Merchandising thoughts from a customer

[Carsten]

So this is turning into:

Volume Sales vs what I would prefer "Customer Service" sales.

This makes sense:
"Internet shopper's look at 60+ VINs, but only one dealer wins the sale."

Which way is the tide turning?
Price? Or My Friend Bob who knows my kids and family?

 

[Jon Singo]

So this is turning into:

Volume Sales vs what I would prefer "Customer Service" sales.

This makes sense:
"Internet shopper's look at 60+ VINs, but only one dealer wins the sale."

Which way is the tide turning?
Price? Or My Friend Bob who knows my kids and family?

I'm a firm believer in there being more than one kind of shopper. Some only care about price, some are unicorn hunters, and some just want a damn car. Dealers have all dug a line in the sand on which type of customer they are willing to attract.

I'm over here trying to figure out how to meet everyone where they're at.

 

[jscole86]

I'm a firm believer in there being more than one kind of shopper. Some only care about price, some are unicorn hunters, and some just want a damn car. Dealers have all dug a line in the sand on which type of customer they are willing to attract.

I'm over here trying to figure out how to meet everyone where they're at.

And to that point, there are also different types of cars. Cookie cutter cars, unicorns, subprime budget types, etc etc. Some vehicles benefit more than others for better / more precise merchandising.

 

[joe.pistell]

Car shopping is a task, they have a job to do.

Website Survey	Shopper's 'Job to be Done' Journey
% Share	Survey Answers
12%	1). I'm just starting
24%	2). Have an good overall idea, but I haven't found the right one yet.
24%	3). Have a strong pick in mind, just looking for more ideas to be sure
27%	4). Know Exactly What I Wanted (Make, Model, Year...)
12%	5). Have my mind made up, but I am taking one last look before I leap!

Website Strategy :
The more you help shoppers with becoming a smarter shopper (i.e. see answers 1 & 2), the more 3, 4 & 5 shoppers you'll have.

Simple right?
The final stages of shopping is when the shopper WANTS to talk to a rep. You sell only 1-3% of your website visitors. Build your website to HELP shoppers become smarter, you'll have less junk leads and far higher sales.

 

[Carsten]

So what do you suggest on how a website can do better?

Something like?
providing sales people reviews?
Service Center reviews?
Providing full reports, the repairs that you have done, providing industry aggregate reviews for the vehicle?

I use 1 and 2 a lot. This let's me see how interested the sales person is in helping me. But I don't look for a sales person until I am serious. I don't want to waste their time while I'm window shopping.

 

[joe.pistell]

So what do you suggest on how a website can do better?

Carsten,
Copy-Paste this prompt into GPT 4o or Claude 3.0 (whatever AI subscription you have)

---

You are a product manager building car dealer websites. You are a student of Dr Clayton Christensen's 'Job to be Done' (JTBD) methodology. Using JTBD, list the high level JTBD tasks of the car shopper.

---

 

[Ryan Everson]

Maybe automotive VDP's are designed incorrectly?

Customers typically purchase a car only every few years, yet they shop online almost everyday.

Given this, shouldn't we consider applying proven e-commerce product detail page CRO best practices to our VDPs to optimize conversion rates?

Here's a sneak preview of a new project I'm working on launching that uses this e-commerce framework I call ATIDFRAA.

Attention:

• Strong value proposition - vehicle comes with..
• Trust and credibility - reviews
• Social proof - # customers approved this month
• Imagery - carousel + vertical photo grid

Much like an e-commerce product detail page, there is an accordion with all of the product details



With the most searched for features highlighted:



Transformation:
How easy it is to buy




Interest:
Features & benefits




Desire:
Make users desire the car using social proof: reviews + user generated content




Reassurance:
Compare to competitors, make them feel good about their choice in vehicle and dealer




FAQ:
Address common objections and frequently asked questions that may inhibit conversion



Alternatives:
Offer alternatives to make the most of the product detail page click



Action:
Always visible (bottom sticky bar) primary CTA

 

[joe.pistell]

Here's a sneak preview of a new project I'm working on launching that uses this e-commerce framework I call ATIDFRAA.

Wow. theres a LOT of research and experience in this UI. Your aiming for credit challenged, the squeeze page CTA is LOL. There's lots of trust signals all over the UI. It's F*cking Genius. https://www.rightway.com

 

[Ryan Everson]

Wow. theres a LOT of research and experience in this UI. Your aiming for credit challenged, the squeeze page CTA is LOL. There's lots of trust signals all over the UI. It's F*cking Genius. https://www.rightway.com

Thanks! Yeah, the current site is a little rough and in dire need of an upgrade.

With this upcoming redesign launch, we're hoping to position the brand a little more upstream and appeal to both retail and sub-prime customers - somewhere in between CarMax and Drivetime.

 

[Carsten]

Definitely comes across as more upstream than a typical BHPH website.

Why are you telling people to go to dealer inspire in your html?

As for the chatgpt comment. I have done that and chatGPT is only as good as those ai generated sites suggesting run of the mill ideas.