Given the amount of car research, browsing and shopping that is done online before a potential car buyer even arrives at your store, a new twist to mastering certified pre-owned sales is to reach those shoppers on the Web.

As part of our annual “Best CPO Dealers in the United States” special edition this winter, Auto Remarketing asked a few of Volkswagen’s top certified dealers for some of their more effective techniques to engage with CPO shoppers online.

Starting off with Luther West Side Volkswagen — VW’s No. 1 ranked CPO seller in 2014 with 1,345 sales — general manager Steve Hendricks had this to say.

“Here is how we engage the CPO guest: One, we have great photos showing the unique aspects of the cars; for example, if we have brand new tires installed with picture those up close, if the vehicle has heated seats, we show them in the ‘on’ position. If the car has navigation, we show the navigation screen with the map of our location on the screen. Back-up camera, too, we show a shot of it in action,” he said.

“Two, we make sure we have great comments on every vehicle, not ‘canned’ comments like ‘Clean’ or ‘Extra Clean,’ but some real info on each car,” Hendricks added.

He gave a few examples of such comments: 

• ‘Perfect CARFAX history’
• ‘Maintenance Records from New’
• ‘Fully inspected and serviced to very strict VW Certified Standards’
• ‘As close to new as you will find!’
• ‘You will love the great care this one owner car has had since new’
• ‘You will absolutely love the way this one rides, drives and handles, as well as its great looks!’

Continuing on with the third item on the list, Hendricks added: “Three, we also state the main aspects of the VW Certified Warranty in every description. These three items, if done on every CPO car, will generate interest to the online guest to contact us.

“Every vehicle has to have each of these three points, no exceptions,” he continued. “We sold over 1,300 CPO VWs last year, far outpacing the rest of the VW stores, and this is one way of how we do it.”

Next up, Steve Meadows of Gunther Volkswagen Coconut Creek, explained what his store (ranked second on VW’s 2014 list with 997 CPO sales) does to engage with CPO shoppers online.

“Here at Gunther, we clearly distinguish are CPO cars with the World Auto banner and a two-year/24,000-mile warranty. We consistently monitor our prices to ensure they are the best in the digital marketplace,” Meadows said. “We also provide all recommended maintenance, interior and exterior reconditioning in order to provide our CPO cars a like new appearance in all our photos.”

At Volkswagen Santa Monica — VW’s third-ranked certified dealer with 853 sales last year — pre-owned manager Dan Nguyen listed four points of advice.

First, include “15 or more photos of vehicle in a nice display area,” Nguyen said.

“Therefore, the customer does not have to leave the comfort of his or her own home to shop for a vehicle; the dealership with the most photos and a detail comment will most likely sell the car,” he added.

Nguyen also emphasized the importance of having a website that can be easily navigated by the consumer, making it simple for the shopper to find the car. 

Next, he said that the “vehicle needs to be price at market value, not over-inflated.”

Finally, Nguyen recommends you include “an easy explanation of the CPO warranty and process that led up to a car being certified.” 

Staff Writer Josh Hyatt contributed to this report.