Sell used cars online: professional vehicle presentation is a must

Anyone who wants to sell their used car via the
Internet often uses online portals such as mobile.de and
autoscout24.de. Since these sales platforms are visited daily by countless car
dealers and private car buyers, he can sell his
vehicle there within a short time. In order to achieve the best possible price, however, he
needs a successful vehicle presentation. This applies equally to
car dealerships and private advertisers. Because on mobile.de
alone more than 1.4 million cars are offered daily.

Why high-quality photos are so important
for online sales

Prospective buyers looking for the right car on the
Internet are dependent on good photos because
they cannot personally view the vehicle there. They infer its technical
condition from the
external impression the car makes on the photo. It is therefore important that the car appears in a positive light. The pictures published in
the listing act as the first point
of contact between the advertiser and the potential car buyer. They are the only
way to evoke positive emotions in the latter. High-quality
images that show the vehicle on offer from several angles make it look
neat and tidy and thus convey a good first impression. In addition
, they can even help clarify details that are important to the prospective
buyer. Conversely, even the most detailed vehicle description
is of little use if the accompanying photo is not very meaningful and unattractive
.

However, if the potential
buyer can get an exact picture of the car presented online, he
or she is given a good starting point for his or her purchase decision: The
impression is gained that the seller is serious and does not conceal any important details such
as light rust spots on the rims. If he finds
other similar offers of the desired car model on the Internet, he
will choose the one with the most meaningful online presentation. For a car
dealership, optimizing the vehicle presentation is a must anyway. Because
only with razor-sharp photos, which
show everything interesting for the car buyer, the advertiser can stand out from the mass of the other offerers and steer
so the attention on its own vehicle.

Impact of (good) photos on potential buyers

A photo is the best
medium when it comes to
transmitting information in a split second. Visual representations

- are always viewed first on pages with text
and images

- clearly present the information contained in the text
(explanatory function)

- are grasped and processed faster by the human
brain because they do not have to be deciphered by the brain like words, for
example, in order to be
understood

- directly evoke feelings

- imprint themselves in the memory
faster than other contents

- cannot be
unseen because they work automatically

- contain a central
statement that the viewer grasps at first glance

- have a high
persuasive power

- increase the
recognition of the displayed product if they convey its
great benefit to the viewer

- draw attention
to the product placed in the image centre

- are particularly
interesting when the product is photographed
with high contrast to the background

- increase interest in the
product if they trigger positive feelings in the viewer (good impression,
pleasant memories)

Images that leave a positive
impression cause the viewer to continue to engage with the product
depicted and its seller. The excellent
memorability of visual representations is used for example in
corporate design and branding. Artificial-looking, blurred and
expressionless photos, on the other hand, present the product and its salesperson in a
negative light.

What you should absolutely observe when photographing your used
vehicle

The same applies to ads on
online exchanges: First impressions are decisive. Since the vehicle image creates a
first contact with the potential customer, you can only get the attention you need to sell your car
with sharp,
meaningful photos: The prospective buyer gets a first impression by looking at the pictures
and then reads through the technical data. According to
statistics from autoscout24.de, sellers receive 67%
more enquiries (leads) on advertisements with good photos. In addition, five times as many interested parties would like to visit their
vehicles. Good photos create transparency and thus a high degree of buying
security: potential buyers gain the impression that they are dealing with a
trustworthy seller. This in turn leads to
increased demand for the respective car, which ultimately increases
its selling price. Even professional car buyers prefer
to respond to advertisements with detailed photos.

However, before you
photograph your vehicle, it is essential that you tidy its interior, remove all
personal items and clean it thoroughly inside and out. In order
to achieve an optimal presentation of your vehicle, you can of course hand it over to
a professional for reconditioning. With a well-kept interior,
cleaned and polished paintwork and cleaned tyres and rims, you
will significantly increase your sales chances. Because this way the prospective buyer can
imagine that he already owns the vehicle shown. In addition, a higher price can often be
achieved. If the bodywork of your
older car is slightly damaged, it is better to bring it to a garage. There
you will carefully remove the small scratches and inconspicuous dents (Smart
Repair), so that you can sell it later at a higher price.

Interior: Displaying the function of the equipment

Please also
ensure that the backrests and headrests are at the same height. In addition
, straight ventilation slots, a removed car key and a
straight steering wheel ensure a calm appearance and a tidy impression. It's best to switch
on the navigation system and radio so that your prospective customer can immediately recognise their
functionality. And for data protection reasons, make your license
plate illegible. If you don't want to remove it, you can make it unrecognizable
later on in your photos with the image editing program.

As a car seller, you do
not necessarily have to use the services of a photographer or buy
professional equipment. A resolution of one megapixel or 1024 x 768 dpi
is completely sufficient for this. If your camera has a zoom, you can adjust the
picture exactly to the size of your subject. However, please do
not use a digital zoom, because it only enlarges a part of the photo, which
results in a poorer image quality. You can select
either auto exposure metering or landscape mode.

