VDP stands for “Vehicle Display Page” or “Vehicle Detail Page.” In the simplest words, it is the page that displays the car specifications, details, images, and other information on the website of a dealership or a seller. In this eCommerce era, it is crucial for automobile retailers to understand how online sale channels work. Once they do, the importance of high-quality VDPs becomes apparent.
In less than a decade, the online automobile market has gone from extremely niche to mainstream. Almost every car retailer and dealership (of both new and used cars) has established its online sales channels, and those who haven’t are scrambling to do so. We’re here to remind you of the basics, i.e., that you should pay attention to your VDPs if you want successful online sales.
If you’re not an online car sales guru, you might have many questions: What is a VDP? Why do dealerships need to pay attention to them? How to create the best ones? In this blog, we take a detailed look at all these points.
What is a VDP?
A VDP is the first touchpoint page with a dealership for online car buyers. Each car has an individual VDP, which contains all necessary information about the vehicle buyers need before making the purchase – technical specifications, details, images, videos, consumer reviews, etc. Once a potential buyer searches for a car model on the web, they will land on these pages via search results.
Most online sellers ignore the significance of creating a VDP that hits all the right chords. Well, that will lose you a lot of business! Let’s take a look at why you need great VDPs for high conversion.
What is the importance of VDP for dealerships?
Creating great VDPs is one of the most crucial parts of creating a dealership website or online car marketplace. It is more than just a first impression; it is the introduction between your inventory and the buyer. It is where the buyers decide whether to continue their search on other dealership websites or if they have found what they want.
A well-designed and optimized Vehicle DP also enhances website navigation and car-buying experience. It can be a golden opportunity for dealerships; you can present yourself as a premium seller.
Now that you understand the importance of high-impact VDP for auto dealerships and other online car retail businesses, let’s take a look at how to create them.
What is the secret to creating high-conversion VDPs?
Want your Vehicle Detail Pages to attract plenty of customers? Of course, you do! Here, we’ve discussed all the strategies you can deploy to turn your VDPs into lead magnets.
1. Use multiple high-quality photos
This is one of the basics yet an essential requirement to create a Vehicle Display Page. Include high-resolution, professional-looking photos of the car so that the customers get a fair idea of the inventory.
Also, make sure that the images are original. Don’t forget to include pictures from different angles and close-ups.
Ensure to include images and mention the details of any physical damage to the vehicle. This is very important as it builds transparency between the customer and the dealerships.
You might be tempted to use stock images, but that won’t have the same impact as actual photographs of the listed car. While stock photos may be perfect, they tell nothing to the customer about the actual vehicle. Also, real pictures make you look authentic and help in building trust.
2. Add 360-degree walk-around videos and images
360-degree vehicle walkaround videos are one of the most successful VDP practices that you will ever come across. 360-degree vehicle walkarounds engage and educate the customer about both the interior and exterior of the vehicle, letting them inspect the car in a similar manner to a physical dealership visit.
In fact, 80% of customers who browse for vehicles online believe that offering 360-degree spin displays on a website reflects pretty well on the dealer’s reputation. Further, 56% of shoppers even stated that they can purchase a vehicle by checking it out via 360-degree video, without even taking a test drive!
3. Make your VDP all-inclusive in terms of vehicle details
A car is a massive purchase for many people and is usually bought just a handful of times in a lifetime. As such, many buyers put a lot of research into it, checking out multiple options. It is best that you don’t leave out any piece of the necessary information about your VDP cars. Otherwise, you risk losing buyers’ trust.
Customers would want to know each vehicle’s detail before making the purchase. This includes vehicle specs, owner history, accidents, repairs, scratches, and dents. Being detailed helps in establishing your product as a genuine one, and your site being more trustworthy.
Specify basic information like manufacturing year, make, model, and mention features like a sunroof, LED lighting, etc. Include services and maintenance packages that can help your dealership stand out – Warranties, delivery, certification, etc., are a bonus. You must include details involving vehicle damage and information matching your images.
4. Engage your buyers with unique content
User engagement is the most crucial part of online sales; the longer a shopper stays on your dealership website or marketplace, the higher their chances of making a purchase. As stated above, high-quality images and videos help a lot with that. Still, you also need to pay attention to all other aspects of your website – the vehicle description, the navigation experience, the layout of the Vehicle Display Page, etc.
A vehicle description helps the customer get as much information as possible. Ensure your description is conversational to add a human touch.
