Upstart Launches New Mobile-First Auto Retail Online Platform
Upstart, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform, announced its new mobile-first Upstart Auto Retail online platform, delivering an improved user experience alongside new features. Upstart will be showcasing its new platform and announcing new OEM support and certification at the National Automobile Dealers Association Show (NADA) in Las Vegas, NV on March 11, 2022.
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“Buying a new car is not always a linear process, so we designed the new, mobile-first, online platform not only to adapt to the mobile usage of customers, but also to give the dealer more options to customize for each type of shopper and the pace of purchase.”
Upstart Auto Retail adoption among car dealers grew nearly 4X1 in 2021 thanks to its unique combination of in-store customization for dealers and online access for customers. In addition, VW is the latest OEM to announce support for Upstart Auto Retail. Upstart introduced AI-powered financing in 2021, so dealerships could offer affordable financing to more of their customers.
“Dealers on our online platform see 66 percent of their traffic2 come from mobile devices. If you want to deliver the modern buying experience that today’s car buyers expect, you absolutely need a world class mobile experience,” said Michia Rohrssen, GM of Upstart Auto Retail, “Buying a new car is not always a linear process, so we designed the new, mobile-first, online platform not only to adapt to the mobile usage of customers, but also to give the dealer more options to customize for each type of shopper and the pace of purchase.”
The new online experience release will introduce innovative design and features, such as:
- Mobile First
To better serve the nearly two-thirds of customers coming to Upstart Auto Retail dealer websites from mobile devices, this mobile-first approach provides them with access to dealer inventory in the way they like to shop—on their mobile phone, tablet, or desktop browser.2 This online-to-in store experience gives a salesperson instant insights into customers interests and purchasing behavior, so they’re better prepared to structure deals when shoppers walk into the dealership. - Browse mode
Many car buyers have a general idea of the car they’d like, but are also open to similar models. Browse mode enables filtering to search, sort, find, and compare vehicles of interest throughout the entire buying journey. - Improved purchase flow
Every dealer wants to curate a car-buying experience based on how their customers want to shop. The new purchase flow can be fully configured by a dealer including reordering steps, adding or removing steps, hiding steps based on shopper activity, and more. - Save and finish later
Purchasing a vehicle can be an amazing experience and it’s not something that should be rushed. For shoppers who need a bit more time, a “Finish Later” button is now prominently displayed so a customer can save their progress to come back to later. - Additional OEM and Dealer support
VW is the latest OEM to support Upstart Auto Retail, bringing the total number of manufacturers to six, which includes Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Kia. In addition, top franchised dealers from 37 top brands3, such as Ford, Honda, and BMW, rely on Upstart Auto Retail to sell billions of dollars of new and used cars and increase customer satisfaction. Nearly $4 billion in vehicles were sold through the Upstart Auto Retail platform in 20214.
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Upstart Auto Retail is also slated to introduce a new device-agnostic in-store platform and make its AI-powered financing solution available to more customers around the country later this year.
Upstart Auto Retail’s digital retail platform seamlessly combines the online and in-store experience with financing and manager tools, making it easy for car buyers to browse, shop, and build deals any way they choose. The Upstart Auto Retail digital retail platform consists of four key components — Online, In-Store, Real-Time Approvals, and Manager Portal. Pricing for the complete platform is $599 per month.
