AutoTrader's Storefront redefines online new vehicle shopping in Canada
Through immersive content, AR exploration, and direct dealer inventory, the platform has delivered measurable brand impact, deepened customer engagement, and earned global recognition, setting a new benchmark in automotive retail
TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2025 /CNW/ - It has officially been over a year since AutoTrader, Canada's largest new and used automotive marketplace, introduced Storefront, a first-of-its-kind solution designed to give new car buyers a seamless and curated shopping journey. By bringing advanced build and price tools, Augmented Reality (AR) experiences, brand storytelling, model lineups, videos, and real-time dealership inventory together in one integrated experience, Storefront offers automakers a dedicated ad-free brand environment within Canada's largest automotive marketplace.
AutoTrader's Storefront brings together key features that enhance every stage of the car buying journey, from awareness to action, enabling automakers to connect with buyers at critical touchpoints:
- Brand Pages: Illustrate the brand story with hero videos and featured models presented through interactive carousels
- Model Pages: Offer detailed specs, trim comparison, AR Pivot, galleries, special offers, and a map of local dealerships
- Pivot Configurator: 3D model building with Augmented Reality, delivering an 80 per cent click-through rate to live inventory
- Content: OEM content produced by AutoTrader, including videos, stories, and articles highlighting each brand's vehicle lineup
- Native Entry Points: Seamless access across the AutoTrader homepage, search results pages, vehicle detail pages, editorial pages, global navigation, and research pages
The platform has achieved strong results, generating new vehicle sales leads at a rate higher than the overall marketplace average. Storefront pages achieved a very high, 90 per cent engagement rate, with an average session duration of over 4 minutes and 30 seconds, showing that shoppers are genuinely engaged with the brand content and vehicle details on an automaker's Storefront.
"AutoTrader Storefront leads the way in redefining the new car shopping experience, becoming the first in Canada to launch automaker Storefronts with advanced AR capabilities" says Benoit Laforce, Executive Vice-President, Media & New Car Solution, AutoTrader. "This powerful platform enables automotive manufacturers to showcase their new vehicle lineups in a dynamic and immersive virtual environment, connecting Canada's most engaged and ready-to-buy car shoppers with dealership inventory. We're proud to partner with Mitsubishi, along with other manufacturers and dealerships nationwide to drive awareness, engagement, and sales, cementing AutoTrader as a leading new car marketing channel and delivering a premium digital car-buying experience to Canadian consumers."
The platform recently earned international acclaim for its role in innovating the new car shopping experience in Canada. It received a Gold MarCom Award for its "Revolutionizing Marketplace New Car Shopping in Canada" initiative (in partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Sales of Canada Inc.), highlighting digital innovation in the Canadian automotive shopping experience, a significant achievement for a solution that has been live for just over one year. In addition, Storefront has been shortlisted for "Best Use of Online" by the 2025 Festival of Media North America Awards, the only Canadian company recognized in this category, competing alongside leading global brands and further highlighting the platform's rapid impact and innovation in automotive retail.
With two active partners onboard, Mitsubishi and Hyundai, and Polestar launching in December as the third, automakers are leveraging AutoTrader's Storefront to its fullest potential, demonstrating growing industry adoption and confidence in the platform. A brand impact study conducted by Nielsen Media Research revealed that Mitsubishi achieved exceptional brand recall through its AutoTrader Storefront presence, with unaided (92 per cent) and aided (96 per cent) recall surpassing industry benchmarks, along with double-digit lifts across familiarity, favourability, and purchase intent. Since launch, Storefront for Mitsubishi has delivered a 57 per cent increase in new car leads, with a low average cost per sale for matched lead, exceeding the automaker's own KPI targets. Across the marketplace, 29 per cent of new vehicle sales are attributed to AutoTrader visitors.
"Collaborating with AutoTrader Canada on the Storefront launch was a true partnership in every sense," says Steve Carter, Director of Marketing at Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. "Their team brought creativity, speed, and a deep understanding of both the dealer and consumer sides of the business. Together, we turned an idea into an experience that redefined how Canadians shop for cars online."
Online marketplaces are now the default starting point for car buyers, with Clarivoy research showing that 93 per cent of shoppers use third-party automotive marketplaces, such as AutoTrader.ca, at some stage of their purchasing journey. AutoTrader's own research further underscores this engagement, revealing that new car shoppers visit AutoTrader.ca an average of nine times before completing their purchase. Together, the data highlights AutoTrader's role as a trusted destination that connects brands with highly engaged, in-market shoppers at every step of their journey.
Storefront has introduced a more streamlined way for Canadians to shop for new vehicles online, delivering record engagement and lead generation for automaker partners, while ensuring brands stay visible and influential at every touchpoint. By connecting automakers with high-intent audiences actively exploring their next vehicle, Storefront strengthens AutoTrader's position as a category-defining innovator in digital automotive retail.
About AutoTrader Storefront
Storefront is the first native, ad-free brand environment within Canada's largest automotive marketplace, giving automakers a full-funnel advantage to reach millions of undecided shoppers who may never visit manufacturer websites. The platform delivers an immersive branded experience with Augmented Reality (AR) model exploration and direct access to live dealer inventory. Storefront features include Brand Pages, Model Pages, Pivot Configurator, Content, and Native Entry Points. All content is produced by AutoTrader, including custom videos, stories, and articles. Native entry points across the Homepage, Search Results Pages, Vehicle Detail Pages, editorial content, global navigation, and research pages allow seamless access to Storefront, ensuring automakers can reach car buyers at every stage of the journey. For more information, visit https://go.trader.ca/storefront/.
About AutoTrader
AutoTrader is the largest and most trusted automotive marketplace in Canada. Offering the largest inventory of new and used cars, AutoTrader boasts hundreds of thousands of new and used vehicles for sale to Canadians across the country. AutoTrader receives over 25 million monthly visits to the marketplace and the AutoTrader app has been downloaded by more than 7 million Canadians. Visitors can buy or sell cars, trucks or other motorized vehicles quickly, easily, and confidently. Buyers can search based on vehicle model, make, colour and geographic location to find the deal that is right for them. AutoTrader is also an online destination for automotive research and entertainment, featuring news, reviews, videos, and podcasts from award-winning automotive journalists. Follow AutoTrader on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
SOURCE TRADER Corporation
Press contacts: Carla Silvestrone, [email protected], 416.986.9835; Lauren Bell, [email protected], 613.922.7098
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