This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in April 2012
The NHTSA standard for VIN assignment is applied to all motorized vehicles, motorcycles, and trailers that travel on the roads, streets and highways of the US. However, the NHTSA has no jurisdiction over recreational vehicles not intended to ever be driven on a street or highway.
These "off-road" recreational vehicles are hugely popular and account for millions of purchases and tens of millions of vehicles in use in the US every year. As a result, there is a need to decode and identify these vehicles for initial sales and marketing efforts, resale, registration, insurance, and taxation.
Are these vehicles able to be VIN decoded using the same principles and decoders used for light-duty and passenger vehicles? The answer is a solid... maybe.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Automotive Data,
Vehicle,
VIN,
Powersports
It’s one thing to consistently drive traffic to your website, but it’s another thing to keep them engaged. This is where your website’s user experience (UX) is crucial.
The UX on your auto listing or dealership website should take the stress out of vehicle shopping and make it easy for consumers to find their next vehicle. If you’re finding that your website isn’t getting as much traction as you’d hoped, conversion rates are low, or overall vehicle sales are low, it may be time to reassess the UX on your website.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Dealers,
Vehicle Shopping
85-90% of auto shoppers conduct online research, according to a MillwardBrown study. And 64% of online vehicle shoppers compare different models as part of the process, according to a recent study commissioned by Cox Automotive. Still many auto listing and dealership websites do not offer a comparison
tool,
or have buried it on their website.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Automotive Data,
Dealers,
Vehicle Shopping
The vast majority of consumers today shop online. There's no shortage of great websites and online tools for searching, researching, and comparing various products. Most of them work equally as well from a desktop computer or mobile device. The key factor to success for many of these websites and tools is a top-notch user interface (UI) that's intuitive and allows each consumer to create their own shopping experience.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Vehicle Shopping
Over the years, online vehicle shopping has grown in popularity. For many consumers, it’s an easy way to educate themselves on current vehicle makes, models, and features, as well as what they should pay for each vehicle before ever stepping foot in the dealership. Still, there is plenty of room for improving the online vehicle shopping experience.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Automotive Technology,
Vehicle Equipment,
Dealers,
Vehicle Shopping
According to Google, the majority of vehicle shoppers use digital channels during their research. Most of these online vehicle shoppers use more than one website before deciding on the vehicle they want to purchase. Let's look at ways to make these visitors convert.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Mobile,
Dealers
A study from GE Capital Retail Bank in 2013 found that 81 percent of consumers research products online before making a big purchase decision. This percent is expected to continue to grow as consumers become more comfortable with the integrity of online information along with the readily available product information. From clothing to electronics to large appliances, shoppers are using the internet to make smarter decisions before opening their wallets.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Marketing,
VIN
Thinking about trying your hand at creating the next great inventory listing portal? Make sure your plan for displaying inventory has all your bases covered by checking out our infographic!
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
VIN,
Vehicle Equipment
Online quotes have revolutionized the world of car insurance, by providing multiple quotes, quickly, from different carriers. This has created an environment where consumers shop around for the lowest premium possible and may do so as frequently as once or twice a year. As a result, there is a consistent demand for online quoting, both from the insurers directly as well as from third party sites that provide quote comparison tools, and an increase in competition.
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Topics:
Auto Portals,
Automotive Data,
Vehicle,
VIN,
Insurance,
Auto Manufacturers
After nearly three decades of production, Suzuki has announced its departure from the U.S. automotive market. Suzuki first began manufacturing automobiles for the U.S. market in 1985 and will stop selling automobiles once their current supply runs out. They will however continue to produce motorcycles, ATV’s, and watercraft here in the U.S.
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Topics:
Support,
Auto Portals,
Automotive Data,
Vehicle,
Marketing,
Auto Manufacturers,
Automotive,
Dealers
