Latest activity

Chris Cachor · Jun 11, 2026

I'm working on a new platform and I'm using AI to suggest questions based on a variety of factors (personas, vehicle attributes, then year/make/model/trim combination). This approach is yielding good results so far and it scales well. I'll post more on it soon.

Carvana does this well, and they tie it into their photos. From a merchandising standpoint they're probably the best in the game right now.

CarlAutofusion · Jun 11, 2026

CarsonWhite said:
I hate to shameless plug here @darrenstromain & @CarlAutofusion, but we are doing this today with our clients.

@CarlAutofusion - here's a commercial example. (click on the "Specs" tab to see the breakdown shine.)

@darrenstromain - here's typical example.

Scroll past the carousel. You'll see where we start. All of it is injected into the pages HTML for SEO purposes

The commercial example does a good job showing the Ford factory options + MSRP, which is great but it doesn't include information on the Rugby Dump Body Upfit such as the dimensions, features (I see it has a metering gate), etc. This dump body upfit is likely a significant portion of the total price so it would be good to merchandise it.

George Nenni · Jan 6, 2026

Darius1234 said:
Thank you, you can zoom in. I guess it works better on Android.

Yes, you can pinch and zoom on iPhone also, but you're zooming on a 100k (100,000 bytes) photo, which is small today's standards. A thumbnail looks ok at 100k or less, but final images need to be 1/4 megabyte (250K) at least IMHO.

joe.pistell · May 3, 2024

Brian Michael West said:
photographers name is Ethan and he does stellar work!

ooo... very nice
View attachment 8827

joe.pistell · Apr 28, 2024

flosho said:
Of all the things dealerships spend superfluous monies on, hiring someone that cares and wants to take pride in their photos and put the best product forward seems like a fair return on investment.

No photobooth needed. In fact, overcast skies or even the right photography equipment in the sun, can make quality photos and many times way better than any dealership's photobooth shoot.

Brilliant.
#BootsOnTheGround

flosho · Nov 7, 2023

BillKVMotorCo said:
I definitely agree that great photos sell cars. I guess my question is more "How much more do great pictures sell cars over really good pictures?" No doubt personnel factors in as well. For me, I would have to hire another person to take photos this great and I think we do a good job for what we have available to us (no photo booth). As the 100 pound gorilla in my market as you say, I'm not sure that I need to take on the expense. At this same time, I'm not ready to quit growing either. It's a conundrum to me. Also, I find it ironic that you chose a picture of virtually the exact same truck that I have.

Of all the things dealerships spend superfluous monies on, hiring someone that cares and wants to take pride in their photos and put the best product forward seems like a fair return on investment.

No photobooth needed. In fact, overcast skies or even the right photography equipment in the sun, can make quality photos and many times way better than any dealership's photobooth shoot.

Nov 7, 2023

craigh said:
If you have any local schools, I have seen great success hiring college kids to capture vehicles.
They're often willing to work for X dollars per vehicle, they have random hours around classes and they'll often do a good job because they put it down as professional experience on their photographer resume.

I like the way you think. We always try to have our pictures for the day done by 4 o'clock the same day they come out of detail, so we would likely have to give a little bit on that.

craigh · Nov 7, 2023

BillKVMotorCo said:
For me, I would have to hire another person to take photos this great and I think we do a good job for what we have available to us (no photo booth).

If you have any local schools, I have seen great success hiring college kids to capture vehicles.
They're often willing to work for X dollars per vehicle, they have random hours around classes and they'll often do a good job because they put it down as professional experience on their photographer resume.

Nov 6, 2023

I definitely agree that great photos sell cars. I guess my question is more "How much more do great pictures sell cars over really good pictures?" No doubt personnel factors in as well. For me, I would have to hire another person to take photos this great and I think we do a good job for what we have available to us (no photo booth). As the 100 pound gorilla in my market as you say, I'm not sure that I need to take on the expense. At this same time, I'm not ready to quit growing either. It's a conundrum to me. Also, I find it ironic that you chose a picture of virtually the exact same truck that I have.

joe.pistell · Nov 6, 2023

BillKVMotorCo said:
Your pictures are indeed phenomenal, but the time that it takes to do them is the part that concerns me the most.

A great response. Lets tear it apart!

The Shopper says: "Your pictures are indeed phenomenal"
The Dealer says: "the time that it takes to do them is the part that concerns me the most."
Ask yourself: "How many sales would you lose of your competitor had photos that good?"

BillKVMotorCo said:
Do I believe that quality pictures help drive sales? Absolutely. But I just wonder if there are some diminishing returns based on the time it takes. Not trying to be negative. Just thinking out loud. Not sure how one could measure it.

