A minor data error, a major loss of business
A customer is comparing similar cars on two different websites. One site states that the boot capacity is 450 litres. The other site says 500 litres. Nothing dramatic – but at that precise moment, the customer begins to doubt: "Which of these is actually correct?"
No purchase, not even a contact – the customer leaves to verify the matter "physically somehow", meaning in practice going to a competitor or somewhere else. A single line of incorrect or conflicting data, and the entire customer journey is cut short just before the finish line.
Why is data needed?
Let us look at it through the "car's journey" – as a process starting from the purchase and modeling of the vehicle, progressing through visibility acquisition in digital channels, and finally leading to the sale. Data is required at every stage.
In purchasing, data guides the selection of the right individual cars and pricing during the buying phase.
When securing visibility for cars online, data helps them stand out in searches and portals.
When the customer is making their final choice, data supports comparison and personalisation.
When the customer is almost ready to make a purchase decision, data helps eliminate doubts regarding suitability, condition, costs, and other barriers to purchase.
In the conversion phase, when the transaction is to be completed online via self-service – trade-in offers, finance decisions, sales contracts – reliable vehicle and customer data is essential.
Why is the data missing, broken, or scattered?
There are many reasons for fragmented and incomplete data, none of which come as a surprise. But when the impacts of broken data are tallied up – lost sales, complaints, wasted visibility, and the hours spent on manual work – the total sum is far greater than most organisations realise. Do you recognise any of these?
Data comes from dozens of sources – technical specifications, inspections, registration, SOH, condition reports, photos, build sheets, service history... – and it is not always possible to know which one holds the "truth".
The same information changes in one system, but does not update in all other places where it is displayed to the customer.
A large portion of working hours is spent manually entering the same information into multiple systems – a tedious, error-prone task that humans are not really designed for.
Valuable data lies dormant in PDF files and is never actually utilised as structured data.
Every query costs money – small streams accumulate into a significant cost.
Quick wins and distant dreams?
If you are interested in the topic, join us on 26 October 2026 at the AKL Sales Day event and participate in the Crasman workshop. In our session, we will discuss the importance of product and customer data in the automotive trade, and alongside the problems, we will hopefully also offer some solid solutions.
Teemu Korpilahti
Director of Development