ALBANY, N.Y. -

There’s a new product called LotMonkey that launched in September and provides an application where dealers can create on-the-lot marketing materials more effectively. That includes things like license plate inserts, window stickers, windshield graphics and more.

In the news release announcing the new company was an interesting thought on increased digitalization, stated as follows: “As the auto industry continues to be impacted by online sales platforms, it’s imperative that dealerships translate the e-shopping experience to the lot by merchandising their inventory in an organized and resourceful manner. Using LotMonkey is the first step in helping dealers quickly adapt to changing customer needs and wants.”

LotMonkey was founded by John Wingle, who was also the founder of in-dealership merchandising company OnSight Solutions.

We asked Wingle about the importance of seamlessly translating the online experience to the in-store experience. He points out that for most of the retail world (outside of the auto business), the online model was built to be similar to the in-store model when it came to merchandising. That in-store model was tidy, organized and clearly marked, he noted, and the online model was built to reflect that.

And while he says the online experience in the auto world has a strong level of organization and easily found pertinent information, like photos and vehicle details, the same can’t necessarily be said of the in-store experience.

“Looking how it works on a dealership lot, many times there’s no direction, other than if you’re going to talk to a salesperson, on where you should even look for a particular make and model vehicle,” he said. “So, the idea behind LotMonkey — and OnSight Solutions — was, ‘OK, let’s create an environment on the lot that kind of replicates that experience that they had online.’”

To put it differently, merchandise vehicles on the lot with the same information you would include on the vehicle details page online. Doing so, he said, “really creates an easier way for a customer to navigate that lot — and, importantly, hone in on something that they’re interested in: a vehicle.”

This story appears in the Oct. 1 edition of Auto Remareketing, our look at Digital Trends, Tools & Strategies on the retail side of the used-car market.