Good Imagery can help you Sell Cars Faster. We are undoubtedly experiencing a seismic shift in the way used cars are bought and sold. The ability to shop from anywhere, at any time, has seen consumer buying habits in many sectors shift online over the last two decades but the automotive sector has historically lagged behind.
UK car shoppers are moving online
That’s now changing. Google data shows that 90% of all UK car shoppers research their next purchase online, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, 8 out of 10 people say they would also consider completing the purchase of their next car online, up from 7 out of 10 pre-COVID. With around 4 million used car transactions a year, that’s a potential 400 thousand cars that might now transact online. The same survey showed that 19% of car shoppers would buy a vehicle sooner if there was an online option available to them.
Consumers who were perhaps wedded to buying big-ticket items face-to-face have become empowered by the wealth of online transactions completed over recent months and are beginning to gain the confidence to test out the automotive digital experience. As such, many dealers are busy replicating their physical forecourt in the digital domain.
High-quality and immersive imagery can help usher in that transition. In the online space, the consumer cannot physically see the vehicles so it’s important for them to be able to view a car as if they were in the showroom. Interactive imagery allows users to discover cars with ease, and the more intuitive and mobile-friendly these elements are, the easier it becomes to sell cars online.
Trust and transparency are key
Consumers don’t want a sub-standard experience online, particularly with a big-ticket item like a car. In fact, 63% say that the pictures used to showcase a product are more important than their description. All this means that with the purchase of a car it’s vital that the quality of the image reflects the quality of the item on offer.
Ultimately for a dealer to succeed in the online space they need to build a level of trust between them and the consumer. Add transparency to the process and immediately it becomes easier to build that trust. Consumers will appreciate imagery that shows the dealer isn’t hiding anything as ultimately any faults or damage on the vehicle that isn’t highlighted will quickly become apparent once the car is in their hands. This exposes the dealer to potential complaints down the line and can impact their reputation.
In physical showrooms, dealers pride themselves on their reputation, but in the digital domain, they need to build that reputation again amongst a new pool of potential buyers. If any doubt about the quality of the product creeps into the consumer’s mind, then suddenly there is unnecessary friction in getting the deal done. Add transparency to the process with clear and high-quality imagery, coupled with good descriptions, and that friction evaporates.
Professional imagery doesn’t need to be hard to achieve
Modix 360° allows a dealer to create a 360° view of a car in minutes – and the process couldn’t be simpler. The Modix 360° app walks the dealer through how to take professional standard 360˚ interactive images in simple steps.
Once uploaded, the consumer can spin the car, zoom in on any section and interact with hotspots to highlight specific interior or exterior features. This provides a degree of high-quality immersion that a standard image slideshow cannot replicate.
When integrated into a dealer’s website, it’s proven to increase the time spent on vehicle web pages by up to 56%, the intent to buy by up to 42%, and reduce the number of days the vehicles remain in stock. For dealers who want to build a sophisticated online showroom, interactive imagery like this is one of the most effective ways they can attract buyers.
The saying goes that a picture is worth 1,000 words, and this certainly rings true in the case of online car buying. Good Imagery can help you Sell Cars Faster.
