Click Dealer has opened more than 120,000 vehicles from independent dealerships to ChatGPT searches, creating a new route for buyers to discover stock without entering an online marketplace.
Its new ChatGPT plugin allows consumers to describe the vehicle they need using everyday language, including their budget, family requirements, preferred fuel type and intended use.
It then searches live dealer inventory for suitable vehicles and displays relevant results within the ChatGPT conversation.
Dealers retain the customer journey
Customers selecting a vehicle are directed to the dealer’s own website rather than another marketplace page.
This allows the dealership to retain control of the next stage of the buying journey through its branding, vehicle information and lead conversion tools.
Paul Saggar, chief innovation officer at Click Dealer parent Centeca, said: “AI is changing where consumers begin the search for their next car, but for retailers, the important question is where the customer goes next.
“The Click Dealer plugin gives consumers a straightforward way to describe what they need and identify relevant live vehicles. Rather than adding another marketplace step, it takes them to the dealer’s own website, keeping the next stage of the journey between the customer and the retailer.”
The plugin forms part of Click Dealer AI and is the first stage of Dealer in a Box Reach, which extends Click Dealer’s existing digital retail proposition into customer acquisition.
The original Dealer in a Box service combines dealer websites, finance and digital retail technology. The new Reach element is intended to connect consumers with relevant stock before they make a conventional dealer enquiry.
A more connected route
Saggar said: “The industry has invested heavily in making vehicles visible online. The next opportunity is to help consumers make sense of that choice and connect them more directly with the retailer capable of completing the journey.
“By bringing together the capabilities within Centeca, our longer-term ambition is to create a more connected route from AI-led vehicle discovery through to the dealer’s own digital retail experience, finance and affordability. That has the potential to create a more confident customer and a more meaningful sales opportunity for the retailer.”
Users can search for Click Dealer in ChatGPT’s Plugins Directory and select the option to connect it. The plugin can then be invoked during a ChatGPT conversation without downloading separate software.
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