Vehicle Videography

Vehicle videos provide consumers with a “virtual walkaround” of a vehicle and actively bridge the gap between the online shopping experience and the in-person dealership visit. gotrader.ca car shopper research demonstrates that 42% of car shoppers find walkaround videos of the interior and exterior of a vehicle to be helpful in their car buying journey, proving to be a worthwhile investment to support consumers.² Additionally, videos of vehicles on your lot help you achieve cohesive, high-quality merchandising by demonstrating your dealership’s commitment to providing a first-class experience, which can positively impact consumer trust as well as interest.

According to an analysis of consumer activity and engagement on gotrader.ca, inventory listings that contain video show a 22% increase in lead volume.³ If you’re advertising on gotrader.ca it’s easy to generate inventory videos through the Stitch Video and Custom Video features. With Custom Video, you can import your own YouTube videos directly to your inventory listings in a few easy steps.

Your inventory video strategy will only work for you if you curate quality content. Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating videos:

Dealership Videography

A video that details your dealership is arguably just as important as those that feature your inventory. Dealership videos help promote your store, differentiate it from your competitors, and have the potential to build confidence, trust and elevate your brand perception with car shoppers.

The best dealership videos convey your brand’s message and provide an insider’s view of your operations, giving your prospective customers a view of the experience they’ll have doing business with you. It’s a happy medium between showing and telling car shoppers why they should buy their next vehicle from your dealership. Our Dealership Video feature provides your store with the opportunity to showcase a videos on all your Vehicle Detail Pages (VDPs), enabling you to tell your story to car shoppers engaging your inventory listings.

Here are some dealership video guidelines to effectively curate a video that can increase customer trust and confidence:

When In Doubt, Leave It to the Experts

AutoTrader’s Capture Services offers a first-class approach to capturing your vehicles and your dealership, complete with aerial view of your store’s exterior, inventory on your lot, and a variety of possible indoor footage. Our team consists of highly trained and experienced professionals utilizing state-of-the-art equipment to ensure your brand shines through the lens, providing you with quality video content you can be proud of.

Key Takeaways

• Car shoppers find video walkarounds featuring the interior and exterior of a vehicle to be helpful in their car-buying journey.
• Inventory listings with video content on gotrader.ca positively impact lead volume, showing a 22% lift.³
• Videos are effective in garnering the attention of car shoppers and are more engaging as compared to static visuals, as they help consumers see themselves in the vehicle.
• Dealership videos are great to convey your brand’s message and provide an insider’s view of your operation, which can increase customer trust and confidence.
• Leverage Stitch Video, Custom Video and Dealership Video across your gotrader.ca Vehicle Detail Pages (VDPs) to create top notch car shopper experience for your dealership and inventory.

Sources: (1) DIG Insights Vehicle Path to Purchase Research Study, August 2022 (n=1369). (2) gotrader.ca Merchandising Research Study, November – December 2021 (n=496). (3) GoTrader Data Warehouse, October 2022 (n=6,000)

Online automotive marketplaces are the portal to your physical showroom

The study uncovered that when car shoppers are in search of information, online automotive marketplaces continue to be one of the top online source across both used (78%) and new (45%) shoppers. When we consider factors that ultimately influence the purchase, 80% of used car shoppers and 60% of new car buyers find automotive marketplaces to be influential on their final decision. Maintaining a prominent, strong and always-on presence as well as optimizing your inventory listings to attract car shoppers at crucial points along their car buying journey remains a key ingredient of success.

Toggling from online to showroom and back is commonplace

Both new and used car buyers visit and engage with inventory listings hosted across online automotive marketplaces multiple times throughout their purchase journey. The study found that 78% of used car buyers visited an online automotive marketplace an average of 15 times before arriving at their final purchase decision, while 45% of new buyers visited an average of 9.4 times before taking the leap. Most consumers spend over an hour on online marketplaces each time they visit, comparing features and prices, looking for the best deals, and reading reviews.

Automotive marketplaces also play a significant role in driving awareness of a particular offering within a model range. Approximately 1-in-5 car shoppers first became aware of the model they purchased through this online source. Consumers continue to use online automotive marketplaces to engage in deeper research after their initial contact with the dealership and even following the dealership visit. Today’s purchase journey is everything but linear, thus, ensuring your inventory is placing on automotive marketplaces is that much more important to drive visibility, engagement and impact across all stages of the funnel.

The increased usage of the internet has resulted in a series of pivots in the car buying journey. What’s more, the pandemic resulted in lasting shifts to the automotive landscape, forcing the hand of dealer operators to align, adapt and alter their strategies on a dime. What’s remained a mainstay with car shoppers is the dependence on and the trust they place in online automotive marketplaces – taking advantage of the power of this most commonly used resources throughout every stage of the car buying journey ensures that your offerings are front and centre with car shoppers near and far.

