The vehicle display page (VDP) is often the last page a customer sees before contacting a dealer. By the time they’ve arrived there, they’ve likely done their research and narrowed their focus down to one or two vehicles. This page can be the difference between a lead and a missed opportunity.

There are three major elements that influence customers at this stage: price, vehicle images, and vehicle description. It’s easy enough to meet the first two customer wants — provide a competitive price with quality pictures and videos. The latter isn’t as clear. Instead of using the VDP to grab the customer’s attention, it’s usually a wall of SEO text, a few dealer slogans or omitted in favor of a long spec list. Instead of exciting the customer, it confuses and overwhelms them. But the VDP shouldn’t be such an afterthought. Sixty-three percent of online shoppers said the product description was a major influencer in their purchase decision. The description should validate the customer’s decision by connecting with their wants, but how do you do that?

Science of course.

As it turns out, most dealers don’t have the time or resources to conduct a study on which descriptions resonate with customers. But,don't worry — CDK Global has already done the legwork. If you haven’t heard, we’ve created a tool to identify the language that converts customers. We previously used this tool to find the language of email lead closers. This time we applied it to customer vehicle reviews. CDK partnered with a third-party vehicle retail site to find the reviews that were most likely to convert customers (meaning a user read the review and immediately went to a dealer site as a result). We then put those reviews through our natural language processing tool to find the terms they had in common. Using this method, we were able to find words that seem to resonate most with sedan, mid-size sedan and SUV shoppers.

Here’s what we found. 

Sedan Shoppers Like Simplicity

Sedan shoppers seem relatively easy to please. They want a car that’s good at passing others on the road. They want to be comfortable. The car should both handle well in harsh climates and have good climate control. Finally, they want their friends’ input during the shopping process and their approval after purchase.

Mid-size Sedan Shoppers Like Luxury

Mid-size sedan shoppers seem to have more refined tastes than shoppers of other vehicle types. They want a vehicle that impresses them with luxury-like features and style. In keeping with a higher-end experience, the vehicle should provide a quiet ride and get up to speed quickly on the freeway.

SUVs Are All About Family

Unsurprisingly, SUV shoppers are all about more space. They need room for the whole family and anything they might bring with them. Space in the back shouldn’t mean sacrificing leg room in the front. Row options also proved important, whether it was third-row seating or an adjustable second row.

The vehicle description is all about getting customers to imagine themselves in the car. Obviously the words can’t function alone, but with a bit of context, they can paint a persuasive picture for a shopper. Next time you write a sedan description, explain how the “powerful engine coupled with the side blind spot alert makes passing a breeze” or that the “smooth quiet ride” offered by your mid-size sedan “provides a luxury-like experience” or how your SUV’s “adjustable rows mean plenty of room for the whole family.” Descriptions like this will resonate with customers far more than a list of features. It can be that final little push that gets the customer to submit that lead, making your VDP the real MVP.

Check out the webpage to learn more about the Language of Closers.