People's Choice Awards for Best Vehicle Photos?

[grant@pricedrite]

Great examples, thank you, and keep them coming!

Question for the group: I along with others have advocated getting images of high-value, differentiating options early in the photo carousel. So instead of a 24-photo carousel having 12 exterior, then 12 interior photos, we would instead capture 2-3 exterior photos, then jump inside and take pictures of the rear-camera, heated seat button, and optional 3rd row, then jump back outside for more exterior photos. The idea is that if you look at Google Analytics for dealers who track photo-carousel-clicks, there is a drop off after about 8-10 images. So, if most consumers look at the first 10 images, make sure high-value differentiating options are within the first 10.

Agree or disagree?

Agree. VAuto recommends starting with the interior of the vehicle and then doing the exterior in the back half. We do Outside Hero | Inside Hero | Top Inside Features | Inside Experience | Engine Bay | Cargo Cargo Bay | Outside Experience | Outside Details.

 

[joe.pistell]

I will shamelessly throw our hat into the ring. Used Car Dealership in Lincoln, NE | PricedRite Auto Sales Inc.

@grant@pricedrite killer feature labels & pics. How long does it take to complete one car, start to finish?

 

[grant@pricedrite]

We do it in two phases. In phase one, we just shoot the car. It takes 20-40 depending on the vehicle. Then it's online. Phase two, the tone correction/sorting/overlays/reuploading happens. This takes about 35 min.

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

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?

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

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.

 

[joe.pistell]

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?"

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?

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...

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.

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

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.

 

[craigh]

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.

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

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.

 

[flosho]

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.