Bill, we're in a zero sum game. There is one ass for one seat. If you're a giant in your community and your inventory is piled high and turning 10+ times, high end photos are hard to create, they're expensive and hard to justify.

But, if your not THE big dog, hi end photos make a LOT of sense. Pictures tell 1000 words and hi end photos communicate not only a high end car recon process, but a high end dealer UX too. How many times a year do we drop $500-$1000 off the retail price to 'find a buyer'? What if the hi end photos could save you a price drop or 2 a month?

BillKVMotorCo said:
Not sure how one could measure it.

Have you been house shopping lately? Some of these home photos are magazine quality. My son tells me of the times the house looked 100x petter in pics than in real life.

We're retailers. We know what sells cars... don't we? Great photos that are significantly better than your competitors are a FORCE MULTIPLIER. They make everything in the Car dealers machine work better.

Bill,
Look at the other end of the spectrum...
View attachment 8239
This is a dealer's pic of a $70,000 used truck. 5 pics. You can bet that the GM struggles with time and expenses to find people and processes to take great photos. Its NOT easy.

Nov 6, 2023

flosho said:
I appreciate the kind words. The marketing department is myself and one other person and he does about 75% of the photos now. We've always been "online based" and so most of our customers have traveled several hours to get to us. (We are 1.5 hours from Minneap, 2 hours from Madison, 2 hours from Rochester, etc.. so kind of centrally located to a bunch of big cities). Our close rate used to be around 75%. We've moved into a more retail orientation now but continue to pull people from all over the US and ship cars all over the US.

Typical photo shoot runs about an hour 1.5 hours and about 20 minutes to process in LR.

We shoot a lot more vehicles inside in the winter but yeah we typically reshoot the exterior photos when the season changes drastically and is noticeably aged in our photos. Our turn is about 35 days so generally that's not a big issue but we always get a few turds.

We recently upgraded to a Canon RP mirrorless SLR. Interior photo's are shot on 18-135mm zoom with RF-RP adapter (which leads to some clarity loss) or a 1.8 50mm prime.

Also thought it would be fun to add our halloween photo..

Your pictures are indeed phenomenal, but the time that it takes to do them is the part that concerns me the most. Do I believe that quality pictures help drive sales? Absolutely. But I just wonder if there are some diminishing returns based on the time it takes. Not trying to be negative. Just thinking out loud. Not sure how one could measure it.

Nov 6, 2023

George Nenni said:
Right on Will, I agree.

Poor merchandising affects 100% of digital marketing budgets, currently at $26,000 per month, per rooftop according to NADA.

If you randomly audit online used inventory, you find opportunities for improvement. Framing, lighting, and most importantly image order.

Studies have shown that in a 24 photo carousel, the viewing curve peaks around photo #8-10. Seeing 12 exterior photos followed by 12 interior photos, is potentially a lazy photographer who doesn't want to get in and out of the car. Photographers or editors need to be very intentional with photo order.

My wife shops for cars for our kids, looking for safety options, swiping like Pinterest, never reads descriptions, but when she hits a photo of a rear camera, she digs in more.

High value, interior options need to be in the first 6 images, in order to hook the view. Rear camera, sun roof, heated seat buttons, nav, JBL sound system, etc.

We go with one outside pic, one why buy, followed by the hot button items, then the rest of the exterior, before finishing with the rest of the interior. Here's one that drives me nuts: pictures of the doors. I might be wrong, but is this REALLY necessary or are we just trying to increase our picture counts?

joe.pistell · Nov 1, 2023

This selfless sharing of best practices is why,

--for nearly 2 decades--

"DealerRefresh is where you heard it first"

p.s. hahaha, love that halloween photo!

flosho · Oct 31, 2023

We also go outside the box for some...

@Will G. · Oct 30, 2023

@Will G. Sharp looking pics! What's your IG?

carmudgeon · Oct 30, 2023

joe.pistell said:
@carmudgeon plz show us some of your dealer work.

Wow, great work, the 12 pics of the dash tech screen is SOOO smart. Our cars are truning into rolling living rooms. In car entertainment (i.e. dash tech) is HOT

kaiserbuickgmc.com

joe.pistell · Oct 30, 2023

carmudgeon said:
An online presentation should closely mimic an “on the lot“ presentation. A balance between wide-angle hero shots and close-up shots, drawing the shopper’s attention to value added features, in and out of the vehicle.
The more valuable the car, the more options there are. The more photos there ought to be.

