SOME DEALERS OFFER LOWER PRICES ON INTERNET

Shopping price online

January 31, 2005—Some dealers offer a lower prices on their Web sites than in their stores, says a new dealer survey by Cars.com. It also found that most dealers update their online inventory several times a week; 60 percent check their inventory weekly for accuracy and 40 percent daily.

Dealerships rank photos as the most important marketing element; 83 percent agree that multiple photos drive high-quality traffic—but only 63 percent have them. Another gap: 90 percent say it’s important for the vehicle photos to include a dealership sign or logo, but only 60-some percent do that.

Dealers also say 39 percent of their walk-in traffic comes from visitors to third-party Web sites. Most dealers say they have reached new buyers with the Internet, whether it’s more buyers in their current market or in areas farther away, said Cars.com vice president of network sales Alex Vetter.