Understanding what motivates car shoppers and their needs is critical to win in today’s competitive marketplace. As consumers move through their car buying journey they are looking for information to make informed decisions on what to buy, where to buy and who to buy from. Increasingly, one of the top concerns for any car shopper or vehicle owner is price – or how much to pay.
In December of 2016, we saw 55 percent of car shoppers researching price on Cars.com and 54 percent actively comparing vehicles¹. Knowing that we could meet the needs of consumers and our dealer customers alike, we set out to further enhance the shopping process through vehicle pricing tools. The goal? Keep consumers engaged on the site and facilitate a quicker path to purchase with dealers – all while building trust between them from the start.
Today, Price Comparison Graphs are available on Vehicle Detail Pages (VDPs) to provide more context around the price of a used car or new vehicle. Factors such as trim, mileage, and certification are also taken into consideration on the price of a vehicle in a particular market. Local vehicle price comparisons are determined through sampling of all cars within 100 miles of the location of the vehicle and for used vehicles, comparison mileage and CPO status are also displayed.
Figure 1. Price Comparison Graph of Used 2015 Ford F350
The need for pricing transparency when making a sizeable purchase is not limited to the automotive industry. When buying a home consumers turn to Zillow or Trulia to understand the market value of a home and what they can expect to pay based on the home’s location, features, and history.
This level of transparency has become a consumer expectation when it comes to making major purchase decisions – including cars — and one that we will continue to innovate against in the coming year to drive quality engagement to influence car shoppers. Deeper Feature Comparison functionality is currently in development, which will incorporate additional qualifiers such as drivetrain, engine cylinders and transmission into the Price Comparison Graphs.
By providing consumers transparency through Vehicle Pricing Tools, as well as DealerRater reviews, we aren’t just creating connections between consumers and dealers — we are building lifetime value and trust from the start.
[1] Cars.com Internal Data, December 2016.
