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EZ360 Photo System Automation Wins The Day at High Volume Auto Dealership
A Peek behind the Photo Operations at eCarOne

Part 1. Dealership Photography and the Challenge for Dealers Large and Small

If you’re a GM at a low volume auto dealership, picture taking is almost an afterthought.  A photographer can easily visit you one or twice a week, charge $25 for 10 exterior and interior photos,  and shoot 5-10 vehicles per hour.  The photos from a high-end DSLR look gorgeous. What’s not to love?

A lot.  The camera may take 10 megapixel and larger photos.  But that’s not what actually shows on your web site.  After those pics are uploaded to your data provider and then downloaded to your VDP, the actual photos are typically LOW RESOLUTION, just 640×480 pixels in size.  You’re not getting what you think you’re paying for.

That’s just the start.  The photographer just takes static photos, which are no longer competitive.  Many sites today feature dynamic exterior spin animation from multiple angles, interior panoramic photos that automatically rotate, vehicle videos, and not 5 or 10 photos but 50 or even 100 high resolution pics that cover the vehicle from the odometer to inside the trunk and under the hood.

Today’s vehicle display pages make web visitors feel like they’re there in your dealership. They’re secure that there are no surprises since they can see the car from every angle.

Lastly, photographer picture taking is highly manual.  The process doesn’t scale for  high volume dealers. If a photographer manually shoots 50 exterior and interior photos he’d be fortunate to capture 10 a day.  That’s just 300 cars and trucks per month on a full-time basis.

The cost becomes a huge factor.  Shooting 100 cars per month would cost $2,500 each month.   What if you have 1,000 vehicles?  Another option is hiring a full-time photographer.  But that costs $60,000 and up, including benefits.

This is why EZ360 created the integrated and automated photo studio.  If you’re a smaller dealer, EZ360 enables you to show high quality photos and media competitive with larger dealers.  If you’re a larger dealer, our system is a comprehensive solution that also saves money and streamlines operations.

Stay tuned here as we take you inside a high volume dealer in future articles.  We’ll share tips from an actual dealer that easily and cost-effectively shoots several hundred vehicles per month.