Get your stock moving with Video

Selling cars isn’t easy, and the internet has made it challenging for dealers to distinguish themselves. From a buyer’s perspective, another dealership is just a click away. Dealers need a way to immediately capture the customer’s attention and differentiate themselves from their competition, online video is one of these ways.

No other marketing medium creates emotional attachment like video can. Whether you’re selling a house, car or a widget, video helps you merchandise at a whole new level.

In October, Trade Me Motors will be implementing a new video technology called AutoReel. This automatically creates a simple video presentation for participating dealers’ cars for sale on Trade Me Motors. AutoReel stitches together the photos of the vehicle, and adds an automated audio voice-over created from over 2,500 pre-recorded phrases. We think it is going to be a great way for dealers to stand out from the crowd.

The process is all automated, so the good news is that dealers don’t need to do any additional work to create the AutoReel presentations and have them bolted onto their Trade Me listings. Check out a Demo of this product here.

"Watching video content on computers has become just as common as watching video content on television among online consumers" 

Dazzz Wiltshire, Trade Me 

According to Nielsen’s global survey of multi-screen media usage, watching video content on computers has become just as common as watching video content on television among online consumers. More than 80 percent of Internet respondents in 56 countries reported watching video content at home on a computer (84%) or on TV (83%) at least once a month. By contrast, in 2010, more online consumers reported watching video content on TV (90%) than on a computer (86%) in a month-long period.

Back home in New Zealand, Nielsen also tells us that over 73% of Trade Me’s audience use YouTube, justifying that online video is just as popular here as well. As video consumption becomes part of everyday life, it should be no surprise that consumers prefer the use of video in product evaluation and selection, and that includes when shopping for a used car.

So why video, and what makes a product like AutoReel so special compared to a well-constructed static car listing?

Different - It sets you apart from other dealerships and means your listings will potentially appeal to a larger audience. Not all your visitors prefer to receive content using text alone, and AutoReel means they will now have the option to watch, listen and read at the same time.

Videos are "sticky" – AutoReel is a way to make information more interesting. Video engages visitors’ senses more than text, and is likely to attract more vehicle viewings encouraging visitors to look longer at your listings. This helps build long-term relationships with your visitors which can lead to more sales.

The use of video online is exploding – and if a picture speaks 1000 words, then video must be worth a million.  Can you afford not to be involved?

Please contact us here for more. 

Automation doesn’t beat the human touch

I’ve noticed a change is dealer listings lately. Part of my job is to look at listings day in day out, and here at AutoBase & Trade Me I think it’s safe to say we’re pretty versed in what makes a good listing. The proof is in the pudding – good listings get more views, and this information is available to us and all of our clients. Lately I’ve noticed a couple of trends on listings, and they seem to originate from listings being purely automated, with no human input.  

It’s not all about you

The first trend that dealers are cramming their listings full of information about their yard, with very little about the vehicle for sale. Some Vehicle Management Systems allow you to duplicate standard text about your dealership automatically to every listing. It is definitely great to include information about your yard, such as hours, deals, finance options etc – but it should be a balance so make sure you are also adding enough information about the vehicle for sale for potential buyers to search for, and find. People are looking for specific vehicles, and when you come across a listing for a vehicle you like the look off which has little or NO information about that vehicle – it puts you off and you move on to the next. It’s simply just annoying.  For example:

Private Sellers work the system

We know that listings with about half about the car and half about the yard work well. Last year we published an article about privates vs dealers. Privates Private sellers make up 70% of used automotive sales, dealers 30%.  As we see it, there are 3 main factors that distinguish private sellers from dealers that in reality, dealers should be up to play with. Time, Motivation and Emotion. Private sellers spend the time to put blood, sweat and tears into their listings with loads of information about the vehicle for sale. They only have 1 vehicle to sell so can put everything into it.  They will think of every single benefit and feature to mention in their listing to promote their vehicle. It sounds basic, but so many dealer listings lack much of the following information that privates do so well:

·         Selling points

·         Why are they selling

·         How does the car run

·         Prior maintenance

·         Mention modifications

·         Highlight good mileage

·         Highlight special features

Private sellers also tell a story about how great the vehicle has been, how well it runs, and how well they have looked after it. This is what potential buyers want and need to know. A listing with just “Black Ute, 4 wheel drive” in the comments is not going to motivate a potential buyer to contact that yard – there are plenty better listings available at the tip of their fingers to look at.

