Published:29th October 2026
Last week we held our latest Customer Advisory Group. Hearing from the group that they can see that we’re not just listening to their feedback, but we’re acting on it was really encouraging. They can see their influence changing not just in upcoming product ideas, but to changes they see on the platform too.
Since our first Customer Advisory group we have implemented several changes including, improving the Portal experience and access to insights, changes to Price Indicator and the launch of Economy stock. By being able to collaborate and work alongside people who challenge our thinking we can shape where we’re heading alongside you. To build on this momentum it’s important that we’re open about changes not just when they arrive, but those that we’re working on and testing.
During the session we also talked about something even more fundamental: are you seeing the value you expect from Autotrader?
Some customers in the group have been looking at the sales influenced by Autotrader and the buyer journeys leading to those sales with their Partnership Managers, and they told us those conversations had helped them see more clearly what was working and where there were gaps. They also saw that it was consistent with either their own analysis or intuition. The truth is that there is a huge variance in the value customers get from Autotrader, and we want to work with you to ensure you’re unlocking as much of that value as you can from your package. You should feel able to ask us about your return on investment, and we’re ready to have an open, honest conversation with you about it.
During these conversations we understood that retailers need more flexibility with their Autotrader package. We are currently testing different approaches to find a solution that can work for you.
Retailers also raised frustrations with new-car advertising, both how difficult it can be to list stock and the misleading adverts that can make cars appear cheaper than they are. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be working to remove adverts that include misleading pricing. We’ve also heard the wider feedback about new car and making it easier for you to list remains a priority for us.
Listening to what needs fixing matters. But our conversations shouldn’t only be about today’s frustrations; they should also help us shape what comes next.
That was another big topic discussed at our Advisory Group. We shared more of what’s coming over the months ahead and what we’re thinking about beyond that. While there are lots of individual developments, they are all intended to make a practical difference to how you run your business. They come back to three things: creating stronger connections between you and your customers, giving you better intelligence to make decisions, and putting more control in your hands.
Better Connections
A lot of what we’ve built over recent years has been about helping buyers and sellers connect more effectively. AI helps us take that further, not for the sake of the technology itself, but by making those connections simpler, more relevant and more useful.
Over the coming months, we’ll be introducing new ways for buyers to connect with you, alongside simpler, more seamless tools that help move people closer to making a purchase. The aim isn’t simply to generate more leads. We want to help bring you more confident, better-prepared buyers who are ready for you to convert.
You’ve told us that WhatsApp is an important part of how you communicate with customers, so that will form part of this and we’re working hard to find a solution that works by working together with a representative group of retailers who will start to pilot the product in the next few weeks. We’ll also keep developing the consumer experience so buyers can do more of their research and preparation before they reach you.
Better intelligence
We also want to make more of the decades of automotive data and insight we have, putting more of that intelligence directly into the retailing journey.
That means looking at areas you consistently tell us matter, including how you monitor call leads, which remain an incredibly important source of leads for many retailers.
It also means taking Buying Signals further. Rather than only helping you understand the leads you receive, we want to give you a much clearer picture of how buyers are engaging with your adverts, helping you make more confident decisions about your forecourt.
More control for you
And finally, we will keep working to remove the points of friction you face working with us.
At the same time, we need to make sure the experience meets the increasing needs of today’s buyers too, because making it easier for them to buy will ultimately make it easier for you to sell.
You’ll see more changes to Portal as part of this, with a continued focus on making it simpler to manage your business with us and giving you greater control.
There’s a lot changing in automotive retail, and even more opportunity ahead. That is why we find so much value in our Customer Advisory Groups as they give us the space to collaborate alongside retailers to create change that will benefit us all.
We won’t get everything right first time, and there will always be areas where you want us to move faster or do things differently. What matters is that we keep listening and, more importantly, keep doing.
We’ll be open and honest about where we’re heading, we’re ready to be challenged, and happy to be judged not just by how well we listen, but by what we do next.
To find out more about how our Customer Advisory Group influence product developments, visit our Customer Advisory Group hub.
