Autotrader News

Autotrader News: Free SMS & a New App

2020 has been a year of huge developments and news on the Autotrader platform.

Free SMS In February, SMS leads were introduced as another way for consumers to contact dealers. The Autotrader 2019 research study ‘Connect’ found that 41% of car buyers under the age of 44 considered SMS an important contact method. Since the launch there’s been a 451% increase in SMS leads through Autotrader and CarsGuide. New app In July the new Autotrader app was launched, providing buyers with a more engaging and sleek experience. With a grid layout, more listings are visible to the user and information of importance to the consumer is prioritised.

Lead status and updates Following dealer feedback, Autotrader released a number of new features to the Autotrader Dealer Hub that will assist dealers with efficiency and lead management. The Dealer Hub can now: • Allocate a status to each lead from a drop down menu to easily see its status at a glance and filter out any closed leads so that the only leads in play are viewable. • Apply notes to add detail around the customer’s vehicle requirements, budget, trade-in, and maintain history of discussions and next steps. • Filter by status or keywords in notes to quickly and easily get the information that you need. All of these features are free of charge. New UX In September the new Autotrader UX was released. After months of planning and testing the new format highlights to our buyers the quantity of stock we have available, increases exposure that dealers get for their vehicles, improves lead conversion rates for dealers and makes it easier to use and understand for buyers.