Automotive E-ssentials

Successful online trade of used vehicles: Great photos are essential

When marketing vehicles online, professional images are an important building block for quick resale. After all, the photos offer the first impression. The PhotoFairy app from TÜV SÜD supports car dealerships with a standardised process. The spectrum ranges from simple support during the recordings to the fully automated process in which a robot automatically creates 360° images.

"Standardised marketing processes ensure consistently high quality and sustainable success," says Maximilian Küblbeck, Head of the Claims & Value Service Line at TÜV SÜD's Mobility Division. This also applies to visual material. Photos are one of the decisive factors in marketing on the Internet. They offer the first impression and thus have an enormous influence on selection and decision. The more detailed the photos are, the faster interested parties contact the dealer. "In order to support customers even better in this respect, we have further digitized the process of taking pictures with PhotoFairy," Küblbeck continues.

Photography with AI

The absolute top product in the PhotoFairy family is "MIC360°". The robot, which works completely independently using artificial intelligence (AI), takes 360° images with a high-performance camera within just 40 seconds. Then the rolling robot comes out of the parking position, circles the vehicle while filming and automatically creates high-resolution images. Thanks to innovative lidar radar technology, the robot is able to continuously correct its own position. Küblbeck comments: "Especially in large car dealerships with a high vehicle throughput, MIC guarantees a fast, stable process and thus ensures process reliability."

PhotoFairy's range of services includes, for example, support in image capture, cropping, backgrounds in the corporate design or the fully automated process including 360° all-round recording via MIC 360°. Maximilian Küblbeck: "The advantages are obvious: The automated process ensures speed in the processes, a consistently high photo quality and fast resale, especially for large quantities of vehicles."

Also, something for the small car dealership

Regardless of the volume of vehicles, the remarketing experts at TÜV SÜD's Mobility Division have designed the app for small car dealerships with less volume as well as for the throughput of several thousand lease returns per year. Depending on their requirements, customers can choose from various PhotoFairy modules for outdoor and indoor photography. What is new is that customers – including private customers – can book the service very easily online and configure the product individually.

In the starting version "Pure", the photographer is supported with an integrated camera control in the PhotoFairy app. In the PhotoFairy "Automatic" version, artificial intelligence is added for cropping and placement on selectable backgrounds.

Presentation according to customer requirements

Keyword rich in detail: Appealing photos of the interior also make interested parties pick up the phone faster. A special camera for an all-round view of the interior is available in the PhotoFairy 360° package. The 360° exterior shots are controlled via app. All information about PhotoFairy can be found at photofairy.tuvsud.com/de/