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2023 GoTrader Best Priced Dealer Award Winners Announced

Sabrina Arruda — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:21:52 +0000

Recognizing Canadian Automotive Dealerships Advertising on gotrader.ca for Their Commitment to Fair and Transparent Pricing

TORONTO, ON – April 27, 2023 — gotrader.ca, Canada’s largest and most trusted automotive marketplace, today announced its fourth annual GoTrader Best Priced Dealer Award winners. The awards honour the country’s top dealerships for their commitment to consistently providing transparent pricing and great value for Canadian car shoppers on gotrader.ca.

Award winners are determined by the gotrader.ca iQ Inventory algorithm, which analyzes real-time pricing data of over 214,000 cars on the marketplace, identifying dealerships with the highest percentage of “Good” or “Great” price badges applied to their inventory listings during a specific time period. This exclusive award is being awarded to over 280 car dealerships nationwide.

“Our GoTrader Best Priced Dealer Awards shine a light on dealerships across the country that are committed to offering the best deals to Canadian car shoppers,” said Ian MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer at gotrader.ca. “Now in its fourth year, our unique dealer award program recognizes Canadian car dealerships who do their utmost to fully align to our brand pillar of instilling trust and confidence in Canadian consumers shopping for their next car on gotrader.ca.”

Award winners will receive physical and digital assets to display proudly in their dealership, marketing and promotional efforts, along with a badge applied to their Vehicle Details Pages (VDPs) to amplify their recognition as a 2023 gotrader.ca Best Priced Dealer.

AutoTrader’s mission is to evoke instant consumer confidence in dealerships offering the best prices and to support Canadians with price guidance during their purchase journey. The dealer awards program marks one of the many initiatives aimed to reinforce the trusted purchase environment available to Canadian car shoppers on gotrader.ca.

Visit go.trader.ca/DealerAwards to see the full list of award winners and for more information on the dealer awards program.

About gotrader.ca
GoTrader is the largest and most trusted automotive marketplace in Canada. Offering the largest inventory of new and used cars, GoTrader boasts thousands of used and new vehicle available to Canadians across the country. GoTrader receives over 26 million monthly visits to the marketplace and the top-rated GoTrader app has been downloaded by more than 7 million Canadians. Visitors can buy or sell cars, trucks or other motorized vehicles quickly, easily, and confidently. Buyers can search based on vehicle model, make, colour and geographic location to find the deal that is right for them. GoTrader is also an online destination for automotive research and entertainment, featuring news, reviews, videos, and podcasts from award-winning automotive journalists. Follow GoTrader on LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook.

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Media Inquiries:

Hannah Choat
Labour Creative
E: hannah.choat [at] labourcreative.ca
T: 416.889.3743

The post 2023 GoTrader Best Priced Dealer Award Winners Announced appeared first on gotrader.ca.

2023 GoTrader Awards: Winners Revealed for Canada’s Most Trusted Automotive Awards Program

Sabrina Arruda — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:22:36 +0000

The GoTrader Awards celebrate automotive excellence and recognize the best vehicles in over 30 segments, instilling trust and confidence in Canadian car shoppers

TORONTO, ON – February 16, 2023 — Winners for the 2023 GoTrader Awards have been announced today, revealing the best vehicles in Canada according to some of the country’s foremost automotive experts.

“As Canada’s leading and most trusted automotive marketplace, the GoTrader Awards are yet another way we empower Canadians in their car buying journey,” says Jodi Lai, AutoTrader’s Editor-in-Chief. “These winners represent vehicles that go above and beyond to raise the bar so Canadians can feel more confident the next time they’re buying a car.”

The GoTrader Awards are considered the most trusted automotive awards in Canada, based on findings from 2022 Ipsos research conducted with car owners nationwide.^* The study found that fifty-two per cent of vehicle owners in Canada say they would trust the GoTrader Awards, which was the highest percentage when compared to other automotive awards programs.*

A total of 31 category winners were named in AutoTrader’s most robust awards season yet. Some of the most prominent categories are Best Overall Car, SUV, and Truck, with the Genesis G80/Electrified G80, Subaru Outback, and Ford Maverick respectively winning across each of these segments. The Ford F-150 Lightning was recognized as Best Overall Green Car. Toyota earned the honour of being named Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand for 2023, according to a survey of Canadian consumers.^**

The expert jury of more than 20 automotive journalists from across the country vote on the best vehicles in each segment that they feel confident recommending to their own family and friends. When voting, the judges consider a dozen different criteria, including value, innovation, safety, driver satisfaction, and overall excellence. Every vehicle that’s available for Canadians to purchase is eligible for an award, but each winner offers something special that takes it to the next level.

“We are thrilled to announce the most prestigious and comprehensive automotive vehicle awards in Canada for the fifth consecutive year,” says Ian MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer at TRADER. “It has always been our mission to help Canadian car buyers, from coast-to-cost, shop with confidence using gotrader.ca. With consumers recognizing our GoTrader Awards program as the most trusted awards, this validates that we are helping car shoppers make the most informed purchase decisions, while offering support to our dealer partners and OEMs that sell these award-winning vehicles.”

