Why Vehicle Merchandising is Essential for Dealers to Succeed in 2025

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Vehicle merchandising is how a dealership presents its vehicles for sale online. It encompasses descriptions, photos, videos, and detailed vehicle information. Over the years, vehicle merchandising has evolved significantly, and now, more than ever, dealers have the opportunity to push the boundaries of how they showcase their inventory.

The Shift in Consumer Expectations

As vehicle sales transition from Baby Boomers to Gen X and Millennials, the demand for more detailed and complete online information grows. Gen Z, the next wave of car buyers, has never known a world without the internet. Consumers now research even the most basic products extensively—reading reviews, watching comparison videos, and evaluating user feedback before making a purchase. From air fryers to power banks, customers expect full transparency and comprehensive information. Leading brands understand this and incorporate reviews and extensive product details directly on their websites.

Consider Nike as an example. As a sneaker enthusiast, I admire how Nike presents its products online. They provide high-quality images of the product alone and in use, outfit inspirations, and easy-to-access reviews. They create a compelling visual story that instills confidence in buyers. This level of merchandising allows consumers to picture themselves owning and using the product, reinforcing desirability.

The Automotive Industry’s Merchandising Problem

Despite the advances in digital retail, dealerships often struggle with effective vehicle merchandising. It’s not for a lack of effort—the issue lies in resources and expertise.  A dealership’s merchandising is usually the best it can be given the overwhelming responsibilities of sales managers. The person who appraises cars, spends hours on auctions, deals with reconditioning issues with the service department, trains the sales staff, reconciles inventory, has meetings with the owners, has meetings with the sales staff, has meetings with the manufacturer, needs to complete reports after reports, helps salespeople sell, sells car him or herself and whatever other random things are thrown at them in the crazy thing we call the car world.  So it’s no wonder, and we should give them a break, that the vehicle merchandising is what it is, dismal most times.  And while we’re being honest; the managers were never trained to do merchandising.  90% of sales managers were just good salespeople who were promoted to a manager role and expected to know how to do it.  Kinda like when they hire sales people; here’s your desk, here’s the CRM, ask the other sales guys for help if you need it.  

With so much on their plates, managers typically allocate just enough time to ensure vehicles are listed online with a few photos. Unfortunately, what most dealerships call "merchandising" is the bare minimum—posting images and a generic "About Us" paragraph that does nothing to sell the actual vehicle.

The Future of Vehicle Merchandising

True merchandising is a strategic effort to engage consumers and guide them toward a purchase. It’s about answering potential buyers’ questions before they even ask. It’s about highlighting features, benefits, luxury, performance, technology, and safety through compelling visuals and narratives.

How do we transform vehicle merchandising from the bare minimum to a game-changing strategy? The answer lies in professional automotive merchandising services like those offered by PluggedIn Automotive.

PluggedIn Automotive: Elevating Dealership Merchandising

PluggedIn Automotive provides comprehensive, high-quality, engaging vehicle walkaround videos designed to captivate potential buyers. These videos go beyond static photos, delivering a dynamic, informative experience that answers consumer questions and builds excitement.

What Our Videos Do for Your Dealership:

• Make Your Vehicles Stand Out: High-quality, detailed videos showcase every feature and condition better than static images ever could.

• Pre-Sell the Vehicle Online: Answer customer questions proactively, reducing hesitation and objections.

• Increase E-Lead Engagement: Give prospects a compelling reason to act now instead of continuing their search elsewhere.

• Improve Closing Ratios: Build trust and transparency, leading to more serious buyers visiting your showroom.

• Stay Ahead of the Competition: While other dealerships rely on outdated photo sets, you’ll offer a complete, immersive vehicle experience.

Our "Secret Sauce"

Captive Audience

Our videos do what your sales team wishes they had time to do. Ranging from 11-18 minutes, they cover everything—unique features, condition, and value—so buyers get the full picture. With an average watch time of 48%, we know we have their attention.

More Than Just Pictures

The biggest mystery for used car buyers is the vehicle’s true condition. Many dealers use edited photos to present a “perfect” car, only for customers to arrive and be disappointed—leading to lost sales or difficult negotiations. Our walkaround videos eliminate surprises by showcasing imperfections honestly and positively, building trust and helping dealers close more confident buyers.

Showcasing Reconditioning Investments

Dealers invest in reconditioning, but buyers rarely recognize its value. Our videos highlight these services, demonstrating the effort and expense invested in ensuring vehicle quality and reliability. This reassures buyers that they’re making a smart purchase, backed by visible maintenance and care.

Turning Concerns into Confidence

Selling a vehicle with accident history is tricky—buyers see the CarFax report before the dealer can explain it. Not every salesperson handles these conversations effectively, leading to lost deals. Our walkaround videos proactively review the CarFax, providing expert insights that reassure buyers a minor accident is just that—minor—keeping them confident and engaged in the purchase.

The One-Take Difference

Our videos are recorded in one unedited take. That’s right—no cuts, no edits, no retakes. But why?

The one-take video brings authenticity back into the process. Consumers today seek unfiltered reviews because they value transparency. Our videos are designed to feel like a personal review of the vehicle, building trust through a natural, unscripted presentation.

Through trial and error, we tested different formats—fancy edits, slow-motion shots, captions, and voiceovers. None delivered the engagement and trust-building power of a single-take video. Once we implemented this format, dealerships saw a surge in leads, video shares, and buyer inquiries. Customers would call saying, "I just shared that car video with my husband—we want to come in tomorrow to buy it." That’s the power of real, honest merchandising.

Get PluggedIn Today

To bring this "secret sauce" to your dealership, reach out to PluggedIn Automotive today. We’ll supercharge your sales with next-level vehicle merchandising that captivates consumers and drives results.