Dealer Specialties, a division of Dominion Dealer Solutions, recently announced the national launch of C.A.R.Score, a service offering consumer-facing vehicle condition reports to dealers that will bring significant enhancements and transparency to a dealer’s digital merchandising strategy. C.A.R.Score has been tested in seven major markets, and will be available nationwide this summer.
C.A.R.Score is a report that provides car shoppers with the ability to see the current condition of a vehicle — shortening the decision-making path and ultimately the time to purchase. These condition reports show specific details that car shoppers are looking for, yet, until now, were not available online. C.A.R.Score reports assess the condition of all areas of the vehicle including instrument and control panels, interior odors, mirrors, upholstery, even the tire tread depth. Other reports only provide a look at a vehicle’s history without providing any actual condition information. By sharing this type of detail about their vehicles, dealers can instill a heightened level of buyer confidence.
“Transparency is very important to our dealership. I believe we need to be completely up front with our customers and allow the customer to come to their own conclusions in regards to the vehicles’ condition,” said one beta dealer.
C.A.R.Score offers the only full-service vehicle condition report in the market, according to the company. The reports are facilitated through Dealer Specialties, a Dominion Dealer Solutions company. Dealer Specialties currently serves over 3,000 rooftops and processes over 50,000 vehicles on a weekly basis. Dealer Specialties lot representatives have already developed over 500 C.A.R.Score reports in beta markets.
“C.A.R.Score reports offer full transparency to the consumer,” said Shane Marcum, vice president of Dealer Specialties, “Photos or other industry reports are insufficient to determine the exact condition and value of the car. Car shoppers do more of their research online and visit fewer dealerships in person. This type of report helps them scrutinize what they really want in a vehicle and maximizes their time spent traveling to dealer lots.”
To validate the initiative with the consumer base, Dealer Specialities surveyed 243 recent car buyers to gauge their reaction to C.A.R.Score. The company reports significant numbers of positive responses including:
“I love that it tells you exactly what is wrong, and what is right, with the vehicle you are looking to purchase,” said Ashley from Holden Heights, FL, a participant in the study. “This is an excellent tool to have [because] the consumer would be more willing to come and look at, test drive, or purchase the vehicle if they know all the info on the car upfront.”
The C.A.R.Score conditioning platform is now available in several major markets and will be available nationwide in the summer of 2019.
Links:
Dominion Dealer Solutions
