Autotrader set to drive retailer performance with new consumer intelligence product
4th November 2025 - Autotrader is giving retailers more control, more confidence, and more opportunities to increase profitability with the launch of a powerful new consumer intelligence tool, Buying Signals. Combined with the power of Deal Builder, it provides a layer of rich actionable insights about the buyer to enable a more connected and personalised buying experience, resulting in higher converting deals, and faster, more profitable sales.
Based on 450 million weekly interactions on Autotrader, Buying Signals will provide retailers with enhanced levels of consumer insight which will be shown alongside every deal delivered through Deal Builder1, revealing exactly how engaged each potential customer is, where they are in their buying journey and how ready they are to buy. These insights aren’t just what they’ve viewed, but their behaviour on the way, giving retailers a more complete picture of the buyer’s intent and preferences.
Buying Signals will inform retailers of what type of cars a potential buyer is interested in beyond the one they enquired about, as well as how likely they are to convert and how best to approach the deal to improve conversion. With clearer ‘signals’ about buyer intent, and who is most likely to buy their car, retailers can prioritise their sales response, focussing on the right deals at the right moment to deliver a seamless experience that builds trust and maximises conversion.
Available from mid-November, Buying Signals consists of two core components:
Developed by Autotrader’s in-house team of data scientists and engineers in close collaboration with retailers, the new solution is accessed via Sales Hub within Portal or in retailers’ own systems through Autotrader’s suite of API solutions, Autotrader Connect. The unique Buying Signals insights will be surfaced alongside Autotrader’s powerful vehicle metrics, including Retail Rating and valuations.
Commenting on how Buying Signals will help transform their business, Humphries & Parks Director, Sam Kingsland-Joy, said:
Buying Signals is a game changer. For a business as small as ours, having access to that data is huge. We never really have too much access into how a customer is acting online and what they're looking at, what their preferences are, what they're interested in, and how far along the buying process they are. My initial thoughts were that this is absolutely fantastic. This is data that's out there. And if that can be displayed, that's going to be a game changer in terms of how we speak to customers.
Unlike traditional leads, deals built through Deal Builder show a much higher purchase intent, with top retailers converting over 80%2 of reserved vehicles. Notably, 84% of buyers who build a deal don’t submit a deal elsewhere for at least three days. In addition, nearly half of deals are made outside of traditional business hours, giving retailers ready-made sales opportunities each morning. Combined with this actionable intelligence about the buyer, deals will now become even more powerful.
Buying Signals is designed to address key retailer challenges and consumer buying frustrations by bridging the gap between buyer intent and retailer response. It’s the outcome of continuous learning from the 2.7 million daily visits to our platform and understanding how we can improve the consumer experience and outcomes for retailers. Testing, refining and investing to support our partners with the very best innovation.
“And Deal Builder isn’t a new feature—it's now at the centre of the Autotrader buying journey, and by early next year, every retailer will be part of this evolution. It marks a pivotal shift not just for Autotrader, but for the industry too, as we move beyond the limitations of traditional leads and empower retailers with actionable, high-quality deals that drive retailer performance and customer experiences. We’ve been at the forefront of change in the car buying process since 1977, and with our unparalleled data and technology, we’re again leading the next exciting chapter for automotive retail.”
Retailers with Deal Builder will see Buying Signals on every deal from mid-November and gain access to a redesigned product page focused on driving results. The new page is performance-optimised to generate quality deals, highlight stock, and keep retailers’ brand prominent—all aimed at boosting buyer confidence and delivering sales.
Retailers not yet on Deal Builder will be activated over the coming weeks, unlocking access to Buying Signals. Retailers are invited to reach out to one of Autotrader’s 300-strong account team to find out how they can get access even earlier.
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