According to the 2021 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, car buyers spent five hours and 22 minutes researching and shopping for a new car online. When the car shortage hit, dealership websites saw higher online traffic according to the 2021 study.
Dealership websites can be important resources for buyers looking for the specs, pricing and other details of their favorite vehicles. Photos and more immersive experiences also can aid the buyer’s journey. Dealerships often include online photo slideshows of new makes/models, and these visual experiences can show the interior and exterior of models. The best inside car stock photos for online marketing experiences, though, include these photo options:
- Panorama spin photos
- Interior full stills sets
- Base trim libraries
What are Panorama Spin Photos and Why Should Dealerships Include them Online?
Inside car stock photos can be standard imagery or interactive. For dealerships that want to engage site visitors, immersive and interactive photos can be included on a car model’s page to encourage exploration and keep visitors on the site.
Panorama spin photos are stock photos that include a 3D depiction of the interior of the vehicle. These photos are interactive and designed to allow buyers to explore and better understand the interior of their favorite models.
Site visitors use a fingertip (for digital devices like a smartphone or a tablet) or their mouse to look around the vehicle. A panorama spin photo allows car shoppers to explore the vehicle’s interior in a full 360 degrees. In addition, site visitors can even look up at a moon roof or other detail.
These photos can be integrated on a model’s page and stand alone as an interactive on-page experience. However, dealerships also could include them within a slideshow of the vehicle. Dealerships should note with the photograph that the image is a panorama spin image to ensure that shoppers know they can explore it.
Interior Full Stills Set
EVOX Images includes an extensive library of full stills images for each vehicle model. The stills library includes interior and exterior images of the model, and dealerships might choose a few of these images to include online.
However, dealerships also could include an extensive slideshow that shows many images of the interior. While buyers might want to see a few images and angles of the exterior, some might be focused on the interior details.
EVOX Images offers inside car stock photos that show the infotainment screen, gear shifts, and many other details of the car’s interior. Choose the photos that help tell the car’s full visual story, and dealerships probably want to choose some photos that depict the back seat space(s). If the model offers three rows of seats, choose photos that help buyers understand the space and features of each row of seating.
Base Trim Library
It isn’t uncommon to go onto dealership or manufacturer websites and see a model only to learn that the model is priced much higher than the base trim. This means that the image shows an upgraded version of the model. Unfortunately, buyers who are looking only for the least expensive option (the base trim) might not have any idea as to what the base looks like and what it offers inside.
Dealerships can ease the frustration of car shoppers by including photos of the base trim of models. EVOX Images offers a library of images that show only the base trim for a particular model. This base trim library includes exterior and interior photos to help buyers understand what features they can expect out of the most budget friendly trim level.
Exploring Vehicles in Augmented Reality
Dealerships that want to heighten the user experience (UX) online also could integrate augmented reality experiences into their website. These experiences can help buyers experience a virtual walkaround of their favorite models or even look inside the car.
Augmented reality is becoming more popular for car brands and dealerships, too. As younger generations become the targeted demographic, more brands and dealerships also could embrace these experiences.
What’s so impactful about augmented reality? This technology lets car shoppers use their smartphone or a tablet to capture any space in their environment and preview a vehicle in this space. Augmented reality superimposes digital graphics over a real world environment; many auto brands use augmented reality technology to create car preview experiences.
Once the user selects their preferred space in their environment, the augmented reality experience will drop in a digital 3D depiction of a particular model. Some augmented reality experiences let the user walk around the car, using their device to navigate the experience. Others, though, enable the user to look inside a vehicle or even change the paint trim of the model.
For dealerships that are interested in creating augmented reality car showrooms or experiences, EVOX Images offer a library of images that are compatible with augmented reality and/or virtual reality. Check out all the images to create the ideal high-tech immersive experience.
Dealerships Can Integrate Video Content Online, Too
Some buyers prefer videos to standard imagery. Videos can be added to dealership websites to create virtual tours of vehicles or help buyers understand the features of their favorite models via narrated details.
Videos also can create a simple way for buyers to preview a model. EVOX Images offers a variety of video options; some are short while others are more detailed. These videos also could be integrated in ads or shared on social media.
For dealerships that want to include video content that helps buyers understand the interior features of a vehicle, EVOX Images’ Editorial Videos might be the best option. Dealerships can check out all the video options to find the content that meets their marketing or advertising needs.
Should Dealerships Snap Their Own Interior Photos?
Dealerships might look for ways to save marketing dollars, and snapping their own photos of their inventory might seem like a money-saving option. While DIY or custom photos might be the best choice for used inventory, new cars might be best captured via professional stock photos.
Since new models can include upgraded features or new options, stock photos are the best choice to capture the interior and exterior of these new vehicles and provide website visitors the highest quality images to better understand and explore their favorite models. Car stock photos are high-resolution images that won’t distort if car shoppers need to zoom in.
However, DIY photos might be blurry when enlarged. If a photographer isn’t experienced at snapping car photos, they also might not capture the details buyers want to see. Car stock images let dealerships choose all the details and features of every make and model that they want to show their customers.
In addition, creating interactive experiences might not be easy if dealerships decide to tackle photography as a DIY project. When using EVOX Images for car photography assets, dealerships have access to interactive photo experiences like interior panorama images and even imagery that is compatible with augmented reality experiences.
When showcasing the interior of new cars, using inside car stock photos is the best option to ensure the highest quality visual experience for websites or when these photos are used in ads and social media content. Check out all the car stock images available via EVOX Images to create the best shopping experience for customers.