No info – no sale

People like to use classified sites such as Trade Me because it is easy to search for exactly what they want. My friends and I tend to plug in a keyword into one of the search bars, and go from there e.g. “economical automatic Toyota”, “black Suzuki Swift” or “X5 leather interior”.  Recently I watched a friend search online for a Mazda Atenza.  He was particularly interested in a leather interior. He did a search based on price, year, transmission and KMs. The first Atenza he found was from a local dealer, but only had only 2 images (both exterior), no features and hardly any information about the vehicle, let alone any information about the interior. He grunted and clicked onto the next listing. I asked him why he didn't just contact the dealer to ask for more information about that particular vehicle - he said he couldn't be bothered when there were so many other similar vehicles with more info in his list. That dealer lost a sale and he ended up buying from private seller, who had a listing for a slightly more expensive vehicle, but it showed him everything he wanted.

Keywords Keyword Keywords

If a listing has few keywords or information about the vehicle, it won’t be picked up in some search criteria. We can’t recommend enough that the more keywords you use, the better. Keywords are searched from the top to bottom of your listing on Trade Me Motors - therefore a key word in the features list OR comments 'free flow' section will be picked up in a browser's search. All the keywords below in yellow will be picked up in search results.

Here are some interesting facts:

·         80% of searches include 1 to 3 filters

·         Almost 50% of searches include a keyword

·         49% of viewers search for a car make  

·         Around 41% of searches include a price option. 

The most popular filters used when searching Trade Me Motors are:
1. Make
2. A keyword (e.g. manual, v8, 4x4, leather interior, economical etc)
3. Body style, Price or Year

Another trick to use

Here is a trick that we know encourages people to view tour listings. Instead of just having the Model Detail, this dealer has added *REDUCED* to draw attention to the listing.

You can see for yourself how effective it is at getting attention. You get 25 characters to play with, and they all show up within the search results headline for that vehicle, e.g: ** NZ NEW **, **SPECIAL** or ** Drive Away Price **. Use this information wisely - don't say anything in the headline unless it’s true and relevant to the vehicle being advertised. 

At the end of the day, Vehicle Managements Systems are a great way to get lots of stock loaded quickly but make sure you are reading your listings that are going out, and making sure that they have enough relevant information. Jump onto your classified website and search for your own listings – are they easy to find? There is a lot of competition on the Internet, so make sure you spend a little bit of time and effort to make the best of your listings to stand out from the crowd. You might just make more sales.

I’m Going the Distance – Are You?

How far would you go for the perfect vehicle? How far would you go to get the exact features you want in a vehicle? How far would you go to ensure you were getting the best possible value for money?

It seems that now more than ever we are no longer happy to settle for the closest and most convenient option. Now buyers will not compromise on personal preference when it comes to considering purchasing a car such as a cosmetic preference like the colour, or for others it might be something they feel more strongly about like engine size or a licensing restriction like transmission for example. 

Like many others nowadays, personally I do not have a land line phone, just my mobile. When I was looking to buy a car recently, I was not about to call 50 separate numbers to ask each seller a simple question about the car. In my opinion, this information should have already been written in the listing. I view the internet as basically a digital salesman. I would be highly disappointed and would probably leave without further question if I was viewing a car and simply told it was “petrol” and nothing more after enquiring about its features, so why should online be any different.  If I click into a listing and there is not enough information, I simply click out and into the next listing.  I do this without hesitation and never spare a thought for that vehicle again, even though it could have been the car of my dreams without me even knowing.

My most recent vehicle purchase was in November last year. I purchased my car from Waipukarau, which was a 5 hour journey each way, because this vehicle matched my criteria exactly. The fact that it was in the Hawke’s Bay didn’t bother me at all - it simply meant another beautiful part of New Zealand for me to explore - bonus! By the time I got to the stage of contacting the seller I had already made up my mind, I had done a ton of searching and short listing on Trade Me Motors to find exactly what I wanted. The location of the vehicle was one of the last things I looked at as that was a mere technicality as far as I was concerned. I didn’t need to contact the seller at all before I was ready to buy because the listing displayed a lot of good photos of the car including the interior, exterior and engine bay. Furthermore the comments told me everything I wanted and needed to know about the car, right down to the tyre tread and service history, which for me personally is a really important piece of information when buying a used car. This got me thinking - how many other people will happily go the distance to get the best vehicle to suit their needs? Was I road trip obsessed or was this now just the norm in the New Zealand market?

