New ChatGPT plugin creates an additional discovery channel for automotive retailers, connecting consumers with live stock and directing them to participating dealers’ own websites.
Click Dealer, part of automotive fintech group Centeca, has launched a new car search plugin for ChatGPT that connects consumers with more than 120,000 vehicles from independent retailers and directs them to the dealer behind the stock.
The plugin allows customers to describe the type of vehicle they need using natural, everyday language, drawing on factors such as budget, family requirements, preferred fuel type and intended use to identify relevant live stock.
Unlike marketplace-led car search experiences, customers who select a vehicle through the Click Dealer plugin are directed to the supplying retailer’s own website. This allows them to continue their journey within the dealer’s digital showroom, supported by the retailer’s brand, vehicle information and Click Dealer’s lead conversion tools.
The launch forms part of Centeca’s strategy to connect automotive retail, finance and technology more closely across the customer journey. Developed initially through Click Dealer, it also creates the foundation for future integration with the automotive finance capabilities of Evolution Funding, another Centeca brand.
Paul Saggar, chief innovation officer at Centeca, said:
“AI is changing where consumers begin the search for their next car, but for retailers, the important question is where the customer goes next.”
“The Click Dealer plugin gives consumers a straightforward way to describe what they need and identify relevant live vehicles. Rather than adding another marketplace step, it takes them to the dealer’s own website, keeping the next stage of the journey between the customer and the retailer.”
The plugin has been developed as part of Click Dealer AI, Click Dealer’s wider application of AI across the automotive retail journey. It also represents the first stage of Dealer in a Box Reach, the next development of the award-winning Dealer in a Box proposition from Click Dealer and Evolution Funding.
Dealer in a Box brings together website, finance and digital retail technology within one dealer proposition. Dealer in a Box Reach extends that proposition into customer acquisition, opening a new route to consumer demand and connecting customers with relevant dealer stock before they make a conventional enquiry.
The next phase of development will integrate Evolution Funding’s finance and affordability capabilities, helping consumers identify not only vehicles that suit their practical requirements, but options more closely aligned with their budget.
The Click Dealer plugin is available through the Plugin Directory within ChatGPT. Users simply search for Click Dealer and follow the on-screen prompt to connect it before starting their search as part of a normal ChatGPT conversation. No separate application or software download is required.
Saggar concluded:
“The industry has invested heavily in making vehicles visible online. The next opportunity is to help consumers make sense of that choice and connect them more directly with the retailer capable of completing the journey.
“By bringing together the capabilities within Centeca, our longer-term ambition is to create a more connected route from AI-led vehicle discovery through to the dealer’s own digital retail experience, finance and affordability. That has the potential to create a more confident customer and a more meaningful sales opportunity for the retailer.”
