Window Stickers For Used Cars

[Mitch Gallant]

I'm looking for a software solution that will allow me to create window stickers for my vehicles. Our business is in Canada so Cars.com and other 3rd party solutions aren't available but there has to be something out there that isn't over priced.

We're on the Dealer.com platform and they don't offer a window sticker layout in the back end either. Any ideas?

 

[joe.pistell]

Mitch,

I'm not a dealer.com cust, but you are. Whom ever does your used inventory hosting (dealer.com) has everything you need to produce window stickers.

But... you've probably aready done that?

 

[Alex Snyder]

I've used HomeNet and am currently using iMagicLab for stickers. With both, you create the background image that is pre-printed with a high-quality printer (usually the fulfillment house you would use to do mailers with), then you program in the specs you want to show on each car. Stick the high-quality prints in your printer and do a batch print on those - it is fairly simple process once it is setup.

Creating the window sticker is a job you can get done on your new Mac

Here's the one we're currently using:

We just print the year, make, model, trans, VIN, stock number, specs, options, and comments

 

[Mitch Gallant]

Joe, like you I assume DDC has everything needed to create window stickers but for whatever reason they don't offer it in any capacity to dealers. I keep putting the bug in their ear but we're in Canada so no one listens (we're all lumberjacks and hockey players after all).

I think Homenet will be the way to go for us and I have some pricing from them. I'm just doing some due diligence to see if there's a better solution out there. Homenet offers it as a standalone, but like most companies, it would be much cheaper if we prescribed to a larger package which is unnecessary for us at this point.

The closest DDC comes is if we printed the eBrochures off and taped them in the windows... to cheesy.

 

[Mitch Gallant]

Your window sticker looks nice Alex, I finally just got my Mac today! I sent the first one back and got a better one for cheaper. I'm going to see if I cant start somekind of template to get printed.

For window stickers, i still think i'm going to be stuck going with homenet... my used car manager wanted to have our lot girl who takes the pictures copy and paste info from out site into a word template and print them off one by one but I thought that was mostly ridiculous and cheap when software cuts the time to create down 10 fold.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Mitch - I heard from one of the main people at Dealer.com in reference to your post and he said they are going to be building a way to do window stickers. Just a FYI in case you want to wait for them.

 

[Mitch Gallant]

Thanks for the heads up, I've just signed on with Homenet but it's monthly thing. I'll look forward to maybe getting in on a beta with DDC, from there I hope to be able to configure the window sticker to match the pre-printed templates I plan on getting done up next week.

 

[joe.pistell]

Mitch,

Will the Homenet (HN) window sticker solution snatch the options from DDC? I hope so. It'll be a lot of redundant work if not (read: negative ROI).

Here's a "Joe Job" for ya.

See your vehicle detail page: 2008 Ford F-150, Regina, SK, Crewcab, Capital Ford Lincoln Stock: 79019A Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Estevan Area. See the "Print" page.

Have DDC create a new print page layout & call it "print window stiicker". Reduce the info as needed to limit the print to a single page (and have it launch into a PDF if needed).

Keep the existing print page and change the name to "print all details" Cust will have 2 print choices... save a tree or kill a forest! hahaha.. Oh, wait, forget that... if you guys in Canada got a lot of anything... its trees!

Also, the printout the shopper has and the one on the glass match. If DDC is nice to you, they'll add a backend tool to batch print multiple stickers.


Just another way to skin that cat.

 

[joe.pistell]

Oh, BTW. I know why DDC doesn’t print stickers and why the single page printout won't be a slam dunk for them (or anyone else).

The options info that we all see is harvested by Chrome from the factory and passed thru to HomeNet, then onto us. The JUNK that comes thru drives me nuts .

We sell a lot of GM SUVs and PUs. For instance, Avalanche like yours http://www.capitalfordlincoln.com/used-inventory/vehicle-details.htm?vehicleId=1332a7164046381e00831c19c46251c2&useHistory=true try and fit that all into a single page!! NOT going to happen!

LOOK at the space robbing JUNK options on this Avalanche:

· Bodyside mouldings
· Bumpers: body-colour
· Right rear passenger: conventional
· Door mirrors: body-colour
· Left rear passenger door: conventional
· Tonneau cover
· Rear step bumper


What a mess. BTW Mitch, This is NOT your problem, this is an industry problem and it's why DDS (and HN) don't have a great window sticker solution.

 

[joe.pistell]

Another DealerRefresh exclusive of another "Joe Job" in the works.

I've designed a complete solution for HomeNet (now in beta) where the dealer has total control over the options system. To improve the readability, using HN's VIN driven options data, dealers can Strikeout useless options and Rename stupidly named options. This "Strikeout & Rename" feature is already in place (I gave that to HN in a PPT presentation back in 2003).


Ok... What's the beta about?
To make the best window stickers in the land (and the best web presentation), dealers need tools to "shape" the information. This improvement will empower dealers to create their own Option Categories (i.e. Saftey, Engine, Suspension, Electronics, etc...) and assign options into the categories and lastly, to build the window sticker to perfection, I've created an open weighting system where a dealer can assign numerical weights to options (i.e. Sunroof =100, Cruise Control = 50, StepBumper = 35 & Body Colored Mirrors = 10). Once options are assigned numerical weight, "self population" of window stickers can be fully automated and the dealer is in complete control of the outcome. The dealer devalues the JUNK options and raise the HOT options value.

It's working now.
Any window sticker that is too large to fit on a single page, all the system has to do is to start at the lowest ranked options and drop them off until it fits on a single page.


I have a 100 marketing twists to that branch off this beta. More as it comes...