CarFetch

[CraigB]

@CraigB I was just browsing the site and running searches on mobile to see if our inventory was listed. It looks like it is but I do have a couple questions.

1. Does the mobile version always default to 50 miles of the entered zip?

2. Is the default sort order always highest price to lowest?

3. Also does the default SRP always new and used?

Just curious to know, this is the first I've heard of your site and it got me pondering.

@Nickole Kamran,

Thanks for the questions!

1. We use responsive web design so the core search functionality is the same on any device. We are constantly A/B testing to see what gives the best user experience and dealer performance. At this time our default radius is 50 miles.

2. Our default sort is highest to lowest. We have tested different sorts but high to low seems to be the one users prefer.

3. The default SRP is new and used. One of the things we found through user panels is that most users shopping for used vehicles would consider new if they were within their budget. Since price is one of the first filters shoppers apply, we see that defaulting to new and used gives them exposure to both vehicle types without a preconceived notion that they "want" new or used inventory.

As we try to make data driven decisions, all of these may change with time as we see user behavior change or find better ways to do things.

BTW - I love that your dealership takes great pictures. Specifically, taking a picture of the nav/radio with a map and backup camera view if equipped. - Bravo!

 

[CraigB]

I'm curious @CraigB : do you have any data on where your traffic is in the funnel? I'd guess these would be lower funnel buyers.
I love that it's ad free--that makes it feel super friendly and to the point. It does one thing really well.
It's kind of interesting that the filter for dealer is at the very bottom, and you don't include dealer details on each result (unless the dealer included their name in the photo)--you have to follow the link to find out where it is. What's your thinking on that?

@Alexandra Joseph ,

Great questions.

Our data on where the buyers are in the funnel is more limited than other sites I have worked for. Since we do not capture leads on our site, we don't have the ability to reverse append data to registration records. What we can see is what the users do on our site and what they do on dealer sites (that have shared data). Our traffic appears to be very similar to other inventory aggregators in where the shopper is in the funnel. Generally, we see about 75% of the traffic being low funnel with about 20% being mid-funnel and 5% being high funnel. I use 30 days from purchase as low, 60 days as mid and 90+ days as high.

I like the ad free experience as well and really hope that it is something we can keep long term.

We put the dealer filter last because it seems most shoppers are interested in finding the right car at the right price first, then considering dealer. Our honest hope is that if the shopper finds the vehicle, they click to the dealer site and have all further interactions there, rather than coming back to our site and filtering down to one dealer's inventory.

P.S. I would love to see a demo of your Autoleadstar tech, it looks very interesting!

 

[Carluminati]

https://builtwith.com/carfetch.com

 

[Chris Cachor]

How do I get a hold of someone at CarFetch.com? We have cars from our inventory going to their aggregation site coming in as leads that are priced wrong on CarFetch but correct in our system. It is creating leads for us that are not valid and affecting our lead numbers.

I saw an example just now...a Silverado priced at 39k on the site but when I hit the VDP it was 42k. From what I understand, the crawl rate of these search engines is not fast enough for how quickly pricing changes occur. I'm assuming the computing power required to crawl multiple times each day is prohibitive until these sites start making enough money.

I can't believe Cars.com is a 2.8mb footprint with 377 requests. Holy hell, optimize your requests guys! I think they're using AngularJS which to me is complete overkill for a listing site, but I digress...

 

[Nickole Kamran]

@Nickole Kamran,

Thanks for the questions!

1. We use responsive web design so the core search functionality is the same on any device. We are constantly A/B testing to see what gives the best user experience and dealer performance. At this time our default radius is 50 miles.

2. Our default sort is highest to lowest. We have tested different sorts but high to low seems to be the one users prefer.

3. The default SRP is new and used. One of the things we found through user panels is that most users shopping for used vehicles would consider new if they were within their budget. Since price is one of the first filters shoppers apply, we see that defaulting to new and used gives them exposure to both vehicle types without a preconceived notion that they "want" new or used inventory.

As we try to make data driven decisions, all of these may change with time as we see user behavior change or find better ways to do things.

BTW - I love that your dealership takes great pictures. Specifically, taking a picture of the nav/radio with a map and backup camera view if equipped. - Bravo!

Thank you! We are trying to stay one step forward but with the wealth of different products, strategies and vendors out there it is tough. Would you mind if I sent you a message? I'd love to pick your brain some more on ?

 

[CraigB]

Thank you! We are trying to stay one step forward but with the wealth of different products, strategies and vendors out there it is tough. Would you mind if I sent you a message? I'd love to pick your brain some more on ?

Absolutely! Shoot me a message or email anytime.

 

[Alexander Lau]

Where's that steak dinner Mr. Craig???

 

[CraigB]

Where's that steak dinner Mr. Craig???

Are you in town?

 

[Alexander Lau]

Are you in town?

Yes, I'm located in Pittsburgh and work remotely now.

 

[NIOMARVIN83]

CarFetch appears to be a promising tool for car dealerships, leveraging fast aggregation to offer competitive pricing on new and used vehicles. While it impresses with its speed, likely achieved through advanced cloud hosting techniques and lazy loading, there are concerns about the potential legal and ethical implications of hotlinking images and scraping data from dealer sites. This method shifts hosting and data transfer costs to the third-party providers, which might not be sustainable or fair. However, for users, the direct links to Vehicle Detail Pages (VDPs) enhance the shopping experience by providing quick and relevant information. As with any tool that aggregates and displays third-party content, it’s crucial for CarFetch to ensure they are compliant with all legal requirements to maintain trust and sustainability in the long term.