When browsing for a new or used vehicle at a dealership, the first thing consumers tend to examine is the window sticker and buyer’s guides on the vehicle’s window. Especially with window stickers being required for new vehicles under the Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958[1] and buyer’s guides being required for used vehicles under the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Used Car Rule[2], it has become standard practice for dealers to create and display both in today’s fast-paced retailing landscape.

Whether it’s the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), the make, model, year, or other important purchasing and warranty information, window stickers and buyer’s guides have been crucial to the automotive retail process for decades to help the consumer completely understand the vehicle they may be thinking of purchasing.

However, current window stickers and buyer’s guides simply do not represent the look and feel of the modern dealership, which is why an end-to-end software solution is needed now to help dealers list and sell their vehicles faster.

What’s Wrong with Current Window Stickers and Buyer's Guides?

As many consumers find it helpful to see the window sticker and buyer’s guide before purchasing the vehicle, one of the main issues has been exactly that, in which the printer paper material the window stickers and buyer’s guides are typically printed on can’t even stick to the outside of the vehicle window and at most times are impossible to read due to tinted windows or the sun’s glare.

More so, window stickers and buyer’s guides don’t even communicate the dealership’s brand with custom designs or provide additional mobile-responsive features, like a scannable Quick Response (QR) code that links to the Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) if the consumer wants to learn more about the vehicle from the dealership’s website, including viewing exterior and interior photos and videos.

With vehicle shoppers spending 59% of their time online researching, including a majority looking for the price of the vehicle (71%)[3], dealers need to be aware of today’s modern software solutions available to not only satisfy window sticker and buyer’s guide generation, but also make it easier for today’s mobile-forward consumer to understand more about the vehicle being sold, whether they visit the dealership in-person or browse online.

The New Standard for Window Sticker and Buyer's Guide Generation

To help advance all aspects of the automotive merchandising process, dealers need to have access to software that can easily be accessed from a mobile device, like an iPad, to help streamline window sticker and buyer’s guide generation. Through multiple features that a digital solution can provide on the window stickers and buyer’s guides, the dealer will immediately save both time and money.

For example, digital generation can change the material of the window stickers and buyer’s guides can be changed to stick on the outside of the window and be weatherproof, so the dealer does not have to waste precious time retrieving the vehicle’s keys to add the sticker on the window. This ultimately makes it easier for the consumer to read the information displayed.

Additionally, window stickers and buyer’s guides created through a digital platform can be seen in full color with dealer-branded designs, and have the capabilities of adding a scannable QR code or even a text/lead production feature of potential buyers to be sent directly to the dealer’s business development center (BDC).

There are many other features dealers can explore with their window stickers and buyer’s guides, but the new standard in generating them should come from one device that is in-house to the dealership, without having to use a different application or rely on a separate vendor, while remaining compliant with federal law.

About The Author:  Peter Duffy is the Founder/CEO of Dealer Image Pro™, a professional photo, video, and 360° software company based in California. Dealer Image Pro helps hundreds of dealers take their merchandising in-house by offering the equipment, unlimited training, professional editing, and quality control for all of the dealers they work with. They are experts in-house merchandising and studio design for auto dealers. For more information visit Auto Dealer Photo, Video, 360 & Window Sticker Software - Photo...

[1]https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/automobiles/04MONRONEY.html#:~:t....

[2] https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-....

[3] https://v12data.com/blog/25-amazing-statistics-on-how-consumers-sho...