ATLANTA — Autotrader, which became the first nationwide online car shopping site more than 20 years ago, will undergo a dramatic transformation throughout 2018, resulting in a faster, more personalized online shopping experience that delivers true price confidence for today’s consumers, the company announced.  

These enhancements also will result in more engagement, higher quality leads and actual car sales for Autotrader’s dealer clients, according to Jessica Stafford, the company’s senior vice president and general manager.

“Car shoppers have set clear expectations of how they like to shop and transact online: to have a trusted and transparent experience that’s fast and enjoyable,” Stafford said. “At Autotrader, we’ve made bigger, smarter and bolder investments to create a more modern and complete digital shopping experience that will improve site satisfaction with consumers and generate more opportunities for dealers to connect with local, ready-to-buy shoppers.”

The list of planned enhancements includes:

• Seamless shopping across devices:Shopping all the cars on Autotrader will be “easier than ever before” with a sleek new look that is consistent across desktop, tablet and mobile, offering faster loading times and a more efficient shopping journey that connects more consumers with the cars they want to buy.

• Price confidence with Kelley Blue Book Price Advisor:Autotrader will be the only third-party car shopping site to feature the Kelley Blue Book Fair Market Range on all eligible vehicle inventory listings, giving car shoppers the confidence to purchase with expert, up-to-date and data-driven pricing information from the industry’s most trusted resource.

• Online dealmaking: Autotrader plans to provide new opportunities to move shoppers from searching to buying when they are ready, empowering consumers to start the deal online, reducing the time it takes to complete the purchase and making it faster and easier than ever for dealers to close sales.

• Refined search experience: A modernized search experience to drive relevance and speed — up to 25% faster — will sort listings by shopper search criteria, previous shopping history, and a combination of distance, value and merchandising. Increased user engagement and enhanced inventory results should help shoppers find what they are looking for sooner, connecting them to nearby dealers. 

• Personalized shopper content: Autotrader plans to leverage the power of Cox Automotive data to provide every visitor with a personalized, frictionless experience that will help them find the right car and feel confident in their choice.

The new Autotrader will go live this month with the launch of a new, mobile-first homepage, and will undergo a staged rollout throughout the calendar year.