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Your online VDP (Vehicle Detail Page) is either working 24/7 to sell cars, or it's sending shoppers straight to the competition. With artificial intelligence transforming how dealers present inventory online, the gap between "good enough" and "state of the art" has never been wider, or more profit-driving.
Let's cut through the hype and look at how AI for car dealerships is actually changing the game for virtual car tours and vehicle merchandising.
- What is the state of the art in dealership software?
- How does AI enhance online vehicle merchandising strategies?
- How can dealerships incorporate AI to drive sales?
- Where can I find demos of AI-powered car merchandising?
What Is the State of the Art in Dealership Software?
The current best practice in car merchandising combines several AI-powered capabilities:
AI Background Enhancement
Modern vehicle merchandising software uses artificial intelligence to remove distracting lot backgrounds and replace them with clean, professional virtual showroom settings. AI delivers consistent, dealership-quality presentation across your entire inventory.
Consistent, professional backgrounds signal to shoppers that your operation is reliable and trustworthy. When every vehicle is showcased in a premium setting, buyers perceive higher value — and that perception translates to better margins.
Automated 360° Stitching
What used to require specialized equipment and hours of manual editing now happens very quickly. AI stabilization removes any jarring motion, creating smooth rotations that let buyers focus on the vehicle instead of fighting the interface.
Intelligent Feature Hotspotting
The best systems now use VIN-level data decoding to automatically identify and highlight features that shoppers actually care about. The software creates interactive hotspots with visual and written descriptions. Shoppers understand exactly what makes each vehicle special.
How Does AI Enhance Online Vehicle Merchandising Strategies?
AI has taken virtual car tours to a different level. Here's what's different now:
Professional Virtual Showroom Backgrounds
AI doesn't just remove messy backgrounds — it replaces them with your choice of settings that make every vehicle look like it's being premiered at an auto show. Photography can happen on a rainy Tuesday afternoon with construction equipment in the background, and AI will present that vehicle in pristine conditions with your dealership logo subtly integrated.
Complete Interior and Exterior Experiences
Modern AI-powered solutions deliver virtual tours that include both exterior spins and full panoramic interior views. Shoppers can walk around the vehicle, then virtually sit in the driver's seat and look around the cabin. They can check cargo space, evaluate seat materials, examine the dashboard layout, and verify which features are present — all from their phone during their lunch break.
Quick Turnaround
Unlike older systems that required lengthy processing times, AI-powered virtual car showroom technology delivers finished spins very fast. Quick turnaround means you can merchandise incoming trade-ins immediately, getting them front and center in your digital showroom before competitors even finish their initial photos.
AI can turbo-charge the writing of vehicle descriptions, too. For example, StoryBuilder from Dealer Specialties dynamically generates vehicle stories using AI technology to provide fresh content on every VDP.
Mobile-Optimized Engagement
AI-powered 360° tours are optimized for small screens and mobile connections, giving smooth performance regardless of when and where customers access your inventory. The best systems let shoppers control rotation speed with their fingertips, zoom into specific details, and seamlessly switch between exterior and interior views.
Analytics That Drive Decisions
State-of-the-art car merchandising systems track how shoppers interact with virtual tours. You can see which vehicles get the most engagement, how long people spend exploring specific features, and which angles drive the most interest. This data helps you understand what's working and replicate that success across your entire inventory.
How Can Dealerships Incorporate AI to Drive Sales?
The most successful dealerships are weaving AI into their core vehicle merchandising strategy. Here's how:
Keep Your Workflow Intact
AI can handle the background enhancement, stitching, and optimization automatically. It should sync easily with your VDP process.
Prioritize High-Value Inventory
Start with your highest-margin units, certified pre-owned inventory, or vehicles that have been sitting longer than average. Once you see the impact on engagement and sales velocity, expanding to your entire inventory becomes an easy decision.
Choose an AI Background That Shines
Select an image that signals the quality and professionalism of your dealership and reinforces your brand identity. Include your logo.
Invest in Full Merchandising Coverage
The most effective online merchandising strategies include AI background enhancement, exterior 360° spins, interior panoramic views, intelligent hotspotting, and seamless integration into your VDP.
When these elements work together, you create an immersive experience that keeps shoppers engaged longer and drives more qualified traffic to your dealership.
Where Can I Find Demos of AI-Powered Software for Vehicle Merchandising?
The team at Dealer Specialties would be happy to walk you through DealerSpin360. This vehicle merchandising package combines AI enhancement, seamless interior and exterior tours, automated feature hotspotting, and quick turnaround.