Key Takeaways

• Online automotive marketplaces are a key touch point in the purchase process; car shoppers visit marketplaces multiple times throughout their journey, even after the dealership visit.
• The purchase journey is not linear; online automotive marketplaces play a part in all stages – ensure your inventory is exposed online, as this is fundamental for awareness and reach.
• Online automotive marketplaces are the primary resource used across used and new car shoppers.
• Both used and new car shoppers find online automotive marketplaces influential on their final purchase decision; maintaining a strong presence and ensuring inventory is well merchandised is vital to attracting shoppers at critical points in their journey.

Source: DIG Insights Vehicle Path to Purchase Research Study August 2022, n=1369.

From the time the consumer embarks into the research stage of a vehicle to the point they finalize the purchase, this study found that majority complete their car buying journey within 3 months. The purchase duration tends to be shorter for used vehicle buyers, with 33% spending less than 1 month while only 23% of new car buyers indicated spending less than 1 month to complete their purchase journey.

By considering how car buyers manage their vehicle path to purchase, you can prioritize your dealership’s awareness and educational campaign efforts aligned to the inventory you have in stock. More specifically, examining the impact of channels leveraged to educate consumers on a specific vehicle make and model, social media is identified as a key platform. Second to social media are automotive marketplaces, which is where consumers conduct the bulk of their research, thus the channel plays a vital role in influencing purchase decisions.

As we’ve seen time and time again, price is the top criteria considered by buyers of both used (77%) and new vehicles (65%). Other areas of consideration are the brand, specifically brand reputation, fuel economy and availability. For used buyers specifically, 59% say that mileage plays a role in their selection and 37% consider vehicle history. Used buyers tend to be more inclined to have the price drive their decision while new car buyers show more interest in the feature-based specifications of a vehicle to help make their decision. This comes as no surprise since they can customize their features when purchasing a new car. If you’re of the mindset that there’s an opportunity to improve your vehicle merchandising efforts to include these criteria, check out this article detailing best practices to consider.

Online marketplaces have remained the key touchpoint and resource – used by 78% of pre-owned vehicle buyers and 45% of new car buyers. Once they’ve browsed the inventory available on marketplaces, 80% of used buyers and 60% of new buyers find them to be influential on their final purchasing decision. Your listings must be punchy to grab a viewer’s attention, and then include detailed information to keep them engaged. Other vital online touchpoints include dealer websites and manufacturer websites, so it’s important to be visible and consistent across multiple platforms.

Buyers visit an online automotive marketplace multiple times in their purchase journey – on average, 15 times for used car buyers and 9.4 times for new. Consumers most routinely leverage online marketplaces to compare prices and features, monitor deals, and search for online reviews. The majority spend over an hour each time they frequent a marketplace, thus keeping them engaged and informed is vital. They continue to research vehicles through automotive marketplaces even after they’ve visited the dealership. Their path is not linear, making marketplaces that much more important across all stages of their purchase journey.

Car shoppers cite a variety of challenges in finding a good deal and negotiating a fair price. New car buyers are most concerned with the vehicle’s availability and price, while used car shoppers prioritize knowledge of the vehicle’s history and condition.

When you connect with your buyers, your prowess with servicing the prospective car buyer represents everything to consumers. Although some respondents were fine with “the best price but a lackluster customer experience”, the majority of new and used car buyers prefer “a fair price and an amazing customer experience”. You can improve your customer service efforts from several angles, such as speedy lead response time, educated staff to reply to consumer inquires and transparent pricing to help build consumer trust.

As we continue to research car buyer behaviours, we observe noticeable shifts combined with mainstays. Automotive marketplaces have continued to outrank other resources at each stage of the car buying journey, with price identified as a top decision factor for both used and new car shoppers. However, as we dive further into the research, there are differences in the desires and needs of used and new car buyers, thus the service and experience you provide must be precisely tailored to them. No matter where they are in their journey, paying attention to every step of a customer’s vehicle path to purchase is sure to pay dividends.

Key Takeaways

• Majority are purchasing vehicles within 3 months. Used car buyers tend to purchase within a month, while new buyers are spending more time, 2 to 3 months.
• Price is the top criteria used to make a vehicle selection; leverage your GoTrader iQ badges to understand if you are pricing according to market value.
• Price is also one of the most challenging aspects of the purchase process, with both new and used buyers concerned if they are getting a good deal; be transparent in your pricing to instill trust in buyers.
• Online automotive marketplaces are a key touchpoint, used multiple times throughout the purchase process, even after the dealership visit; ensuring your inventory is present and well merchandised is vital to success.
• A majority of buyers find the sources they use to research vehicles to be influential on their purchase.
• Superior customer service and a fair price is more important to buyers than having the best price but a lackluster experience; ensure your staff is equipped to provide the best possible service experience to every prospective customer.

Source: DIG Insights Vehicle Path to Purchase Research Study August 2022, n=1369.