@carmudgeon plz show us some of your dealer work.

carmudgeon said:
...She told me, when she saw the Spotify logo, she knew that was the truck for her. I take 12 pictures of each page on the radio of those trucks and the last page was that Spotify logo on its own. A $60,000 loaded used pickup truck… but she likes Spotify. Go figure.

Wow, great work, the 12 pics of the dash tech screen is SOOO smart. Our cars are truning into rolling living rooms. In car entertainment (i.e. dash tech) is HOT

carmudgeon · Oct 29, 2023

The topic of photo count, is the proverbial Ouija board. Every party has a hand in pushing and pulling the puck to a negotiated fixed number. The dealership wants as much exposure as possible. The photographer wants as a little as work to do as possible. But the job of the photography is to show the shopper the value and sell the car. 12 exterior photos and 12 interior photos might be good for a work truck but it’s certainly not enough for a loaded top-of-the-line pick up truck.

An online presentation should closely mimic an “on the lot“ presentation. A balance between wide-angle hero shots and close-up shots, drawing the shopper’s attention to value added features, in and out of the vehicle.

The more valuable the car, the more options there are. The more photos there ought to be.

Options not necessarily considered valuable or even listed in book pricing, are often the options that draw the most interest. 2 months ago I was stopped on the lot by a customer who bought a truck. She told me, when she saw the Spotify logo, she knew that was the truck for her. I take 12 pictures of each page on the radio of those trucks and the last page was that Spotify logo on its own. A $60,000 loaded used pickup truck… but she likes Spotify. Go figure. The manufacturers know what they’re doing.

Reminded by a talkative young lady, most people who come in to buy cars, are really not interested in the car per se.

Every feature has the potential of turning a shopper into a customer. If you are not showing them all you are likely missing the opportunity for a sale or a visit to the lot at least.

12 exterior photos and 12 interior photos is likely enough for Dealers to buy a car but maybe not the car buying general public.

Alex Snyder · Jan 21, 2025

Carsten said:
New owners includes? Musk?
I doubt Mr. Beast is ear marked for that but it would be interesting.

If you didn't see it, I highly advise watching Trump's press conference while he signed Executive Orders. It was entertaining for sure. And you get a real good sense for how serious he is.

He did speak about TikTok quite a bit. He wants the United States to own half of TikTok. His argument is that TikTok is worth nothing if it goes away. If it stays, it has huge value. And his signature is all it takes because Congress gave the President that power specifically in regard to TikTok. They have 90 days to figure it out.

Alex Snyder · Jan 16, 2025

Is TikTok going to make it past Sunday?

Mar 20, 2024

kylewilliam said:
Hey everyone, I've been considering using TikTok ads to promote my business, but I'm a bit hesitant. Has anyone here tried them out? I'm curious to know about your experiences—did you see a significant return on investment? How does the cost compare to other platforms like Facebook or Instagram? Also, are there any specific demographics or niches that tend to perform well on TikTok? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated before I dive in. Thanks in advance for your help!

What is your business? Don't want to assume it's a dealership just because you're posting on a dealership forum..

joe.pistell · Oct 23, 2024

Carsten said:
I'm looking at a used car, why ask me if I'm looking for new/used?

Alex Snyder · Oct 22, 2024

pspagnoli said:
There is only 1 true Ai solution on the market today in dealers zenzio.com just saying

That is quite a claim. What is your affiliation to them?

joe.pistell · Oct 11, 2023

john.quinn said:
AI is here, it's not going anywhere, and it's real.

I look better in AI world
View attachment 8172
#LensaApp

ed.brooks · Oct 11, 2023

john.quinn said:
I too have been a nay-sayer... but no longer.

I use GPT a lot. And there is zero doubt we are right around the corner from AI having more relevant, meaningful conversations with customers than we can hope from our Sales staff. Not a chat bot -- suggest inventory, help with payments, compare and contrast; it's wide-open...

I almost hate saying it... but unlike L5 autonomous driving, or EV's being half as practical as gas or hybrids, AI is here, it's not going anywhere, and it's real.

JQ -- Just for fun, I ran your response through AI. This is what it came up with:
AI is on the verge of surpassing human sales staff in having meaningful conversations with customers. Unlike other technologies, such as autonomous driving or electric vehicles, AI is already here, and its potential is significant.

Latest activity

Latest activity

This selfless sharing of best practices is why,​

--for nearly 2 decades--​

"DealerRefresh is where you heard it first"​

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This selfless sharing of best practices is why,

--for nearly 2 decades--

"DealerRefresh is where you heard it first"