Set the white balance
to sun, overcast sky or auto. However, please do not use flash for your
black interior, as it will appear grey. It is also better not to use a flash for
outdoor shots, as it will be
reflected so strongly that the prospective buyer will not be able to
see important details. Please do not forget to switch off the date display, because it also
disturbs the overall impression. It is best to shoot with a normal
focal length.

Choosing the right perspective

Take a whole series
of pictures and take a picture of your vehicle from all sides and from several
perspectives. Professional car photographers recommend taking the pictures from further down the road from
a child's perspective, taking into account as little of the surroundings
as possible. Shoot at a 45 degree angle, diagonally from the front and
rear. To create a dynamic impression, turn the rims in
your direction. Take photos with front, rear and side views, with
the tyres straightened. This is important because the prospective
buyer wants to look at your car from all sides. Do not forget the
optional extras, if any. Also important: Your pictures should
make the vehicle for sale look appealing, but they should by
no means conceal visible defects.

As far as light is concerned, there are
also a few things to consider. You will get the best photos if you take them
on a bright day with diffuse light (light clouds). Be sure to avoid
photo sessions in bright sunlight, as this will cause reflections on
the polished paint. It also causes too strong contrasts and
shadows. Too little light is also unfavourable, because an underexposed
photo will create a gloomy mood in the potential buyer. Do not take
your photos in rain or snow: a wet car looks slightly
distorted. Cloudy weather also makes the photo look darker.

The best places for
expressive sales photos are large neutral areas such as
parking spaces in front of furniture stores. Professional car sellers usually choose their
own showroom, workshop or the open space in front of the car dealership. To
ensure that the prospective buyer's attention is not distracted by your car, no other cars, houses or people
should
be visible in the pictures. The weekend and the
hours after closing time offer a favourable time for taking pictures. Then the parking spaces are empty. In addition, your used car should
stand out clearly against the monochrome background. A location in front of a high hedge or coloured wall is therefore a good
choice.
Required are pictures with the following views, arranged according to their
importance:

- Exterior view: front left
diagonal, rear left diagonal, side, aluminium rim, specials such as
sunroof, engine compartment

- Interior view:
front interior with driver's seat, cockpit, steering wheel, rear interior, trunk, specials
like navigation system and trim strips

Make sure you use your image
editing program to optimize your vehicle photos. You can
use it to correct the image section and size afterwards. You can also improve contrast
and brightness. Ideally, take more
pictures than you use for your ad. If necessary
, you can then send a photo
to interested parties who want to take a closer look at a detail. Then post as many pictures as possible on
the online car exchange. This will give potential buyers an accurate impression
of what your used car has to offer.

360-degree view to optimize the car
presentation

Some time ago,
online vehicle exchanges have expanded their range of functions. There is now
an innovative photo function for 360 degree shots. The interior and exterior
panorama view can also be found in the picture gallery on the detail
pages. With this function the prospective buyer can take a closer look at the used cars presented
online, so that you as a car
dealer or private seller receive even more high-quality leads. The 360
degree function can be used in all common formats. If you book one of the more expensive rate packages at
mobile.de, such as Premium or
Comfort, you can even use it at no extra charge. At autoscout24.de the virtual vehicle inspection is called
AutoScout360°. The panorama photos are taken with
a special camera that has several lenses. It is
mounted on a mini tripod on the centre armrest and controlled by remote control
or app. The 360° view, which generates more leads, has another advantage for you
: you only need to take one picture of the interior.

If you have a car dealership, for professional reasons alone, you
must attach particular importance to the
optimisation of your vehicle presentation. You have the opportunity to strengthen your branding by
publishing such car images and thus generate
even more qualified leads. By
selling your used cars online with the help of car dealership branding, you will
clearly set yourself apart from private advertisers. It also increases recognition among potential
buyers: if they search for
another car on the Internet exchange later, they will recognise your specific branding and immediately associate your
brand with professionalism, an excellent reputation and high-quality
cars. With your good name you can also achieve premium
sales prices. Because brand names not only embody the objective product value,
but also create additional trust and orientation in the abundance of
listed suppliers.

Successful online presentation through special app
and professional post-processing

If you are looking for
a supplier who can present your car in the best light,
Pixelconcept GmbH can help you: With the help of the picDesigner located on the website
you will achieve an optimization of your car presentation
and still save costs and long standing times. As a car dealer,
you can use the picDesigner app to take high-quality pictures of the
cars for sale within a short time. To do this, simply create a Pixelconcept
account, select one of the service packages, set up your
individual photo background and download the app to your smartphone
. Already one day after posting the taken photos
you will receive back the images edited by the experienced Pixelconcept graphics team.

With the picDesigner app
, you naturally have the option of professionally showcasing your vehicles in front of a branded
back wall. In this way, you also advertise your good brand on online
car exchanges. Since your appealing presentation stands out from
that of other advertisers, you will achieve more leads and at the same time increase
the recognition of your company: prospective buyers will recognize you from
the characteristic design of the background wall when they come across a
of your other ads. With the picDesigner app, you can freely determine the timing
of your photo shoot and are not dependent on photographers, expensive
equipment or booking photo locations. It has
a virtual assistant to help you create your images in a
consistent manner. After receiving your optimized photos,
you can save them on your smartphone or PC.