The Eureka! Link

[Michael Page]

As the leader of the Cars.com ad product management team, I’ve found this thread to be very helpful and I want to share some thoughts in terms of how Cars.com facilitates the relationship between buyer and seller. We strongly believe in allowing the consumer multiple ways to contact a seller with multiple entry points to a dealer’s website on vehicle detail pages and within our dealer directory. In fact, each month we generate over 1 million visits to individual dealer sites and we’ve been providing this form of contact to our customers for many years.

Know that we're listening to this feedback as we continually work on improving our product to provide the best car shopping experience for both shoppers and dealers. Driving traffic to your web sites is very valuable for many potential buyers and clearly beneficial to dealers. I’m not certain that it should take precedence over other forms of contact but it is something that we will continue to track and potentially improve.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Michael - thanks for your comments and thanks for listening. It's great to hear from a Cars.com representative.

Keep in mind only 20% of consumers will ever be willing to fill out an online form of the such. Only a percentage are going to pick up the phone and call the dealership, a percentage will walk-in.

"Driving traffic to your web sites is very valuable for many potential buyers and clearly beneficial to dealers. I’m not certain that it should take precedence over other forms of contact but it is something that we will continue to track and potentially improve."

My response would; knowing what we know about consumer shopping habits, targeted traffic/clicks to my dealership website would on the same level of importance.

 

[lightnup]

Joe -

You stated a couple of times that there are still too many unanswered questions after an online automotive shopper has done their research and price discovery. I'm curious as to what information you feel a shopper can find on the dealer's website that they would not find in the online listings of a dealer doing a good job merchandising their inventory on ATC or cars.com.

There is so much specific vehicle information, multiple photos, dealership information, payment calculators, links to advice on buying, financing, leasing, insuring, online credit application, etc., what else is left for the shopper to ask other than, "do you still have the car?" And, in the case of a new car, if the dealer doesn't have THAT one, they'll have or can get another one just like it.

A prominent link to the dealer's web site (like ATC's BOB) is a great idea, but I don't believe the lack of such a link inhibits an online shopper from being able to proceed to the transaction step.

Studies have shown that what actually happens when the in-market online car buyer "vanishes" at the transaction step, as you put it, is that nearly 3/4 of them have done all of their online research and are now on their way to the dealership(s) that has the vehicle(s) of their choice. You can't touch, see or "drive" the product before the transaction step of an online air travel purchase, but you can with an automobile and that's the difference.

If I wanted to buy a new 55" flat screen television, I'd go online, do my research, do my price discovery and then.....I'd drive down to Best Buy or whatever retailer carried the TV I wanted so that I could first experience the picture and sound quality - and also make sure there wasn't something else I liked better - before making the transaction. Why would I call or email the store before doing so? I wouldn't, and studies show that most car buyers don't either.

As Alex pointed out, the problem is that most Dealer Principals don't incentivise or make it a condition of employment that salespeople and sales managers ACCURATELY ascertain from walk-in traffic what primarily influenced them to be in that dealership on that day to look at that car. Selecting "Drive by" should require management confirmation to be allowed in the stats.

 

[joe.pistell]

Drew,

I am on vaca, so details won't be rich with data.

#1). All clicks are NOT equal, think conversion funnel, then re-read my work.

#2). Re-look at the Google Analytics referral links, about 60% are from VDPs (aka Eureka! Link referrals).

#3). A VDP referral visit is what I consider VERY VERY rich ROI visitor. (Your example: 165 visitors * 60% = 99 highly motivated Eureka! Link visitors)

#4). On AT/Cars VDP to dealer link, add a "gateway page" with a strong shopper incentive (i.e. coupon with 24hr expiration).

If my instincts are correct, this VDP referral visitor is in the 11th hour and is looking for any excuse to make the commitment to visit the dealer.

 

[joe.pistell]

Drew, the exercise here is to focus on only ONE link on the VDP and understand what the link means to the shopper.

Drew, you are the master of CL world. This "Eureka! Link" applies to you as well. Casual shoppers don't visit dealers sites until they're ready to take it to the next level.

 

[joe.pistell]

Alex, in the land of unicorns and rainbows, your reply is right on the money. But... my very good friend, you've missed some stuff!

#1). Reps can't interview ups for lead sources without the shopper feeling like they are giving away secrets.

#2). Shoppers who are ups have spent 19hours on sites all over the internet, and have taken weeks and months to become an up. Any interview of an unsold up looking for lead source info is prone to significant error.

 

[joe.pistell]

Alex, IMO adding a BOB is BULL. It's simply increasing the visibility of the dealer's link.

The number of visits to dealer sites will rise. Even if the BOB button DOUBLES VDP referral traffic, the it'll still be a tiny part of a dealers overall web traffic.

The Eureka! (BOB) visitor is a HIGH ROI visitor.

#1). Let's toss that visitor a rich offer with a strong call to action that expires quickly!

#2). what of the lack of shopper visibility (which is the CORE problem of AT and Cars)?

 

[joe.pistell]

Michael,

You drive a million visits to dealers web sites yet, you and your dealers HAVE NO IDEA what that means to anyone (including you). There is a big ass disconnect between classified sites and dealer sales and this disconnect is the root of dealer angst.

This post is a mental exercise in how to find leverage points on your platform, create tools to improve the shopper & dealer experience in one move.

 

[joe.pistell]

Lightenup,

On Vaca, I have MANY rebuttals to your reply, but, the wife is giving me the "Evil look" the ocean is calling! look for my reply asap!

 

[DrewAment]

Ya...Craigslist and Cars apply as well. Craigslist conversion is slighly higher. But on Craigslist this same dealer gets alot of people that click on the "get financing" link.