CDK Global, an enabler of end-to-end automotive commerce, has announced several website feature enhancements to offer greater dealer control which will be on display next week at the Digital Dealer 24 Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla.
Dealers using CDK websites have flexibility to merchandise inventory in a way that supports its unique business strategies, which is generating positive results, the company stated. Average dealer leads from CDK websites increased 57 percent year-over-year, based on the migration to the CDK platform.
Advanced website editing tools have also been added. CDK Slide Studio is a new website tool designed to make managing dealer, model, and OEM content in hero slides faster and more efficient. Visual Content Editor is a website management tool to streamline the editing process and provide more editing choices to make site changes.
The CDK platform is built with a mobile-first structure so that content is included on both mobile and desktop sites without additional work or code changes.
“Dealers using our responsive platform are well positioned to realize positive outcomes as Google moves to mobile-first indexing, and we are excited to see the results,” said Max Steckler, VP of product management at CDK Global. “We have been listening to our dealers, and they have asked us to make things easier to manage and give them more control within the website tool. We have delivered on those requests, and the early feedback has been very positive.”
“I’ve been impressed with the recent changes and updates from CDK based on dealer requests and feedback,” said Chris K. Leslie, digital manager at Henderson Chevrolet and Fairway Chevy, Buick GMC. “Slide Studio has been an amazing addition to Dealer Command Center. The studio makes adding new slides a breeze, and the ability to drag and drop the slide order is a big-time saver. Other enhancements, like video backgrounds and new inventory search results display layouts, give me many more options to customize my site, and I’ve seen measurable performance gains as a result.”
In addition to improving editing tools, CDK has also rolled out several enhanced design features:
- Embedded videos are supported as a background option across dealer sites.
- Background images can be placed on Vehicle Detail Pages (VDP), reducing white space and providing additional customization and differentiation options.
- VDP displays the number of models left in stock and is customizable, allowing dealers to specify the maximum number of vehicles to show.
- Vehicle Search Results (VSR) page layouts accommodate up to four columns of vehicle listings in “baseball card” style, featuring the high-level details of vehicles.
- The mathbox features a new design, font and color options, plus the option to collapse offers within the mathbox. This displays side by side with specifications on the VDP, giving dealers the ability to highlight specials and incentives
CDK was recognized by PCG Companies, a distinguished leader in dealership education, consulting, and in-depth product research, with two Automotive Website Awards late last month at the NADA Show 2018.
“This year, PCG recognized CDK Global with two awards for their Enterprise Class websites and Digital Advertising platform,” said Brian Pasch, founder PCG Companies. “The features and capabilities of the latest product line from CDK is impossible to replicate from a single vendor. Their development teams have done an amazing job to leapfrog the competition in many key performance areas.”