How To Get More CarGurus Reviews
Brief Overview of the Automotive Market
The automotive industry has been valued at $2.5 trillion U.S. dollars, a number that’s been steadily decreasing in the last few years as high inflation rates globally raise the cost of raw materials and restrict consumer purchasing power. This economic downturn has caused a drop in car sales, particularly for used vehicles. With fewer buyers in the market, competition for sales is high and a car dealer’s online reputation matters more than ever.
CarGurus: a Leading Platform
According to Cox Automotive, 71% of consumers prefer to take a multi-channel approach to car shopping, often beginning their car shopping journey online and ending with an in-person visit to the dealership. The vast majority of shoppers start their journey in the same place: CarGurus reviews.
CarGurus is the most visited—and one of the most trusted—digital automotive marketplace in the U.S. With a consumer-first mentality, CarGurus emphasizes transparency, which is why CarGurus reviews, also known as Car Genius reviews, hold significant weight in the automotive industry.
How CarGurus Works
History and Evolution of CarGurus
CarGurus was founded in 2006 as an automotive blog where community members could connect to discuss cars, local dealerships, and repair shops. The first CarGurus reviews were born! As CarGurus reviews grew in popularity, dealers learned about the amount of foot traffic the reviews generated and expressed interest in advertising on the site. CarGurus then decided to expand its blog to create a place where consumers could leave CarGurus dealer reviews and dealers could list their inventory and sell directly to consumers.
Overview of CarGurus’s Features and Services
CarGurus dealer reviews aren’t the only feature available on CarGurus to help shoppers on their car-buying journey. The site also allows dealers and private parties to list cars for sale, offers pricing tools to help consumers determine a car’s value, a loan calculator to estimate payments, and even provides pre-qualification services that won’t impact credit scores.
How CarGurus Simplifies the Car Buying and Selling Process
Buying and selling a car can be time-consuming. A lot of information must be gathered by both the car seller and the car buyer before a decision is made. CarGurus helps streamline the process in several ways:
- Consolidating millions of car listings into one platform so buyers can more easily find cars for sale and sellers can be more easily found.
- Providing price comparison tools that analyze data en masse to tell both sellers and buyers what a fair price is.
- Saving time by offering pre-qualification and loan estimate services. The pre-qualification process and loan services enable buyers to be more prepared when they go to the dealership so time isn’t wasted trying to get approved for a loan.
- Fostering transparency via CarGurus reviews which enables both dealers and buyers to know exactly where they stand.
How Much Does It Cost to Place an Ad on CarGurus?
Private parties can list cars for $4.95 per listing. Dealers can list their inventory for free, though there is a subscription service available for dealers interested in additional marketing opportunities.
What Is No Deal Rating on CarGurus?
Sometimes, a user may use the CarGurus pricing tool to look at a specific automobile and the website will return a No Deal Rating. This message means there is not enough data available to provide an accurate market price for the car.
How Does CarGurus Determine Value?
CarGurus uses a complex algorithm to analyze millions of car listings and their price, mileage, accident history, trim options, etc. Using this data, it can recognize comparable cars and average their prices to determine the Instant Market Value (IMV) of the car.
5 Benefits of Using CarGurus
There’s a reason why CarGurus is the most-visited online automotive marketplace. Here are the top five reasons why shoppers trust CarGurus:
CarGurus Connects Customers to Car Dealerships
CarGurus reviews allow consumers to openly discuss their experiences with dealerships in their area. These reviews help consumers get a better feel for what a dealership is really like so they’re more inclined to visit when they see the dealer’s active listings. Plus, if they have questions, they can directly contact the dealer through CarGurus.
Wide Selection of Vehicles
The site boasts having over five million active listings from locations all over the United States.
Advanced Search Filters and Customization Options
A wide selection of vehicles is great until you have to scroll through all of those car listings to find what you’re looking for. CarGurus offers advanced search filters to help users narrow down their search, then uses mathematical algorithms to return the most relevant car listings.
Transparency and Reliability in Listings
CarGurus prides itself on being a consumer-first company and prioritizes transparency. Because of that, CarGurus does not feature paying customers’ vehicles above the rest. Instead, car listings are always ordered with the best deals listed first.
Access to Expert Reviews and Guidance
A feature that sets CarGurus apart from other sites is its question-and-answer forum where consumers can instantly connect with auto experts and receive buying guidance. That combined with CarGurus reviews means consumers never have to feel alone on their car-buying journey.
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How To Get More Reviews on CarGurus
Now that you’ve seen how valuable CarGurus is to shoppers, you can understand why having positive CarGurus reviews is so important to your business. There are several things you can do to inspire customers to leave you more reviews on CarGurus and expand your dealer’s reach.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
Don’t underestimate the value of superior customer service. In today’s market, the customer experience is everything. Customers who have fantastic, memorable experiences with your dealership are more likely and willing to leave you a review.
Make it Easy to Leave a Review
Buyers who contact you about a listing via CarGurus will receive two email invitations from CarGurus to leave a review for your dealership. Be sure to point this out to consumers and emphasize how little time it takes to click that link and leave a CarGurus review.
Offer Incentives
This could be a financial incentive such as a discount or even a service that brings them back to your dealership (like a free car wash or oil change with proof of review submission).
Respond to All Reviews—Even the Negative Reviews
CarGurus reviews allow car dealers to submit responses to published reviews. Take the time to respond to all of them, the good and the bad. This shows shoppers you’re invested in them and care about their opinions.
Ask for Reviews at the Right Time
Customers are more inclined to submit a review when the timing is convenient for them. If they’re in a rush or eager to knock a task off their list, asking for a review will only annoy and frustrate them. Time it right. Answer their question and provide them with the assistance they need, then ask for a review when they’re most satisfied with the service provided.
Use Email and Social Media
These are great channels for communicating with past, current, and future customers. Quick responses to both communication methods can go a long way in boosting your dealership’s reputation online. They’re also great ways to ask for reviews and promote any incentives you may be offering in exchange for a review.
Follow Up with Customers
A timely follow-up can have a significant impact not just on your online reputation, but also on your bottom line—particularly when you follow up and another car dealer doesn’t. Follow-ups are also a great time to remind customers how much you appreciate them and their honest reviews.
3 Tips for Selling on CarGurus
As you add your inventory to CarGurus’ marketplace, there are things you can do to help you be more successful at selling vehicles. Be sure to keep these three tips in mind:
Create a Compelling Listing
Buyers will be browsing through multiple new and used car listings. Think about what will make your listing stand out from the several other million listings on CarGurus.
Set a Fair Price
Especially in today’s market where budgets are tight, price is extremely important to potential buyers. Be sure to price your car listings competitively so they show up at the top of search results as one of the best deals in the area.
Respond to Inquiries Quickly
Effective communication is arguably the most important thing to remember when posting on CarGurus. Dealers can lose out on sales by not responding quickly enough to interested buyers who heard back from competing sellers in a shorter amount of time. A lack of responsiveness can also prompt users to post a negative CarGurus review noting your slow response rate, so be sure to stay on top of your communication so no potential sales fall through the cracks.
Improve your CarGurus Reviews with Podium
If you’re frustrated by the number of reviews you’re currently getting (or lack thereof), Podium can help! Podium’s AI-powered tools streamline and automate the review request process so you always ask for a review at the right time.
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