How innovative vehicle search can help solve the stock shortage problem

For dealers, the main story of 2021 has been one of stock shortages. Getting hold of the vehicles that customers want is difficult and sometimes impossible, meaning many inventories currently consist of the cars and vans that they have been able to acquire.

This prompts a tricky question – how do retailers reach customers with a selection of vehicles that might be older than they normally stock, often with higher mileage, from a wider range of manufacturers and outside of their usual focus? An area that we believe has been much neglected in this conversation is using new approaches to online search.

Traditional vehicle search has barely moved on since the earliest days of the internet and is largely driven by the idea that car buyers already know what they want. However, it falls down badly when customers have a much less specific or informed viewpoint, when they use language that doesn’t fit in with the search engine’s very strict parameters, or when – as we are seeing at the moment – stock is in very short supply.

We’ve been thinking about vehicle search for some time and our ideas have been realised in a product called ENGAGE, part of our new Connected Retail range. Designed to turn old school search on its head, it reflects the way in which buyers think about vehicles and recognises that they are not experts. Many don’t understand nuances between makes, models and vehicle types, and so struggle to find a solution that meets their needs. ENGAGE is structured to enable these users to narrow the search so rapidly and successfully that the best choice becomes apparent within a few clicks. 

The value of this when stock is in such short supply should be immediately apparent. A seven seat car could mean a people carrier, a large SUV, a big estate or even a mini van. Many customers will have no preconceptions about which of these will suit their needs. Traditional search will generally cut out the breadth of options straightaway – but ENGAGE will show all the possible solutions from within your inventory.

It then helps the user focus their options by effectively learning about them through the search process to refine and personalise their results. A customer might type in ‘fast car with black alloys.’ For some people, that means a Fiat 500 Abarth and for others, a Lamborghini. By looking at the type of car each user prefers, it works out which they are looking for and narrows what is shown.

ENGAGE helps match the right vehicle to the right buyer using factors such as personal preferences, practical needs and monthly budget. At a time when it is important to match every item of stock to a customer, this has very real value.