Auto Trader is adding fully customisable ‘store fronts’ to dealers’ listings to build customer trust.
Launching next month, ‘Retailer Stores’ is a new digital forecourt experience designed to build trust and confidence in a brand which, according to an Auto Trader survey, nine out of 10 buyers feel is essential when choosing their next car.
Auto Trader says Retailer Stores will enable dealers to ‘significantly enhance’ their digital profile by creating their own dedicated brand destination on the platform.
Dealers will be able to prominently display specific details about their business, including available stock, reviews, Covid-19 safety features and online retail services such as click-and-collect/deliver. Dealers will also have the facility to upload images and video content. along with rich imagery and video content.
Dealers who have been awarded prestigious industry gongs such as Car Dealer’s Used Car Award and Auto Trader’s own Retailer Awards will also be able to promote these, with Auto Trader Retail award logos being uploaded automatically, and logos such as the Car Dealer Used Car Awards available for manual upload.
From the spring, industry accreditation, including manufacturer approved schemes and other approved associations, will also be added.
Auto Trader says the Retailer Stores will boast ‘strong SEO equity’, meaning customers looking for retailers on search engines will see the respective digital forecourts at the top of their search results.
This new fully customisable digital forecourt experience will help retailers stand out from their competitors, and ultimately help turn searches into sales
The roll-out comes after Auto Trader carried out consumer research on buying habits, as well as testing by Auto Trader’s retailer partners.
Auto Trader’s director of commercial products, Karolina Edwards-Smajda, said: ‘We designed and created this new functionality in response to requests from our retailer partners who wanted help in driving engagement in their brand and stock. We know car buyers shop car first, with 99 per cent starting their search not knowing which retailer they want to buy from.
‘This new fully customisable digital forecourt experience will help retailers stand out from their competitors, and ultimately help turn searches into sales by enabling them to attract, engage and convert buyers from amongst the millions of consumers who visit our marketplace every day.’
Upon going live in February, Auto Trader will automatically populate some key details, including the business name, logo, contact options, and reviews, as well as advertised and un-advertised stock.
However, utilising simple self-serve features in their Auto Trader Portal accounts, dealers can easily add further information to create their own personalised storefront, including an ‘about us’ profile, YouTube videos and imagery, opening hours, key business highlights, ‘why buy from us’ details, customised featured stock, available services and facilities, as well as highlighting their latest five-star reviews.
Dealers have been given early access to a new area in their Portal accounts where they can customise their individual stores in preparation for Retailer Stores going live in late February 2021.
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