The GoTrader Awards also outrank other automotive award programs in terms of influencing vehicle purchase consideration. Fifty-nine per cent of vehicle owners say they would be more likely to consider purchasing a vehicle that was awarded best-in-class by AutoTrader,^* which bolsters the confidence and trust consumers have in OEMs and dealerships who carry vehicles recognized across each of the categories.

2023 GoTrader Award Winners:

Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand: Toyota

Best Overall Car: Genesis G80 / Electrified G80

Best Overall SUV: Subaru Outback

Best Overall Truck: Ford Maverick

Best Overall Green Car: Ford F-150 Lightning

Best Subcompact Car: Chevrolet Bolt EV

Best Compact Car: Honda Civic / Civic Hatchback

Best Family Sedan: Honda Accord

Best Wagon: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

Best Compact Luxury Car: BMW i4

Best Large Luxury Car: Genesis G80 / Electrified G80

Best Mainstream Performance Car: Honda Civic Type R

Best Premium Performance Car: Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing

Best Subcompact SUV: Subaru Crosstrek

Best Compact SUV: Subaru Outback

Best Mid-Size SUV: Kia Telluride

Best Full-Size SUV: Jeep Wagoneer / Wagoneer L

Best Subcompact Luxury SUV: Genesis GV60

Best Compact Luxury SUV: Genesis GV70

Best Mid-Size Luxury SUV: Genesis GV80

Best Full-Size Luxury SUV: Cadillac Escalade

Best Minivan: Toyota Sienna

Best Compact / Mid-Size Truck: Ford Maverick

Best Full-Size Truck: Ford F-150

Best Mainstream EV: Hyundai Ioniq 5

Best Premium EV: Ford F-150 Lightning

Best Hybrid: Ford Maverick

Best PHEV: Toyota RAV4 Prime

Best New Tech Innovation: Ford OnBoard Scales with Smart Hitch

Best New Safety Innovation: GM Super Cruise/Ultra Cruise with Trailering

Best Vehicle for Adventure: Jeep Wrangler / Jeep Gladiator

OEMs and dealerships with vehicles recognized as an GoTrader Awards category winner can promote these offerings to further showcase their credibility and build car shopper confidence. Dealerships representing vehicles recognized in any of the categories can obtain digital assets to proudly display on their dealership website, within their social media presence, and more.

For dealerships who desire to promote their wins through digital assets and activations, please contact autotraderawards@trader.ca. Manufacturer inquiries and requests should be directed to karl.bonar@trader.ca.

To learn more about the 2023 GoTrader Awards winners and the judging process, please visit: gotrader.ca/Awards

About TRADER Corporation
TRADER Corporation is a trusted Canadian leader in online media and dealer services. The company is comprised of gotrader.ca, AutoSync and DealerTrack. gotrader.ca offers the largest inventory of new cars and used cars in Canada, receiving over 25 million average monthly visits to the marketplace and more than 6 million mobile app downloads. With over 2,500 subscribers and counting, AutoSync is the largest and fastest growing dealer and OEM software provider in Canada. The platform’s suite of connected automotive software solutions brings advertising, conversion and operational support together, synchronizing the entire retail process. AutoSync’s diverse set of products includes: vAuto, Motoinsight, Activix CRM, TAdvantage and TRFFK.

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Media Inquiries:

Hannah Choat
Labour Creative
E: hannah.choat [at] labourcreative.ca
T: 416.889.3743

* Most trusted awards program according to a 2022 Ipsos Research Automotive Awards Study. The findings of a study conducted between August 17-23, 2022, with a representative national sample of 1,000 Canadian vehicle owners (18+). The percentage referenced excludes respondents who selected “I don’t know”.

** The findings of a study conducted by GoTrader from November 16 to 25, 2022, with a representative national sample of 3,023 Canadian adults (18+) who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 1.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The post 2023 GoTrader Awards: Winners Revealed for Canada’s Most Trusted Automotive Awards Program appeared first on gotrader.ca.

How to Capture Engaging Vehicle Photos That Help Convert Browsers to Buyers

Sabrina Arruda — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 20:11:39 +0000

A picture is worth a thousand words – particularly when you’re using the strategy as an interest and engagement driver to aid with the sale of a vehicle. A vital aspect of well merchandised inventory is quality photos, more specifically, top-notch photography that creates a good first impression with car shoppers engaging with your inventory listings.

When photos of your inventory illustrate every aspect that a consumer would inspect and evaluate during a dealership visit, you are effectively engaging in a pre-sale of the vehicle. Remarkable photos can help speed up the process, as the sheer quality and quantity of the visuals contained within your Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) have already primed prospective buyers with a complete rundown of the vehicle’s appearance, condition, and features, enabling them to go straight to the test drive. Research shows that 75% of consumers find multiple shots of the exterior and interior to be useful when they’re viewing a vehicle¹. Additionally, dealers who equip their inventory listings with 11 or more photos see significant increases to both VDP views and leads per ad, compared to inventory listings with 10 or less photos². As such, we recommend at least 11 photos but for even stronger performance up to 30 photos for each piece of inventory to ensure you’re ticking the box for effective merchandising and giving consumers every angle they need.

