Frequently Asked Questions

Answers for dealers on VDP insights, rollout, pricing, and pilots

How does Carvia help dealers sell more vehicles?

Most shoppers leave VDPs to find answers elsewhere — pricing context, ownership history, what the car actually costs to own. Carvia brings those answers onto your page. We embed buyer-facing insights directly on the VDP so shoppers understand value, fit, and context without leaving your site. The result is longer sessions, more engaged buyers, and more leads submitted.

How does Carvia improve VDP conversion rates?

Your site converts somewhere between 1 and 3% of visitors. Carvia focuses on the other 97% — the shoppers you're already paying to attract but losing because their questions go unanswered on the page. We surface pricing context, history insights, and ownership guidance directly on the VDP, keeping buyers moving toward a decision instead of bouncing to Google, Reddit, or a competitor.

What results should dealers expect?

Dealers using Carvia are seeing meaningful lifts in engagement — session duration, active time on page, and lead form submissions. At Lavery Automotive, engagement time per session increased 39%, average session duration increased 43%, lead forms increased 75%, and total conversions increased 20% — all during a period of 14% traffic decline. Engagement is the leading indicator. More time on page means buyers are getting answers, and buyers who get answers convert.

How quickly can Carvia go live on my site?

Fast. Carvia installs via a lightweight script — typically a single tag deployed through Google Tag Manager or direct placement on your VDP template. For most website platforms, we can be live within a few days of kickoff. No rebuild, no extended integration project.

Does Carvia work with my website provider?

Yes. Carvia works on any dealership website. Whether you're on Dealer.com, DealerOn, or another platform, the integration is lightweight and doesn't require changes to your existing site architecture.

Is Carvia a replacement for Carfax or AutoCheck?

No — it's a different layer. Carfax and AutoCheck provide raw data records. Carvia translates that data into clear, buyer-friendly guidance that actually influences decisions on the page. We work alongside those tools, not instead of them.

What does Carvia actually show buyers on the VDP?

The widget surfaces VIN-specific insights tailored to each vehicle: trim context and what's actually included in that configuration, ownership outlook, who the vehicle is a strong fit for, relevant community and owner sentiment, and valuation context — what this vehicle is worth relative to the market and why. It's not a generic description. It's specific to that VIN.

Does Carvia work on both new and used inventory?

Yes. The insights are VIN-specific, so the output adapts to the vehicle. For used inventory, Carvia leans into history context, ownership outlook, and value framing. For new inventory, it surfaces trim and package context, what comparable buyers typically prioritize, and what makes this specific configuration stand out.

How is pricing structured?

Carvia is $1,495 per rooftop per month. Automotive groups with multiple rooftops can get custom pricing. There are no implementation fees or long-term contracts required to start.

How long does the pilot take to evaluate?

We typically recommend a 60-day window to collect enough signal across your inventory mix. Engagement metrics like session duration and active time on page start moving in the first few weeks. Lead form and conversion attribution takes a bit longer to mature, particularly on used inventory with lower monthly turn.

What metrics does Carvia track?

Carvia surfaces engagement data — widget interaction rates, session duration on pages with the widget active, and lead form activity — alongside your existing analytics. We're set up to work alongside GA4 and your CRM data so you can see both sides: engagement uplift from Carvia and downstream lead and conversion attribution from your own systems.

Does Carvia replace my website or DMS?

No. Carvia layers on top of your existing stack. It doesn't touch your inventory feed, your DMS, or your website CMS. It reads the VIN from your VDP and returns insights — that's it. Your current systems stay exactly as they are.

Does Carvia require a long-term contract?

No. We start with a pilot structure — typically 60 days — so you can evaluate performance against your own benchmarks before committing to an ongoing arrangement. We'd rather earn the relationship than lock you into it.

What data does Carvia use to generate insights?

Carvia pulls from multiple structured data sources: VIN decode data (trim, packages, configurations), market comp data (pricing, days on market, regional demand), and public ownership and history records where available. The output is a structured interpretation of that data — not a raw data dump.

How does Carvia handle Canadian inventory or VINs?

Carvia supports Canadian VINs for trim decode, market data, and vehicle configuration context. Some history and registration data that's available in the U.S. is not available through Canadian data infrastructure — we communicate that clearly in the output rather than presenting incomplete data as complete.

Why not just drive more traffic instead?

Because traffic without conversion is an expensive treadmill. The industry average VDP conversion rate is 1–3%. Every dollar spent driving more shoppers to a page that doesn't answer their questions compounds the loss. Carvia improves what happens after the click — and that's where the math changes.

Why not just use an AI chatbot on the VDP?

Generic chatbots answer general questions. Carvia answers VIN-specific questions. The difference is specificity. A chatbot can tell a buyer what a V6 engine is. Carvia tells them what the V6 in this specific trim level actually costs to maintain, how it compares to similar inventory on the market, and whether it fits their use case. That specificity is what moves buyers.

Is Carvia just for high-volume stores?

No. Carvia is a flat monthly rate per rooftop, so smaller stores are not priced out by volume. The engagement and conversion dynamics that Carvia improves — buyer uncertainty, drop-off to external research, lead quality — are present across all store sizes. In some cases, stores with lower monthly traffic benefit more because every lead is more valuable.

Who at the dealership manages Carvia?

Typically the marketing manager or digital director handles the install and initial setup. After that, Carvia runs autonomously — there's no ongoing management required. You get reports on performance and we handle the data layer.

What makes Carvia different from other VDP tools?

Most VDP tools add more content — more photos, more specs, more badges. Carvia adds interpretation. The buyer already has access to specs. What they need is a clear answer to "what does this vehicle mean for me?" That's the gap Carvia fills — and it's a gap that engagement data confirms is real.