The disruption to Google’s paid search business model might be on the horizon. Search-share is dominated by Google. Other rivals such as Bing and Duck Duck Go have been increasing share, but there has not been a recent material threat to Google’s search business.

ChatGPT, a product of the company OpenAI, might be the first true threat. ChatGPT is a learning chatbot that can write blog posts, essays, advertising copy, or simply give you the answer to the question you’re searching for.

Microsoft is rumored to be investing $10 billion dollars (along with receiving a 49% stake) into ChatGPT and will be incorporating the technology into their Bing search engine. What does this mean? Google’s search engine results page (SERP) provides the best website choices to answer your search query. In most cases, you still need to decide which website to traffic to in order to find the information you desire. Bing, combined with ChatGPT, could provide you the answer you’re looking for without the need to click-thru to another website.

ChatGPT scours the entire web, not just to index a catalog of relevant search results, but to actually learn the context of information and provide it to its users in seconds. What does all this mean for the future of automotive search or search in general? Time will tell. It’s widely known that Google has their AI platform on the horizon… but in the meantime, it’s possible Microsoft/Bing could extract search share from the behemoth, Google. Microsoft is also looking to integrate ChatGPT into their Office suite of products, which could threaten the rise of Google Sheets/Docs/Slides etc.

For some more context, here are a few relevant links.

https://siliconangle.com/2022/12/22/reports-say-google-panicking-threat-posed-openais-chatbot/

https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/view/5b046b022ddf9c561f665c33hzm2y.g83/f2496ee2

Driven Media Group was recently introduced to CarOffer through a mutual client. When we find a service or product that we feel is beneficial for our clients, we have a sense of obligation to present it as an opportunity…especially when there are limited financial costs at play.

CarOffer connects vehicle buyers to sellers, without costly monthly subscriptions or commitments. By signing up with CarOffer, dealers are automatically connected to wholesale buyers, rental car companies, and dealers across the nation who have vehicle orders waiting to be filled and inventory waiting to be sold. When a dealer signs up for CarOffer, they’ll automatically receive buy bids on all of their inventory and when appraising vehicles, they’ll receive buy bids within 8 seconds of entering vehicle information.

As a buyer, you can set up a matrix, letting CarOffer’s platform know exactly what you’re looking for. When that order is filled, you’ll be notified of the new purchase, then CarOffer does the rest, including setting up an inspection, transportation and they’ll even handle arbitration, if necessary. Dealers are guaranteed to receive a vehicle that is within $800 of being “front line ready”. You’ll pay a flat fee for the purchase, which is considerably less than typical auction/transport fees.  

As a seller, you have thousands of buyers waiting to purchase your vehicles. CarOffer’s platform matches your vehicle with a buyer and generates an offer within 8 seconds. If you want to take your chances retailing a vehicle, they’ll give you an opportunity to lock in a 45 day guaranteed offer. Many dealers have found success selling vehicles to rental car companies on CarOffer, considering they’re currently unable to get the new cars needed to sustain their business models. Most of these offers are considerably higher than MMR. CarOffer is the key to mitigating wholesale loss, as well as the headache that comes along with repping vehicles at the auction or working directly with wholesalers.

The days of staring at the computer screen watching auction lanes are over.  The scalability of matrix/algorithmic technology has allowed CarOffer (a subsidiary of CarGurus) to flourish. Technologies such as CarOffer are dependent on adoption and stout volumes of inventory. Their success in this area is apparent, as they’ve just signed their 10,000th dealer. There is no risk to sign up with CarOffer’s platform. Dealer demos take approximately 15-20 minutes and the implementation is complete within a week. Unlike any platform, you get out of it what you put into it. CarOffer is the future of automotive wholesale, especially for dealers who greatly value their time and energy.