Automotive merchandising can begin like a bad joke, and, if done wrong, can end in a bad customer experience.

A man walks into a dealership. He tells a salesperson about a listing he saw online for a particular car. The salesperson leads the man to the car.

“But the car I saw online had more options and upgrades,” the man says.

“Well, yeah, but look — this one has an AM/FM radio,” the salesperson says enthusiastically.

“But the car I saw online was priced much lower than what this sticker shows,” the man says.

“Well, yeah, but that’s if you meet all the qualifying discounts and rebates,” the salesperson says. “But we have great financing!”

You know how this story ends: The man leaves the dealership disgusted and takes his business elsewhere.

The above is an example of poor automotive merchandising.

Automotive merchandising is the manner in which inventory is displayed. Effective automotive merchandising means complete transparency between both buyer and seller regarding pricing details, options and features, mileage, trims, colors, vehicle history, and more.

Effective Merchandising Equals Increased Sales

Some 88 percent of car shoppers use the internet during the buying process, where they conduct searches customized to their needs and sift through dozens of vehicles comparing prices, conditions and more.

With a wealth of information at their disposal, today’s car shoppers are more educated than ever. And if a vehicle is not effectively displayed, there’s a good possibility a shopper will pass it right on by for one that is.

With so much information now available to consumers, dealerships must work extra hard to gain their trust. And any inconsistency between the information a car shopper is getting online and the information they’re getting at the dealership can send them walking instead of driving off your lot.

Automotive Merchandising With MAX Digital

At MAX Digital, we know automotive merchandising. Our merchandising solution allows dealers to:

  • Take pictures of inventory and instantly upload them using a simple smartphone app.
  • Create and print customizable window stickers and buyers guides that make it easy to update pricing.
  • Easily extract options and equipment packages to differentiate a vehicle straight from a desktop or mobile phone.
  • Syndicate vehicle listings to over 300 websites including Autotrader.com and Cars.com.
  • Create more engaging vehicle descriptions and highlights.

Schedule a free demonstration of our automotive merchandising solution to see how you can turn bad jokes into profitable sales and great customer experiences.