Vehicle merchandising has come a long way. Not so long ago, merchandising meant fitting a few vehicle details into a black-and-white newspaper ad. But today’s shoppers expect more. They want clean, detailed visuals of every car, transparent pricing, and enough information online to decide if a vehicle is right for them.
The History of Vehicle Merchandising
Merchandising has evolved from simply showing shoppers what you have to telling the full story of your vehicles.
Then
A few lines in a newspaper
- Vehicle ads were limited by space. Make, model, year, price, and a phone number did most of the work.
Photos and dealer websites
- More space meant more opportunity. You could add photos, vehicle details, branding, and links to your website.
Now
A complete digital vehicle story
- Shoppers can explore photos, features, pricing, condition, build data and more before they ever visit your dealership.
Listings that do more
- Today’s AI merchandising tools can turn vehicle data and photos into richer, more interactive shopping experiences.
Show and Tell: 3 Elements of a Stronger Merchandising
A strong listing shows and tells shoppers all the information they need to slow down, explore, and see themselves with a vehicle.
1. Features
What sets your vehicles apart?
- Show
- OEM features, packages, upgrades and other equipment that could matter to a buyer.
- Tell
- Shoppers about every feature and key detail in the online shopping experience.
2. Condition
What’s the story beyond the price?
- Show
- What you’ve done to the vehicle to give shoppers more context about the condition.
- Tell
- Them about new tires, new brakes, and other recent reconditioning that adds value to a vehicle.
3. Build Data
What details can’t shoppers see in a photo?
- Show
- OEM build data, packages, factory information and window stickers to help shoppers understand exactly how a vehicle is equipped.
- Tell
- Them what makes the vehicle stand out and why it’s worth a closer look.
Put Your Photos to Work
Your first photo gets shoppers in the door. The rest of your photos can keep them there. Interactive 360° experiences and AI-powered hotspots give shoppers more ways to explore and dig into the details.
- Show more of every vehicle
- Highlight desirable features
- Create interactive 360° experiences
- Give shoppers more ways to explore
Give Your Listings an AI Assist
Search is changing. Shoppers aren’t just browsing traditional search results, they’re using AI to find vehicles and get answers to questions.
AI-generated descriptions optimize your listings by:
- Using vehicle-specific information
- Including key features and OEM build data
- Creating descriptions tailored to each vehicle
That means your listings can:
- Do more than describe the vehicle
- Help connect the right vehicle with the right shopper
- Surface relevant vehicle details in more useful ways
- Give shoppers answers before they ever reach the lot
Make Your Listings Work Harder and Smarter
When your merchandising tells the full story of your inventory, shoppers have more reasons to stop, explore, and engage, so you can turn online interest into more opportunities to sell.
Ready to put your listings to work?
Watch Chris Moyer’s full presentation to learn how AI-powered merchandising can help you showcase your vehicle details, create richer shopping experiences, and make more of your inventory data.