CarStory Launches VDP Deep Linking: Delivers Low Funnel Traffic and High Engagement to VDPs During “Moment of Search”

The CarStory Advertising Network offers faster and more effective Vehicle Details Page deep linking from CarStory’s extensive and highly trafficked network of automotive marketplaces

Austin, Texas – August 9, 2016 – Dealerships can now attract low-funnel, high-converting consumers from the highly trafficked CarStory Advertising Network via deep links directly into their websites’ Vehicle Details Pages (VDPs), CarStory announced today. The new offering also includes CarStory’s popular and comprehensive inline Market Reports, full of unique information that further engages consumers on their VDPs. Powered by over 30 used-car marketplaces, including Car and Driver, AOL Autoblog and J.D. Power, the CarStory Advertising Network boasts over 10 million unique search sessions monthly.

Deep linking to a dealer’s VDP is the most effective way of getting car shoppers to the exact vehicle they are viewing on a 3rd party marketplace – and offers the best opportunity for conversion because the shoppers are in prime time active research and decision making mode. VDP views have also been proven to be one of the best metrics for moving cars quickly and a recent study showed that VDPs with 20-30 page views spend 29% less time on the lot.

Compared to other VDP deep-linking programs, most of which rely on display advertising or SEM, the CarStory Advertising Network deep links from listings featured on automotive marketplace sites teeming with “in-market” consumers – and it is much faster:  car shoppers are transferred to dealership VDPs in just 200 milliseconds, approximately 25 times faster than other solutions. And, because the dealer’s VDPs are equipped with CarStory Market Reports, bounce rates are lower and engagement is measurably deeper: VDPs featuring CarStory’s free Market Reports have a 16% reduction in bounce rates and a 14% average increase in lead conversions.

“We have significantly advanced VDP deep linking by anchoring it to the ‘moment of search’ and sending car shoppers from our high traffic network to VDPs featuring CarStory Market Reports,” said Chad Bockius, Chief Marketing Officer of CarStory. “CarStory delivers a complete VDP solution: dealers cut out costly third parties along the shopping journey and get speedier access to deep funnel, in-market shoppers; while shoppers arrive on information-rich VDPs, increasing the likelihood of conversion.”

“CarStory Market Reports help turn our website visitors into car buyers – in addition to the amazing increase in lead conversion, our overall VDP bounce rate has gone down by 16%, while time spent on the page has increased by 10%,” said Ryan Montville, Webmaster, of Checkered Flag Auto Group.

CarStory Market Reports, adopted by over 6,000 dealerships nationwide, analyze tens of millions of pieces of customer vehicle preference data to provide consumers with inline ‘instant access’ information, including unique pricing and vehicle data, such as the number of owners the vehicle has had, if it has low mileage relative to others on the market, whether or not it is likely to sell quickly, as well as the features and packages that people find most interesting and valuable. This robust information keeps consumers engaged and eliminates the need for additional research that could take the shopper away from the dealer’s website. CarStory delivers 15,000,000 Market Reports each month to consumers around the country and they have been adopted by 50% of the top 10 dealer groups.

###

About CarStory

CarStory is a service that matches used car shoppers with the right car. Using patented technology and an industry-leading dataset, CarStory facilitates an efficient, effective discovery process resulting in a confident purchase decision. With a network of over 6,000 participating dealerships nationwide, CarStory’s available inventory and user-data is the largest, and most accurate in the industry. Discover your new used car and drive happily ever after at: www.carstory.com.

About Vast 

Vast is a big data-as-service platform that provides consumer experiences —powered by data and analytics — for big purchases in automotive and real estate. Founded in 2005, Vast is the premier provider of big data solutions for many of the Global 1000’s largest automotive and real estate businesses. Learn more at Vast.com.

Media Relations: 

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, 949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com 

Cassandra Cavanah, mWEBB Communications 818) 379-4630, cassandra@mwebbcom.com