- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
As Autotrader.com rolled out their new VDP display, they've added what they coined around the AutoTrader offices as BOB.
Big Orange Button.
Through studies and research, AutoTrader claimed to conclude that many consumers would visit the website of the dealership after finding the VDP of the vehicle of interest on AutoTrader.com.
Rather disturb the natural browsing habits of the consumer, AutoTrader figured they would not stand in the way of the shopper but rather make it easier for the consumer to get where they were going to end up anyways - on the dealership website.
This is how BOB was born.

After having the privilege in attending their national sales meeting and having the opportunity to see first hand some of the new products and offerings, I was able to see the value in BOB. Backed with the data and insights, it was obvious this was a great idea for AutoTrader to link the consumer to the dealership website right from the VDP. It made total sense and what dealer would be against getting in market shoppers straight to your dealers website? PLUS - this add an extra value to AutoTrader.
Has BOB made any difference? Let's see....

Looking at the report above from my Google analytics account, we are seeing an increase in direct referral traffic from AutoTrader.com. Although, I really thought we would have seen higher increase in referral traffic. Not totally disappointed but was expecting more.
Yes, there are several factors that can sway these results...
I used my Toyota dealer for reference here. The inventory is consistent and the VDP views during this reported time frame kept a nice consistent average as well.
Conclusion: We've seen a slight increase in referring traffic since AutoTrader.com adding BOB but not the increase I had initially thought we would get.
What has BOB done for you?
Big Orange Button.
Through studies and research, AutoTrader claimed to conclude that many consumers would visit the website of the dealership after finding the VDP of the vehicle of interest on AutoTrader.com.
Rather disturb the natural browsing habits of the consumer, AutoTrader figured they would not stand in the way of the shopper but rather make it easier for the consumer to get where they were going to end up anyways - on the dealership website.
This is how BOB was born.

After having the privilege in attending their national sales meeting and having the opportunity to see first hand some of the new products and offerings, I was able to see the value in BOB. Backed with the data and insights, it was obvious this was a great idea for AutoTrader to link the consumer to the dealership website right from the VDP. It made total sense and what dealer would be against getting in market shoppers straight to your dealers website? PLUS - this add an extra value to AutoTrader.
Has BOB made any difference? Let's see....

Looking at the report above from my Google analytics account, we are seeing an increase in direct referral traffic from AutoTrader.com. Although, I really thought we would have seen higher increase in referral traffic. Not totally disappointed but was expecting more.
Yes, there are several factors that can sway these results...
I used my Toyota dealer for reference here. The inventory is consistent and the VDP views during this reported time frame kept a nice consistent average as well.
Conclusion: We've seen a slight increase in referring traffic since AutoTrader.com adding BOB but not the increase I had initially thought we would get.
What has BOB done for you?
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