 percent and the mobile-first experience drove nearly 200,000 more shoppers to inventory in the month of June alone.
- Driving Better Engagement with Relevant Search: Autotrader’s mobile-first and relevant search experience are working together to deliver simplified listings and inventory faster. This increased conversions 18 percent year-over-year, equivalent to 1.8 million more VDPs in the month of June.
- Online Deal-Making with Accelerate: Car-buying activity using the Accelerate tool on Autotrader listings was up 37 percent month-over-month in May 2018, with 5 percent of total traffic initiating deals. In June 2018, nearly 3,300 shoppers submitted deals directly from Autotrader VDPs.
- Generating More Leads with High-Impact Value Activities: Comparing January through June 2018 to the same time frame last year, phone, email, chat and text leads spiked, resulting in 60,000 more leads.
- Delivering Price Confidence with Kelley Blue Book: When Kelley Blue Book® Price Advisor was visible on an Autotrader VDPs, engagement soared with cars priced in the green Fair Market Range, recieving 40 percent more dealer website clicks; 50 percent more emails; 50 percent more map views; and 70 percent more saves than vehicles priced in the red above Fair Market Range.
For more information on the All-New Autotrader, visit https://b2b.autotrader.com/all-new/.
For more information and news from Autotrader, visit press.autotrader.com, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Autotrader_com (or @Autotrader_com), Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/autotrader_com/ (or @autotrader_com), like our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autotrader/, add us on Snapchat (@Autotrader_com), and get updates at Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+Autotrader.
About Autotrader
Autotrader is the most visited third-party car shopping site, with the most engaged audience of in-market shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered consumer looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing solutions guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive™ brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling and owning cars easier for everyone. The global company’s 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com
Sarah Goldberg | Account Executive, B2B | MWWPR | T:
DrivingSales
Cars.com Launches Social Sales Drive Technology to Power Social Selling for Automotive
Latest product in company's suite of social solutions connects car dealers and auto manufacturers with active shoppers on Facebook Marketplace
CHICAGO, July 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com (NYSE: CARS) today announced the launch of Social Sales Drive™, a powerful new offering that enables automotive retailers to maximize the impact of their Cars.com used car listings with seamless integration on Facebook Marketplace. Social Sales Drive builds on Cars.com's leadership in social media marketing to provide more efficient advertising, combining the comprehensive data and targeting power of Cars.com with millions of Americans looking at vehicle listings every day on Facebook Marketplace.The new solution uses proprietary artificial intelligence chatbot technology to power conversations with consumers and capitalize on off-hour shopping via Facebook Messenger. Beta testing showed more than 50 percent of car buyers on Facebook Marketplace wanted to interact after business hours.²
"Social is a must-have for automotive dealers with the increasing amount of time people spend on social media and their desire for a shopping experience that meets them where they are. The combination of powerful Cars.com advertising and targeting with the efficiency of social as a selling channel is a win-win for dealers and manufacturers," said Alex Vetter, chief executive officer of Cars.com. "Cars.com is innovating at the speed of retail and leading the way for social selling in automotive."
At a time when dealers have more options than ever to market their inventory and build their brand, Cars.com has proved to be a valuable partner. And when combined with the power of social platforms like Facebook, dealers stand to gain even more. It has been proven that Facebook is twice as efficient as paid search in directing active car shoppers to a dealership's website who engage with inventory and special deals.³
Vetter added that Cars.com's integrated social tools enable advertisers to combine valuable third-party data and technology with social media platforms to better target and connect with a new audience to sell more cars. This is becoming increasingly vital as Facebook begins curbing the use of first-party data in marketing.⁴
Key features of Social Sales Drive include:
- Seamless integration. The solution automatically uploads enrolled dealers' entire used-car inventory to Facebook Marketplace. Conversations℠, a powerful messaging platform, seamlessly integrates into dealers' websites, enabling 24/7 managed chat between dealers and car shoppers via Facebook Messenger.
- Extended business hours. More than 50 percent of Facebook Marketplace car shoppers are connecting with dealerships during off-hours between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. With "Ana Bot," a proprietary A.I. powered chatbot and 24/7 managed-chat support, consumers receive real-time answers to their vehicle inquiries and dealers do not miss an opportunity to connect with consumers after hours to sell more cars.
- Builds dealers' social brands. Social Sales Drive is a Facebook Marketplace-integrated product in automotive that directly connects a dealer's inventory to its business page on Facebook, driving more exposure in front of active car shoppers and building the dealer's social brand.
- Massive audience reach. Cars.com receives more than 35 million visits each month and 81 percent of those shoppers plan to purchase or lease in the next six months.² Coupled with the millions of Americans looking at vehicle listings every day on Facebook Marketplace, dealers can connect with a significant audience of ready-to-buy car shoppers.
The new solution proved a runaway hit during beta testing, with full, rapid adoption in test markets that prompted a nationwide waiting list of more than 1,100 dealers.
"I've wanted to take advantage of Facebook Marketplace for some time, so when Cars.com offered to get all our inventory up and manage chats on our behalf, I was very interested," said Kevin Jamiel, a sales manager at Chuck Nicholson Mazda in Dover, Ohio who participated in the Cars.com pilot for Social Sales Drive. "The managed chat functionality does an amazing job of getting shoppers' basic information and then handing them off to us, so we don't have to sit in front of a computer answering Facebook messages all day. We sold 10 cars in the first six weeks using this product. We love it!"
Cars.com's full suite of social solutions serves automotive dealers and manufacturers in two ways:
- Social audience solutions: These products leverage Cars.com's 70 percent unique and unduplicated audience on social media platforms.² Our first-party data cannot be purchased or accessed anywhere else. Cars Social, which was launched earlier this year, spurred significant demand, selling out in major cities within hours of its launch.