5. Pay attention to SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most important aspects of any online business. Always aim to outrank your rivals on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), so that you can direct the maximum traffic to your car dealership VDPs. You need to rank in relevant searches to have a lot of visibility. Otherwise, you’re losing potential customers.
You should also keep a list of negative keywords, to ensure that the traffic your dealership website gets is relevant. Irrelevant traffic will either bring you bad leads or no leads at all.
6. Display a Lead Form on every VDP
Lead and contact forms should be displayed on every page. Not just this, it should be easily accessible to the users without the visitor having to scroll down. Customers are less likely to fill out lengthy forms; hence keep them short and refrain from using a CAPTCHA if possible.
7. Improve your CTAs
Modifications to your site’s CTA (Call To Action) buttons, like altering the font size, color, and placement, can impact conversions on a webpage. Moreover, placing the call-to-action button above the fold boosts conversions for many sites. Use text colors in contrast with the background for maximum effect – if the backdrop is dark, use a light text color or vice versa – while keeping in line with your brand colors.
8. Display contact information
Customers should be able to reach out to you whenever they have a query. All your contact information – phone numbers, email, etc. – should be readily available. If not present on every Vehicle Detail Page, the navigation to your “Contact Us” should be easy.
Authenticity increases trust, reliability, and, ultimately, revenue. Show that there’s a real organization behind your auto dealer website by posting photos and information about your employees. Provide a detailed “About Us” page mentioning your company’s history, founders, and mission.
9. Show customer testimonials
Use customer testimonials to show social proof and gain trust. Make it easy for prospective car buyers to view testimonials and reviews from prior satisfied buyers. Display your testimonials on a prominent location like the homepage and your social media channels.
Customer reviews and testimonials about your business shouldn’t appear directly on the Vehicle Display Pages, as it might downgrade the user experience. However, you should definitely put general consumer reviews about the car on the page.
10. Reduce the risk of the purchase
Ease the mind of buyers by prominently displaying information like guarantees, warranties, maintenance packages, and service options on the car VDP. If you are a used car dealership or retailer, consider offering certified pre-owned tags with an additional warranty.
11. Be 100% transparent on your VDPs
Always work on the principle “what you see is what you get” for your digital dealership. Do not skip any necessary information, even the negative ones (like dents and damage on used cars) that might drive the price down. Withholding info is equivalent to false advertisement, which will hurt your credibility in the long run.
Create high-impact VDPs with Spyne
Creating high-quality, professional-looking car images can be an expensive and resource-intensive process. But it doesn’t have to be! Thanks to modern technology, creating high-quality visuals is relatively easy and cost-effective! Spyne’s AI-powered photoshoot and image editing platform.
Virtual studio
Shoot car pictures anywhere and virtually replace the background with a top-quality studio setting. It’s more than just background replacement; the AI does much more – color correction, life-like shadow generation, cleaning up reflection from windows and windshields, and more! Also, consistent backgrounds in all your VDP visuals help build your brand image and make your digital dealership feel more premium.
360 car spin
Elevate your Vehicle Detail Pages and increase consumer engagement with 360° car visuals. 360-degree videos help showcase a vehicle’s exterior and interior in an interactive manner. You can even add notable highlights here, like dent and damage details on the body (relevant for used cars). This helps buyers check the cars in your inventory thoroughly without the need to visit the dealership physically.
Benefits of using Spyne for creating your VDP visuals
Spyne’s AI-powered vehicle merchandising platform helps ease the cataloging process for automobile retailers.
- Faster time-to-market: Compared to traditional photography, Spyne’s AI-powered photoshoot and editing hastens up the entire cataloging process by up to 80 percent
- More affordable: As there is no need for you to build studios (or rent them) or invest in expensive photography equipment, you save costs by around 75%
- Higher conversion: High-quality car images with uniform backgrounds help build your brand, along with consumer trust in your business, resulting in better conversion
- Consistent quality: Manual photography and editing sometimes give janky results (to err is human!), which can downgrade the visual appeal of your online inventory. AI-processed images, on the other hand, have consistent quality across the board
Don’t just take our word for it; try it out yourself! Book a demo, and our team will walk you through our offerings.
Conclusion
And there you are! Armed with the information above, you can create visually appealing and engaging VDPs that generate sales lead for you and provides an excellent experience for your buyers. Remember – always use top-notch visuals – both images and videos – for the highest impact and better conversions.