Shooting compelling photographs requires expertise, experience, and strong attention to detail. Whether capturing with a phone or a camera, follow the below guidelines to achieve the best results – and before you begin, be sure to clean your camera lens!

Step 1: Recondition & Stage Your Vehicle

Curb appeal matters for car shoppers. The appropriate time investment to thoroughly recondition every vehicle ahead of a photoshoot is a necessary precondition. Ensure you have removed all personal items from the vehicle, covering storage compartments, footwells and seats. Give the seating, carpets, dashboard, centre console, steering wheel, door cards, driver controls, window glass and the trunk or pick-up bed sufficient attention. This should be accompanied by an extensive exterior cleaning, ensuring the entire vehicle is washed from front to back and top to bottom, covering all panels, wheels, tires, door, hood, and trunk jambs, and degreasing of the engine bay. What you’re aiming to achieve is as close to new of an appearance as possible – a vehicle you would be proud to display in your showroom.
Park the vehicle against an uncluttered backdrop, preferably in front of dealership signage or your store’s facade. Using the same backdrop for all vehicles, and positioning them the same way, provides consistency across all of your listings. Make sure to remove any items in the background, such as garbage bins or delivery vehicles, that could cause visual noise.
Straighten the steering wheel and set the screen to navigation, (if equipped), to a home screen or a radio station.

Step 2: Capturing the Exterior

Avoid standing too close to the vehicle, as this approach can result in introducing distortion to the photograph. Rather, stand well back and use the zoom feature on your phone or camera, more specifically, the optical zoom, (avoid digital zoom to make certain your photos are of the highest possible quality, when the camera allows for it).
Your photo set for each vehicle should include three-quarter shots from all four corners; straight-on from the front and rear; complete driver and passenger side view; a front wheel; and on a pick-up truck, the bed with the tailgate down, as well as the rear bumper and trailer hitch.

Logo overlays, automatically layered into photos at time of upload to your 1-SOURCE Inventory Management Console, (available with gotrader.ca Used Vehicle Listings – Complete and Superior packages), occupy the upper or lower one fifth of the frame. Consider the framing of the vehicle to provide sufficient blank space ensuring the logo won’t cover or obstruct any aspect captured across each individual photograph.

Having the sun behind you will limit the amount of glare in photos, however, make sure your shadow isn’t visible in photos. If necessary, stand farther back and make use of the optical zoom feature. If you can’t avoid glare from the sun, use your hand to provide sufficient shade to the camera lens.
The recommended aperture when using a camera is around F8 to keep the vehicle in focus. Avoid apertures larger than F6, particularly when zooming in at focal lengths longer than 100mm, to avoid any possibility of the vehicle being out of focus.

Capture the vehicle from midway height, behind slightly at the knees. Don’t tower over the car and avoid shooting from a low stance. Both approaches will result in an odd and unnatural looking visual.
If photographing on a phone, enable the gridline feature to ensure photos are straight and centered in the fame, both vertically and horizontally.

Step 3: Quality Interior Shots

When possible, capture the interior of every vehicle in a lightly shaded area to avoid sun glare, even if you must move the car.
Positioning yourself in the middle of the backseat, photograph the entire dash and steering wheel at a focal length of 18mm or wider.
While standing outside of the vehicle, open the front and rear doors to their maximal extent, and capture the first- and second-row seats straight on. Be sure to include some of the doorframe to demonstrate ease of entry and exit. Consider lowering the driver and passenger side window glass to shoot the front seats directly through the window frame.
For a three-row vehicle, move the second-row seats forward to their entry position and photograph the rear seats, visually demonstrating the entry space.
When shooting the instrument cluster, close all doors and hatch to avoid warning messages. Ensure the odometer reading is displayed within the cluster. Avoid displaying the fuel consumption read-out on a configurable instrument cluster, which may erroneously show an elevated figure if the vehicle was recently fuelled and only driven a short distance.
Take isolated shots of the climate controls, centre console, centre screen, steering wheel, steering wheel controls, and, if applicable, all-wheel or four-wheel-drive controls.
Take shots of special features you intend to promote, such as seat stitching, controls for heated or ventilated seats, power-folding rear seats, controls for safety as well as driver safety assist technologies, and more.

When in Doubt, Put Your Trust in Professionals

To assure yourself of first-class photographs, that accurately represent the quality of your inventory, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Capture Services team at AutoTrader. This first-rate service delivers a professional photographer directly to your dealership threshold to capture your used and new vehicles, ensuring you showcase your vehicles in the best possible light to car shoppers. Our professional and knowledgeable Capture Services staff will support all of your photography needs, including post processing of every visual using industry leading photo editing software, ensuring every angle and feature is showcased to draw the attention of car shoppers, and, most certainly, convert browsers to buyers.

Happy shooting!

Source: (1) gotrader.ca Vehicle Purchase Behaviour Research, December 2021 (n=496). (2) gotrader.ca Data Warehouse, January – July 2022.

The post How to Capture Engaging Vehicle Photos That Help Convert Browsers to Buyers appeared first on gotrader.ca.