Don’t Let Summer Inventory Go Cold

Simple ways to refresh aging listings and give them another shot this fall.

By September, some of the vehicles on your lot may have been online for weeks — or even months. The problem isn’t always the vehicle or the price. Sometimes the listing itself has simply gone stale.

A new season is a good excuse to take another look at the inventory that didn’t move over the summer. Before you start dropping prices, try refreshing how those vehicles are presented.

1. Rewrite the description

If a vehicle has been sitting online for 60 or 90 days, there’s no reason it should still have the exact same description it had when you first listed it.

MyOnlineInventory includes an AI description writer, and we’ve made the writer considerably more robust. Instead of simply generating a generic paragraph based on year, make and model, it can help create a more complete, polished description that gives shoppers a reason to stop and look at the vehicle again.

Even a good description can benefit from a rewrite after a few months.

Change the opening. Highlight different features. Mention something seasonally relevant like heated seats, remote start, AWD, 4WD, cargo space or a third row.

The car hasn’t changed — but the way you sell it can.

2. Take another look at your photos

Photos are probably the most important part of an online vehicle listing, and small inconsistencies can make an otherwise nice inventory page look sloppy.

If you’re refreshing a vehicle, consider shooting it again.

A few simple rules make a big difference:

• Photograph every vehicle from the same basic angles and distance.
• Try to leave roughly six inches of visual space on each side of the vehicle so it fills the frame without feeling cramped.
• Keep the entire vehicle in the shot — don’t accidentally crop bumpers, mirrors or tires.
• Use a clean, uncluttered background whenever possible.
• Avoid photographing vehicles with the photographer’s shadow across the hood or doors.
• Watch for harsh reflections from direct sunlight.
• Overcast days can actually produce excellent vehicle photos because the lighting is softer and more even.
• Keep the wheels straight for your main exterior shots.
• Clean the vehicle before taking pictures — even if it was photographed when it first arrived.
• Use the same first photo angle across your inventory whenever possible. Consistency makes the entire dealership look more professional.

And as the days get shorter, pay attention to the time of day. A vehicle photographed at 7:00 p.m. in June is very different from one photographed at 7:00 p.m. in October.

3. Change the lead photo

You may not even need an entirely new photo set. Try replacing the first image.

Customers who have been browsing your inventory for several weeks may recognize the same vehicle immediately and scroll right past it. A fresh lead image can make them take another look.

This is especially useful when reposting inventory to Facebook or other social media.

4. Make the description match the season

The features shoppers care about can change throughout the year.

In June, you may have emphasized the convertible top or fuel economy. Heading into fall, customers might care more about:

AWD. 4WD. Heated seats. Heated steering wheels. Remote start. Good tires. Cargo room. Third-row seating.

You don’t have to invent reasons for someone to buy the vehicle. Sometimes you simply need to bring the right reasons to the top of the listing.

5. Give the vehicle a new video

This is where MOI’s Advanced AI Vehicle Videos come in.

A vehicle that’s been posted several times with the same photos can suddenly become new content when those photos are turned into a dealership-branded video.

Post the video to Facebook. Send it to someone who previously asked about the vehicle. Use it instead of posting the same inventory link again. You’ve created something new without having to create an entirely new listing.

6. Check the little things

While you’re refreshing the listing, verify that everything is still accurate.

Mileage may have changed. The price may have changed. New service may have been performed. Tires may have been replaced. A feature may have been overlooked when the vehicle was originally entered.

Spend five minutes going through the listing like you’re seeing the car for the first time.

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Before you lower the price, refresh the listing

There comes a point when price matters. But price doesn’t always have to be the first lever you pull.

If a vehicle has been sitting since summer, give it another chance this fall.

Rewrite the description. Clean it up. Reshoot the photos. Change the lead image. Highlight seasonal features. Generate a new video. Put it back in front of your audience.

Sometimes inventory doesn’t need a lower price. It just needs a second first impression.