TrueCar, Roadster Team To Help Car Shoppers Finalize Deals

Digital automotive marketplace TrueCar has rolled out an experimental program with automotive digital sales platform Roadster, according to an announcement.

Shoppers utilizing TrueCar will now have the ability to finalize car purchasing deals on the web via an application programming interface (API) that links up with Roadster’s back-end system.

“The ability to finalize the terms of a car deal online is critical to creating a great retail experience,” TrueCar President and CEO Mike Darrow said in the announcement. “Through our pilot program with Roadster, TrueCar consumers at select dealerships now have the ability to build real car deals digitally, including finance terms.”

After a shopper has configured and tailored a deal on an auto through TrueCar, she has the choice to go to a participating dealer’s Roadster-powered “Express Store” to finalize the terms of the arrangement.

The vehicle deal-building work that a TrueCar shopper has done is moved to the “Roadster Admin” from TrueCar for follow-up. As a result, the dealer doesn’t have to cross-reference or ask shoppers question that they have answered through TrueCar.

“This puts customers and dealers on the same page, reducing friction,” according to the announcement.

The shopper can then finalize the terms of their deal on the internet or off the web.

“Consumers want their car buying experience to be as easy as anything else,” Roadster CEO Andy Moss said in the announcement. “Through the development and use of robust retail APIs, like the one we are implementing here, we will now be able to create a seamless car buying experience for marketplaces like TrueCar.”

Santa Monica, California-based True Car fuels car-buying programs for more than 250 brands such as Sam’s Club and AARP. Almost 50 percent of all new car purchasers engage with the firm’s powered sites, according to the announcement.

In separate news, Cox Automotive rolled out its Complete Retail online experience earlier this year, which allows merchants and consumers to wrap up the shopping and purchasing processes anywhere.