- Social inventory solutions: Products such as Social Sales Drive extend the reach of dealers' inventory onto Facebook Marketplace, allowing them to influence and connect with a new audience of active car shoppers.
Cars.com is focused on building solutions to advance social selling in the auto industry and improve the car shopping experience for consumers. The company became a listing partner with Facebook in October 2017 when Cars.com made a portion of its inventory available to the social platform. The move made it easier for car shoppers on Facebook Marketplace to browse Cars.com's dealer partners' vehicles. That first limited rollout resulted in a 27 percent increase in consumer connections with Cars.com dealers within two months.⁵
Cars.com is inviting dealers to enroll in Social Sales Drive starting today: Enroll here. The product will go live, beginning August 1.
¹ Facebook Marketplace, September 2017
² Cars.com Internal Data, June 2018
³ PCG Companies, July 2018
⁴ https://www.facebook.com/business/help/298717656925097
⁵ Cars.com internal testing Dec. 1, 2017, through Feb. 28, 2018: 27 percent represents average leads driven per dealer across the Cars.com network versus number of leads produced from Conversations Starter for Social per dealer in test markets during the same time period.
ABOUT CARS.COM
Cars.com™ is a leading two-sided digital automotive marketplace that creates meaningful connections between buyers and sellers. Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, the company empowers consumers with resources and information to make informed buying decisions and enables advertising partners with innovative digital solutions and data-driven intelligence to increase inventory turn and gain market share. A pioneer in online automotive classifieds, the company has evolved into one of the largest digital automotive platforms, connecting thousands of local dealers across the country with millions of consumers. In 2018, Cars.com acquired Dealer Inspire®, a company that builds technology that helps future-proof dealerships for changing consumer behaviors and makes the car buying process faster and easier.
Cars.com properties include DealerRater®, Dealer Inspire®, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com® and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.
SOURCE Cars.com, Inc.
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DrivingSales
RedCap Partners With Lyft
WESTLAKE, Texas-- (BUSINESS WIRE) – July 11, 2018— RedCap Technologies, LLC (“RedCap”), a Solera Holdings, Inc. (“Solera”) company, and innovators of frictionless customer experiences that enable OEMs and dealers to provide simple, easy and convenient means for consumers to service their vehicle, has partnered with Lyft, the fastest growing rideshare company in the US, to expand its dealership-wide mobility platform.
The new offering leverages RedCap’s existing mobility platform and taps into Lyft’s Concierge API platform to deliver a smooth and convenient experience for both dealers and customers. Through this partnership, dealers can request Lyft rides for customers who are not able to get a loaner vehicle while their vehicle is being serviced, meaning customers no longer have to sit in a waiting room or wait for a shuttle van to return to their home or office. Participating customers do not pay for the ride and do not need the Lyft app to get a ride from the dealership.
This integration continues the reinvention of customer experience and enables a seamless future for customers interacting with traditional automotive dealerships.
While convenience remains a top priority for customers in the automotive space, dealers are looking to retain a greater percentage of repair business by proactively offering services, like picking up and delivering cars for service, to effectively repair vehicles without customers having to ever leave their home or office. For customers who prefer to visit their dealership for repair, the Lyft integration allows them to minimize the amount of time spent waiting if repairs take longer than estimated, which they often do. Additionally, the experience is white labeled for the dealer, allowing their brand to align with a quick and positive customer experience.
“Time is a person’s most valuable commodity, keeping this in mind, we’ve got to deliver solutions that keep convenience as the top priority,” says David Zwick, Managing Director of RedCap. “Creating a seamless experience is a major focus for OEM’s and dealers. If we don't develop these types of convenient solutions, customers will vote with their wallet and take their business elsewhere.”
Offering this type of ideal repair experience helps dealers cater to the immediate delivery and customer service expectations of today.
“Technology has changed expectations, so we’ve changed our approach to meet and hopefully exceed those expectations,.” sSays Zwick.
“We’re excited to partner with RedCap to expand alternative transportation options for dealerships and improve the user experience,,” said Ben Sternsmith, Area Vice President of Lyft Business. “By leveraging the platform, dealerships are able to minimize wait times and friction for customers, while simultaneously improving efficiencies for their business.”
About RedCap
RedCap is a category creator of automotive retailer mobility and logistics. RedCap's platform allows OEMs and dealers to provide rich experiences to their service and sales customers and greatly improve a dealership’s overall vehicle and customer logistics operations. RedCap is a nationwide provider with tiered solutions servicing all brands. Customers, dealers and OEMs can use RedCap’s easy to use white labeled, DMS integrated software or interface with existing applications using the RedCap API.
About Solera
Founded and continuously led by inventor and entrepreneur Tony Aquila, Solera is a global leader in digital technologies that connect and secure life's most important assets: our cars, trucks, homes and identities. Today, Solera processes over 300 million digital transactions annually for approximately 235,000 partners and customers in nearly 90 countries. For more information, please visit solera.com.
About Lyft
Lyft was founded in June 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. Lyft is the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S. and is available to 95 percent of the US population as well as in Ontario, Canada. Lyft is preferred by drivers and passengers for its safe and friendly experience, and its commitment to effecting positive change for the future of our cities.
About Lyft Business
Lyft Business offers travel, commute, event, and courtesy ride solutions that provide customers with the tools they need to reduce cost, save time, and streamline their transportation programs. We partner with thousands of organizations to create unique solutions to move their people, from employees and customers to patients and students. To learn more about Lyft Business, visit: https://www.lyft.com/business
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RedCap Media Contact
Sarah Lofdahl
BizCom Associates
Lyft Media Contact
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