The consumer journey for car‑buyers is changing fast; and for retailers, the pressure to keep pace has never been greater. In our recent webinar, experts from Keyloop, RRG Group, and Phyron explored what the rise of AI, new customer expectations, and a rapidly shifting digital landscape mean for retailers today.
From the future of search to the importance of high‑quality merchandising, and from rising acquisition costs to improving lead quality, here are the key takeaways from the session.
Start driving the type of traffic that makes you (and your customers) happy
AI is transforming how customers research, and what they expect when they land on your site.
Consumers are embracing AI tools at remarkable speed, and this behaviour is reshaping the entire research journey.
As Rob Best, Keyloop’s Marketing Services SEO Manager highlighted, AI‑powered search is now influencing:
- Where customers start their car-buying journey — moving beyond Google into tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and CoPilot.
- How they compare and research vehicles — with faster, deeper, more specific insights and more personalised recommendations.
- The length of the buying funnel — which is becoming increasingly non‑linear and much shorter.
Every consumer is diversifying how they search online today, and that means that retailers have to act fast to stay ahead of the curve. The good news is that you don’t have to totally overhaul your existing SEO strategy. According to Google’s John Mueller; “Good SEO is good GEO”. The two are intrinsically linked.
Even better news, is that your customers now arrive on your websites better informed, and more decisive. The car buying funnel has evolved. This means retailers are laying the foundations for high-intent leads with higher expectations for clarity, transparency, and seamless digital journeys.
To learn more about SEO in the age of AI, take a look at our recent blog post here.
Traditional attribution is disappearing and acquisition costs are rising
With 60% of customers rejecting cookie tracking, dealers are losing visibility of what’s driving traffic and leads. At the same time:
- Automotive acquisition costs are 4x higher than other industries.
- Sales teams lose significant time chasing low‑intent leads.
- Valuable website traffic often goes unconverted due to friction or unclear journeys.
Retailers who succeed will be those who meet customers online with consistent, trustworthy, and engaging experiences, and who can track meaningful activity without relying on third‑party cookies.
High‑quality merchandising builds trust and boosts conversions
Vehicle presentation has become crucial.
Customers face inconsistent imagery, low‑quality listings, and unclear specs across different platforms. Retailers who invest in:
- Clear, consistent, high‑quality visuals
- Well‑structured listings and features
- Short, engaging vehicle videos
- Connected vehicle information and EV tools
Are able to move shoppers through the journey quicker and with greater confidence.
Video is proving particularly powerful; bringing emotion and storytelling back into what can otherwise feel like a flat digital experience.
Lead quality is more important than lead volume
With rising costs and shifting expectations, retailers must rethink what a “good” lead looks like.
A strong enquiry now is one where the customer has:
- Meaningfully engaged with the retailer’s content
- Explored inventory or personalised options
- Built enough confidence to take a significant next step (reserve, test drive, configure, finance check)
As the panel agreed, retailers shouldn’t force premature form submissions. Instead, the goal is to let customers self‑qualify; offering the tools, transparency, and flexibility to move at their own pace.
Third‑party marketplaces still matter; but must be balanced wisely
Third‑party platforms remain an important part of the ecosystem, but retailers should:
- Monitor ROI carefully
- Understand where cold or time‑wasting leads are coming from
- Ensure deep links drive shoppers back to their own website
- Avoid relying solely on channels they can’t fully control
The winning strategy is a balanced mix of OEM leads, marketplaces, and the retailer’s own channels with increasing focus on strengthening the retailer’s organic and direct presence.
How to remove friction and convert more customers
We showcased how Acquisition Hub brings the full customer journey together from initial research to reservation:
- Unified SEO‑friendly vehicle data from Vehicle Hub
- Rich merchandising, including Phyron video integrations
- EV calculators, total cost of ownership tools, and updated UX
- A connected e‑commerce engine with reservations, valuations, finance applications, and test drive bookings
- A fully connected self-service account layer for saved vehicles, quotes, and automated notifications
- Marketing automation and AI chatbot solutions such as AIME to support real‑time customer engagement
Retailers using Acquisition Hub see:
- 20–40% improvements in conversion
- 34% increases in website transactions after platform upgrades
- Significant reductions in cost per lead, particularly when combined with Marketing Services
How to close the conversion gap in the age of AI
The automotive digital landscape is evolving rapidly, and retailers must evolve with it. AI‑driven research, rising acquisition costs, and disappearing attribution have created new challenges, but also huge opportunities.
The retailers who will win are those that:
- Show up consistently across platforms
- Deliver transparent, high‑quality digital journeys
- Remove friction and empower customers to self‑qualify
- Build trust through clear information and rich merchandising
- Connect every step of the journey with the right technology
Acquisition Hub is designed to help retailers do exactly that; reducing wasted spend, improving lead quality, and turning more browsers into buyers.
If you’d like to learn more about how Acquisition Hub can support your business, then make sure you catch the full webinar recording.
