Using Consistent Vehicle Images To Appeal To Online Buyers

The speed at which vehicles can be advertised on car dealer websites with the use of modern software and integrated mobile apps can no doubt lead to faster sales, however it’s important to review your vehicle imagery used online to ensure your stock is being displayed as intended.

Consistency across your vehicle images is a quick and easy way to communicate that you’re a professional and trustworthy dealership to online car buyers as soon as they’ve landed on your website, instantly increasing the chances of them wanting to deal with your business.

Consider the overall layout of your stock search page where multiple vehicles are displayed to your potential buyers. The images need to help them easily view your stock and quickly decide what interests them. In order to make it visually pleasing for your prospects to be able to compare the vehicles at-a-glance, consistency really is key, so decide on the angle of your main photograph and background and ensure every car is photographed in the same way.

Mobile device cameras are more than capable of producing high-quality photos of your stock, and is a quick and easy way to take photos in comparison to using traditional digital camera equipment, which you are less likely to carry around with you like you would your phone.

If you’re running your company using a modern dealer management system, advertising vehicles on your website and with third party advertisers can be done from the forecourt as soon as a new car has arrived onsite. Using a mobile device with an app that’s integrated with your DMS also means dealers can even have new vehicles advertised online with images before they’ve returned to their desk!

However, one small detail for car dealers to keep in mind during the photo process is the image aspect ratio – the orientation of the photo. While it can be instinctive to hold your mobile device in one hand vertically when capturing stock images, car dealer websites and online advertising sites are usually designed to only accommodate landscape photos, which means you need to be holding your phone sideways for each image you take for a wide angle effect in order to take full advantage of your website’s design.

Landscape photos (also referred to as the 16×9 aspect ratio) allow more of your vehicle to appear on screen in a single image, whereas portrait photos heavily feature both the background and foreground, which can lead to your cars occupying less than half of the available image space. Your online customers might not be impressed by the presentation of your stock if they can’t clearly see the vehicle in your photos, so it is definitely worth making sure your images are visually appealing to increase your chances of an enquiry and eventual sale.

Photos taken in portrait mode can also create large amounts of empty spacing on both sides of your vehicle image when uploaded on your car dealer website or advertising portal, further limiting the visibility of your stock. They are likely to display padding bars either side, or even stretching the image to make it fit, when sites are usually optimised for landscape orientation instead.

Maintaining consistency with your stock images by sticking to the landscape 16×9 ratio for every single photo, and making sure the angle is the same for the lead image, will create a positive experience for online car buyers, who will be able to easily navigate their way through the vehicles on your website before potentially deciding to enquire about the vehicle, or even leave an online deposit to reserve the vehicle straight away.

Dragon2000 create industry-leading websites for car dealerships and garages across the UK, designed to drive the conversion of your vehicle sales and service bookings online. If you’re in the motor trade and looking to grow your business online, contact our sales team today to find out how we can help.

We have been helping car dealers and garages drive their businesses forward since 1995. Contact our sales team today by calling 01327 222 333 or emailing sales@dragon2000.co.uk to find out how Dragon2000’s dealer management system and car dealer websites can help your business increase profits and reduce costs. Our mobile apps for sales teams and workshops can also help you to save valuable time and maximise efficiencies.