Lead Conversion Beyond the Industry Average: Does a Trade-In Tool on VDPs Increase Lead Conversion?

• Mike puts the industry average for internet lead conversion at 5%, which means most shoppers on a dealer website leave without raising their hand.

• The vehicle detail page (VDP) is where shoppers are already asking what their trade is worth, so that is where the trade tool needs to be.

• A trade tool that slides out on the VDP, takes a few seconds of information, and returns a number gives the shopper a reason to engage.

• In Mike's words, timely, accurate information is the currency to gain people's trust, and trust is what turns a website visitor into a lead.

• MOTO(convert) puts instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking on the dealer website, along with the free buying power tool.

Every dealer pays to drive traffic to the website, and most of that traffic leaves without saying a word. Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), puts it bluntly: the industry average on internet lead conversion is 5%. So the real question for a GM or used car manager is simple. Does a trade-in tool on VDPs increase lead conversion, or is it just another widget on an already crowded page?

Mike's answer comes from what he has seen across MOTO(acquire) stores: "We've had fantastic results." The reason is not complicated. It comes down to where the shopper is and what they want to know at that moment.

Does a trade-in tool on VDPs increase lead conversion?

Think about the shopper's path. They are on a particular car, the VDP as we say in this business. They like the vehicle. And almost every one of them has the same next question: what is my trade worth?

If the website cannot answer that question right there, the shopper goes somewhere else to find out. Maybe they never come back. A trade tool on the VDP answers the question at the exact moment it gets asked, which is why it moves the needle on lead conversion.

Mike describes how it works on the page: "The little thing slides out. You put a few seconds of information in and it spits out a number." No hunting for a separate trade page, no long form before the shopper gets anything back. The shopper gives a little, gets something real, and now you have a conversation started.

Why the VDP is the right place for the trade conversation

Most dealer websites treat the trade as a separate destination. There is a "Value Your Trade" link in the menu, and shoppers have to leave the car they are looking at to find it. That breaks the moment.

When the trade tool lives on the VDP, the trade and the purchase stay tied together. The shopper sees the car they want and what their current vehicle is worth in the same place. For the store, that is a lead with a specific vehicle of interest and a trade attached, which is exactly the kind of lead your desk wants to work.

• The shopper is already engaged with a specific unit.

• The trade question is already on their mind, so you are answering it instead of interrupting them.

• The ask is small: a few seconds of information in exchange for a number.

Timely, accurate information is the currency of trust

This is the part Mike keeps coming back to: "Timely, accurate information is the currency to gain people's trust." Shoppers have been burned by websites that promise a value and then make them jump through hoops, or hand them a number that falls apart the minute they walk in.

A trade tool only improves your dealer website conversion rate if the shopper believes the number. Timely means they get it right away, on the page they are already on. Accurate means it holds up when your used car manager looks at the car. Get both right and you earn the trust that turns a visitor into a lead. Miss either one and you are just collecting contact info from people who will not answer the phone.

That is the difference between a tool that gets more leads from a dealer website and a tool that just gets more form fills.

How MOTO(convert) handles the VDP trade-in

MOTO(convert) is the MOTO(acquire) website trade tool built around this idea. It gives shoppers instant valuations, lets them request a firm offer, and keeps them engaged afterward with monthly value tracking. It also includes the free buying power tool, so shoppers can see what they can afford alongside what their trade is worth.

Instant valuations and firm offer requests live in the same flow, so a shopper who starts with a quick number can move to a firm offer without starting over. Hundreds of dealers use MOTO(acquire) to acquire more used vehicles from the traffic they already have.

If you want to dig deeper into what is working on dealer websites, browse more videos on dealer website conversion.

The bottom line

If your website is converting at the industry average, most of your shoppers are leaving with an unanswered question about their trade. Put the answer on the VDP, make it fast, make it accurate, and give them a reason to trust you with the next step.