Keep Every Autotrader Listing Current, Automatically

Photos are bulk-uploaded or captured on a phone, then automatically resized and cleaned up before they reach Autotrader, instead of a separate export for that one listing service. Scanning or typing a 17-character VIN pulls year, make, model, trim, engine, and factory equipment automatically, so a vehicle that just cleared reconditioning can be live on Autotrader the same day it is ready to sell.

DealerClick generates a live inventory feed for Autotrader, hosted at a permanent URL that Autotrader polls rather than a file someone uploads by hand. The feed updates automatically whenever inventory changes -- a new vehicle added, a price update, or a vehicle marked sold -- so a listing does not sit live with a price that no longer applies or a unit that already left the lot.

DealerClick tests each feed for correct formatting before it goes live, then keeps monitoring how often Autotrader actually accesses it and alerts a dealership if the feed ever fails or goes quiet. That same feed carries premium placement for specific vehicles, and bid optimization, inventory selection, and budget allocation recommendations for that placement come from DealerClick's own marketplace advertising tools rather than being left for a dealership to work out alone.

Autotrader inquiries reach DealerClick CRM through a direct API connection -- one of several such marketplace connections the CRM maintains -- landing the moment a shopper submits the form. From there, whichever assignment rule this dealership has already set takes over: round-robin rotation, vehicle-interest matching, source-based routing to a top performer, or manager assignment for a high-value opportunity.

The feed described above and the CRM lead connection are two halves of the same Autotrader integration, and both sit inside a larger marketplace advertising and lead-routing system DealerClick runs across every connected listing service, not Autotrader by itself.

Before a vehicle goes live, confirm its photos are uploaded and its VIN has been scanned or typed in, since both automatically ride out to Autotrader with the feed. A vehicle missing either one still reaches Autotrader, just with a thinner listing than one where both are complete.

Confirm the Autotrader feed is formatted correctly and that Autotrader is actually polling the hosted URL, using DealerClick's own feed validation and access monitoring rather than guessing from the Autotrader side. A dealership that watches this catches a stalled feed before a sold vehicle sits live for days with no buyer able to reach anyone about it.

Decide which vehicles get premium placement on Autotrader and set a budget inside DealerClick's marketplace advertising tools, using its bid optimization and inventory selection recommendations rather than picking blind. Placement decisions are made here, inside DealerClick, not left to Autotrader itself.

Open a few recent Autotrader inquiries in DealerClick CRM and check two things: that each one came in through the direct connection, and that the assignment rule attached to it -- round-robin, vehicle-interest matching, or source-based routing -- is the one this dealership actually wants running.