I am happy to say that it is the latter and I am far from alone. With a wide selection of all the vehicles (new and used) for sale in New Zealand at the touch of a button, it is now easier than ever to pick and choose and get exactly what you want without having to compromise.  The Nielsen Automotive Search Report, 2009 found that a staggering 24% of people will travel 2 hours or more not only to purchase a vehicle but some just to test drive before committing to the purchase.  Just under half of buyers are prepared to travel 1-2 hours to inspect a vehicle for potential purchase

Nielsen Automotive Search Report, 2009

Of course for those customers who do not enjoy long distance driving so much or who simply do not have the time, it is important for dealers to offer transport options to prospective customers, making their car buying experience a piece of cake.

There is a growing trend in people turning to social media and forums to get feedback, advice and opinions from friends, family or even complete strangers when researching vehicles. People are doing this as a way of getting a second opinion about a dealership or vehicle, and to reassure themselves that they are making an informed purchasing decision. Being able to read first hand from many different people who have purchased a vehicle without seeing it and their overall experience from start to finish is great for taking away the worries you may have and build trust. They will research and weed out the cowboys, as consumers are always happy to speak up if they have had a negative experience, or been treated badly. The more secure a customer is about the credentials of a dealer and the vehicle advertised, the more likely they are to travel or go out of town to buy that vehicle.

Dealers are also seeing the positive aspects of social media. They are adding testimonial pages to their websites written personally by their happy customers, creating Twitter accounts to show they are real people and not just a faceless online business, and using Facebook to build communities and encourage repeat business. The comment “the vehicle was exactly as described” reassures you that you are dealing with a trustworthy seller who has nothing to hide.

For dealers, making the most of all of the options available to them online encourages customers to buy.  If customers can find the information they want at the tip of their fingers, they WILL go the distance! 

By Natalie Beckham
Account and Administration Manager 
AutoBase Ltd
natalie@autobase.co.nz

End of year round up

Merry Christmas everybody! We've had a great year and we hope you have too. We are often asked about vehicle listings stats for AutoBase and Trade Me Motors, so for the end the year, here are a few stats that you might find of interest.

 

·  This year's most popular make and model car is: 

Toyota Corolla

·  Most popular year of manufacture: 

2002

·  Average year of manufacture: 

2003

·   We had 149,811 listings added this year, of which 137,900 were cars

·  Average kms for cars listed for the year: 

88,138

·  Of the cars - 72.8% were petrol, 12.9% diesel, 
0.7% hybrid and 13.6% other

·  At the beginning of the year we had 38,250 listings and now have 39,120

·  Oldest car on AutoBase right now: Click Here

·  Biggest engine car on AutoBase right now: Click Here

·  Smallest engine car on AutoBase right now: Click Here

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday from all of us here at AutoBase. For help during the silly season (with your online listings, that is!), please contact us here.

Who is AutoBase?

AutoBase is the 'Dealer-only' doorway to Trade Me Motors

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Since being launched in August 2003, Trade Me Motors immediately became New Zealand's most visited automotive internet site. Today, more than 2 million Unique Browsers (sourced by Nielsen Market Intelligence) go to Trade Me Motors every month to buy and sell vehicles. In order to provide Trade Me visitors with the largest possible selection of vehicles, Trade Me partnered with AutoBase Ltd, who have been providing online services and solutions to motor vehicle dealers since 1999.

Around 70% of the vehicle listings in Trade Me Motors are trader vehicles supplied through AutoBase. AutoBase provide trader listings for cars, motorbikes, boats, trucks, caravans, buses, farm and other equipment to Trade Me Motors and have years of experience in working with clients. 

AutoBase services include tailoring options for loading and managing your stock - AutoBase can work with your existing stock system to make getting your vehicles onto Trade Me Motors a simple and straight forward process whereby you can load your listings onto AutoBase, Trade Me and your own website in one easy step. You can access AutoBase's free 0800 Customer Care number or email to receive training and assistance, or advice on how to make the most of your listings.

Other services AutoBase customers are provided with are online stock management (using our DealerBase website), upgrade features to increase dealer's online exposure, website development and hosting, logo design, free Automated Vehicle Fuel Economy Labelling and free stock statistics reporting such as Vehicle Views counts.

Today with over 40,000 vehicles online, AutoBase remains the strongest supplier of services to the automotive trader market.

With over 900 dealers registered as users, AutoBase look forward to continuing to develop sales solutions and provide internet-based products and services to its clients. 
 

Call AutoBase on 0800 42 88 62, or email us for more information.