Auto Dealer Portal Development: From Catalog to DMS
When building a portal for an auto dealer, we encounter typical pain points: managers spend hours manually updating prices and inventory, customers leave to competitors due to slow photo loading, and trade-in appraisals are done by eye. Our experience shows that a properly designed portal can increase test drive requests by 40% and cut lead processing time by two-thirds. Compared to sites without integration, prices update 50x faster, and conversion to leads increases 2-3x.
What Problems Does an Auto Dealer Portal Solve?
Disconnect between storefront and actual stock. Vehicle availability data often differs from what the customer sees. A portal with DMS integration synchronizes inventory in real time via REST API or CommerceML file exchange. Errors are virtually eliminated.
Low search conversion. A typical filter by make and price doesn't help customers choose among hundreds of units. We add filters by engine type, drivetrain, mileage, color, along with sorting by arrival date and distance to dealer. In one project, this solution boosted lead conversion by 2.3x compared to a standard catalog.
Cumbersome trade-in. A manager can take up to 30 minutes to appraise a vehicle. Implementing an online calculator with CarPrice API integration cuts this to a minute — the customer gets a preliminary price on the site immediately. Automation saves up to 200 manager hours per month, reducing operational costs by 15%.
How the trade-in calculator works inside
At its core, a set of valuation rules configured by the dealer's experts. For each make and model, a base price minus depreciation per year is defined, plus adjustments for condition, mileage, and trim. Alternatively, we connect to APIs of services like CarPrice or Avtoteka, which return market valuations.
How Is the Vehicle Catalog Structured?
The catalog consists of cards for new cars and used cars. For new cars, a configurator is available: the customer selects engine, transmission, color, and options — the system calculates the final price including discounts and promotions. For used cars, each card includes up to 80 photos, VIN, history report (CarFax or Avtokod), and technical specs: engine displacement and power, transmission type, fuel consumption.
All information is stored structured in PostgreSQL, while full-text search uses Elasticsearch — ensuring response times under 200 ms for a catalog of 10,000 positions.
Search and Filters: What a Buyer Needs
| Filter | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Make + Model | Hierarchical | BMW → 3 Series |
| Year | Range | from 2018 |
| Price | Range | 1,500,000–3,000,000 RUB |
| Mileage | Range | 0–100,000 km |
| Transmission | Checkboxes | Automatic, Manual, Robot |
| Engine Type | Checkboxes | Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid, Electric |
| Drivetrain | Checkboxes | Front, Rear, All |
All filters work without page reload, using debounce and client-side data caching. Want to see how such a catalog works? Request a demo.
Test Drive and Service Booking
Booking forms integrate with CRM (e.g., Bitrix24 or AmoCRM). The customer selects a vehicle, a preferred time from available slots, and provides name and phone. The system automatically sends confirmation via email and SMS, and a reminder two hours before. For service, the type of work (maintenance, repair, tire fitting) and vehicle parameters are additionally transmitted.
Trade-In and Loan Calculator
The loan calculator asks for amount, down payment, and term — outputs monthly payment. The credit request is sent to partner banks (Sberbank, VTB, Alfa) via their APIs. The insurance calculator (CASCO/OSAGO) works similarly through aggregators.
How Is DMS Integration Done?
DMS (1C:Avtodyler, CDK Drive, or others) syncs vehicle data, prices, and statuses. We use CommerceML format or direct REST API. Frequency is every minute or on demand. This guarantees customers see only current inventory. Thanks to integration, the portal updates prices 50x faster than manual entry.
What Is Included in Turnkey Work?
- Analytics and design: interface prototype, user scenario map, technical specification for integrations.
- Development: frontend (React/Next.js, TypeScript), backend (Laravel/PHP 8.3+ or Node.js), responsive layout (Tailwind).
- Integration: CRM, DMS, banking APIs, history check services, mapping services.
- Testing: load (up to 1000 concurrent users), functional, acceptance.
- Deployment and support: cloud infrastructure (AWS/Selectel), monitoring (New Relic), 3-month warranty support.
How We Develop the Portal
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Analytics and prototyping | 2–3 weeks |
| Architecture and database design | 1–2 weeks |
| Frontend and backend development | 4–8 weeks |
| DMS, CRM, banking integration | 2–4 weeks |
| Testing and optimization | 1–2 weeks |
| Deployment and training | 1 week |
Why Order Development from Us?
We have been building auto dealer portals for over 5 years and completed 12+ projects in Russia and Belarus. Our engineering team is certified in Laravel and React. We guarantee 99.5% uptime.
After the portal launch, the number of leads increased by 60%
Director of a dealer center, 5-year client
Assess the cost of your project: contact us and receive an estimate within two business days.