Vehicle Walk Around Video Content vs 360 Spin

Car dealerships have had to tailor their online presence to the preferences of their consumers in 2021. If you only have static images on your website, consumers may visit your competitors’ websites to find more detailed images and videos of the vehicles they are interested in purchasing.

Not only do consumers pay attention to video content the most, they want to see more video content in the future — more than any other medium. Car dealerships around the United States have been quickly adjusting their online presence to tailor their content to what their consumers want to see.

Let’s take a look at two options that dealerships are using to stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment.

Option #1: 360 Spin

What is 360 spin?

Although 360 spin is not technically video, it has become a popular addition to numerous car dealership websites across the United States.  360 spin offers interactive images that allow your customers to view the exterior of a vehicle from every angle.

How 360 Spin Works

360 spin works similar to a flip book, and is a collection of consecutive photos that creates the illusion of a spin allowing you to view multiple angles of the car. If a consumer views a 360° spin image on their computer, they can drag their mouse to rotate the vehicle. If the image is viewed on a tablet or mobile device, all it takes is a swipe of the finger to rotate the image.

The Benefits of 360 Spin

The main benefit of 360 spin is that it offers an interactive component to your car dealership website keeping car shoppers interested and engaged. It does allow you to see the vehicle from multiple angles, however, it can lack transparency and clarity.

The 360 spin hot spots are another benefit, which allow you to zoom in on certain parts of the car for further viewing. However, the hotspots are just photos and may not provide all the transparency and clarity needed when purchasing a vehicle.

The Downsides of 360 Spin

Although it’s easy to navigate and also offers more transparency than just viewing a photo, at the end of the day, they are really just a series of photos and do not provide the same transparency that videos do. Many times with 360 spin, consumers just end up looking at photos of the car which defeats the purpose of offering them a more transparent view of the car. With 360 spin, you really can’t see the details since it is just a collection of photos. In fact, sometimes it can even offer a distorted and not clear view only showing one story of the car, not the true reality.

The big selling point of spin is interactive but it doesn’t give you the same kind of comprehensive overview of the car as the video can give. Videos provide more value to car shoppers as the truly allow consumers to view the car from multiple perspectives.

Option #2: LESA Video

What Is LESA video?

LESA is the largest dealer video inventory provider with 85K+ vehicle video views daily on our dealers’ internet destinations — Dealer Sites, YouTube, Facebook, Cars.com, AutoTrader and more. Their Video inventory software allows car dealerships to easily capture automotive videos for your website, google my business, Facebook ads, and more in just minutes. Additionally, LESA provides tools, training and support to market your dealership inventory online, maximize your SEO and increase your leads.

How LESA video works?

Car dealerships can easily record and upload a video to their website or send to their prospective customers in just three simple steps. To get started, all you have to do is scan the VIN on the app, and it will automatically add the vehicle to the inventory. Next, you can record an HD full-motion walk around video and capture photos simultaneously. The app allows you do easily add VoiceOver listing options specific to that vehicle, background music and more to enhance the videos to increase user engagement. Finally, it’s time to upload! The platform can wirelessly upload and syndicate your videos to your dealer website, social media channels and third-party lead providers like Cars.com and AutoTrader.

The Benefits of LESA Video Inventory

The more time a viewer spends on a shopping page, the more likely they are to buy. People spend on average 2.6x more time on pages with video than without. Our full-motion walk-around videos have an 80% completion ratio average for a 2-minute video. This shows consumers are engaged and recognize the value that video provides.

Additionally, LESA spotlight features allows consumers to view key highlights in the video and interact with features that matter most. Spotlight easily helps car shoppers identify the wheel, headlight, steering wheel, odometeter/speedometer, navigation system and the video

Video Content vs 360 Spin: Which Should You Choose For Your Website?

Online car shopping is at an all time high due to the pandemic which forced consumers to change in person shopping habits. People prefer to conduct more research online and visit the dealership less, making it essential for car dealerships to have digital channels that help consumers make important purchasing decisions.

Not only is online video consumption at an all time high, but video content is a popular method for gathering and learning new information. In fact, consumers prefer watching videos to learn about new products or services as compared to articles, infographic, ebooks and presentations. Videos are also proven to influence purchase decisions of consumers. According to a survey conducted by Google, 68% of YouTube users watched YouTube to help make a purchase decision. Video will increasingly inform consumer decisions and connect businesses with people on the internet.

Although 360 spin may be more beneficial than photos, at the end of the day, 360 spin is just a series of photos that gives shoppers a 360° view of the vehicles. In a competitive environment such as the automotive industry, it is essential car dealerships tailor an online strategy to the preferences of the consumers they serve. Consumers continue to prove that video is the most effective medium to learning and digesting information.

360 spin has an interactive component, LESA solved the problem by adding spotlight. The big selling point of spin is interactive but it doesn’t give you the same kind of comprehensive overview of the car as the video can give.

How Can My Car Dealership Get Started with Videos?

Incorporating vehicle videos on your car dealership website has never been easier with LESA video technology. LESA is the largest dealer video inventory provider with 100K+ vehicle video views daily on our dealers’ internet destinations — Dealer Sites, YouTube, Facebook, Cars.com, AutoTrader and more. Their video inventory, video suite and other video apps have been proven to increase traffic and conversions to car dealership websites. If you are looking to grow your business, look no further, LESA technology is right for you.

Interested in learning more about LESA Video Technology for Car Dealerships? Get Started and talk to a representative today!