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Integrating Financing Transparency
Surfacing Custom Terms Earlier in the Customer Journey

Project Overview

Company
Audience
Challenge
Solution

DriveTime
1.3M+ monthly vehicle shoppers
Financing tools buried deeper in the shopping journey
Surface financing features one page earlier in the customer journey by displaying terms on vehicle cards in search results

Key Metics

68.9% lift saved vehicle terms
57% lift in vehicle card impressions
Credit rating lift in customers who viewed new variation

THE CHALLENGE

DriveTime's customers could only see personalized financing terms after clicking into individual car pages, but with 1.3 million monthly visitors browsing the search results first, there was a missed opportunity. The challenge was bringing those powerful financing customization tools one step earlier in the shopping flow—letting customers see their personalized terms right on the search results page instead of making them dig deeper to make informed decisions.

PRIMARY OBSTACLES

Design Constraints

VSR vehicle cards already displayed extensive variable information
Limited screen real estate for additional custom terms
New financing info needed to be prominently featured, not just squeezed in
Wanted to avoid to much visual noise on VSR page

Added States and Edge Cases

Personalized terms across hundreds of vehicles added a lot of variability
The site has a variety of approval states and conditionas for financing
Edge cases: failed financing call, potential fraud, approval based on an assumed income, customers seeking a vehicle upgrade, exceedingly large down payment terms

OUR SOLUTION
Information Prioritization

Determining Visual Hierarchy

Listed all information currently displayed on vehicle cards
Ranked each element by importance and user value
Established new hierarchy with custom terms at the top

Highest Ranked Info
• Custom vehicle terms
• Year/Make/Model/Trim

Previewing Terms Before Conversion

Preview financing features while limiting access helped us further incentivize lead-form opt-in
Competitive analysis showed that companies often locked terms often gated behind account creation
We didn’t have accounts in a traditional sense so we could offer less friction in our flow than competitors

Pre-Approval Experience

"Locked" terms view on VSR cards
Suggests available financing features
Clear path to unlock through approval flow

Post-Approval Experience

Full custom terms displayed on VSR cards
Immediate access to personalized financing information
Seamless transition from approval to shopping

EXECUTION

Complete VSR Card Redesign

Pre-Approval Cards

Financing preview with "locked" visual treatment
Clear value proposition for completing approval
Maintains card functionality while adding incentive

Post-Approval Cards

Full custom terms integration
Prioritized information hierarchy
Enhanced decision-making capabilities

User Experience Flow

Pre-approval: Customer sees locked financing preview
Approval completion: Customer gains access to custom terms
Enhanced shopping: Customer browses with full financing transparency
Informed decisions: Customer can compare and save terms across vehicles

RESULTS AND IMPACT

Experiment Win of The Year

Increased browsing behavior: Customers scrolling to view more vehicle cards
Higher save rates: More frequent saving of terms on vehicles
Improved lead quality: More favorable credit rating mix among customers

Conversion Improvements

Lead-to-sale lift: Direct improvement in conversion rates
Better customer matching: Enhanced alignment between customer needs and vehicle selection
Reduced friction: Faster decision-making with upfront financing information

Strategic Business Impact

Validated the value of financing transparency in the customer journey
Demonstrated effectiveness of "preview to unlock" conversion strategy
Established new standard for presenting complex financial information

KEY LEARNINGS

Information Architecture

Systematic prioritization process essential for complex interfaces
Strategic de-emphasis as important as emphasis in design
Visual hierarchy drives user attention and behavior

Conversion Strategy

"Locked preview" effectively motivates completion of approval flow
Proved value of progressive disclosure in financial services
Transparency builds trust and confidence in financing decisions
Early access to personalization tools increases engagement

User Behavior Insights

Customers value financing information early in the shopping process
Access to custom terms changes browsing patterns significantly
Saving functionality becomes more valuable with personalized information
Reduced friction in car shopping and financing decisionsImproved customer confidence through early access to personalized information