How to engage and convert car buyers with automotive video

Introduction to automotive video

Remember when selling cars was done mainly in the showroom? Those days are long gone. Buyer habits have shifted dramatically, and most journeys now begin online.

As Sophie Birshan, Head of Automotive at Google UK, explained when she spoke on our panel at AM Live:

“Many buyers now begin their journey online and search without a brand in mind.”

What’s more, these buyers aren’t relying on a single channel. Research shows they use up to seven different online-only sources when shopping for their next car, including:

✔ Dealer websites
✔ OEM websites
✔ Comparison websites
✔ Review websites
✔ YouTube (growing 25% year-on-year)

Across all of these sources, automotive video is essential for engaging and converting customers. Research shows that the average internet user spends the equivalent of 25 days each year watching online video (1), making it one of the most powerful communication channels in digital retail.

As Phyron’s CEO, Mattias Kellquist, put it in a recent Q&A:

“Car buyers now expect the same quality of experience they get from e-commerce platforms. That means clear, visual, trustworthy content that loads fast and works on every device. Video helps dealerships meet those expectations. What used to be a luxury is now standard.”

For OEMs and dealerships, this shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Static ads and photo carousels are no longer enough. Your buyers expect fast answers, immersive visuals, and seamless digital experiences. And the format that delivers? Video.

This guide explores how video meets those expectations, right from the brain science of attention to the innovations shaping the future of automotive video.

Let’s get started!

Why video works: the brain science of motion

Our brains are hardwired for movement. In evolutionary terms, motion signals something important — prey, a threat, or an opportunity — and that instinct still drives how we pay attention today. It’s why video captures attention faster and holds it longer than any other format.

Think of it like walking through a forest: you’ll instantly notice the rustle of leaves or a bird taking flight long before you register the static trees around you.

Online, video plays the same role. It disrupts the scroll, triggers curiosity, and forces the brain to prioritise it over static images.

Research backs this up. Studies show that people retain up to 95% of a message delivered by video, compared to just 10% when reading text (2). For car buyers — who are already making an emotional decision — automotive video engages both the logical and the emotional brain, blending hard facts with desire.

As Jens-Peter Sjöberg, Phyron’s co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, explains:

“The faster you sell a car, the faster you make money. But speed alone is not enough. Storytelling is what connects customers with vehicles, turning a specification sheet into something they can imagine themselves driving.”

It’s a principle Sjöberg knows all too well. Before co-founding Phyron, he spent time in Hollywood shaping the visual effects of blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

In cinema, every frame has to earn its place on screen, capturing attention, sparking emotion, and driving the story forward. Automotive video works the same way. It’s not just about showing a car; it’s about transforming cold data into a car that  buyers can picture themselves in.

That blend of speed and storytelling is what turns browsers into buyers.

Video across the funnel: discovery to decision

Think of your video strategy like a movie plot. Every act has a role: the opener draws your buyers in, the middle builds the story, and the finale brings the journey to its decisive moment.

In automotive retail, video follows the same arc. It draws buyers into the story of a car, keeps them engaged as the details unfold, and ends with a decisive moment — the commitment to buy.

This journey aligns with the classic marketing funnel: from awareness, to consideration, to decision. Each stage calls for a different type of video, and together they form a complete path from curiosity to conversion.

Top of funnel: capturing attention

At this stage, it’s all about sparking emotion and curiosity. Buyers might not even know what brand or model they want yet. Instead, they’re searching broadly for answers like “best SUV for a family” or “affordable EV with long range.”

This is often the first time they encounter your content, so the goal is clear: create intrigue, establish emotional resonance, and plant your brand firmly in their consideration set.

Formats that work:

✔ Brand films that inspire

✔ Lifestyle trailers that connect cars with buyer aspirations

✔ TikTok and Instagram teasers designed for fast-scrolling feeds, like this one from Phyron’s Paid Ads product

✔ Model intros that blend cinematic storytelling with product detail, such as the Phyron example below

These formats work best on platforms where buyers go to explore and be inspired. Think YouTube, TikTok, social channels, and OEM sites. They don’t need to explain everything, their job is more to hook buyers emotionally and make your brand memorable.

Mid-funnel: building trust and confidence

Once buyers have shortlisted a few options, their focus shifts to evaluation. They begin asking practical questions: What does it look like inside? How does it compare to other cars? Can I picture it on my driveway?

At this stage, the role of video is to provide clarity, answer objections, and build trust. And research shows it works. In fact, 90% of car buyers who watch online videos say it influenced their decision-making process (3), proving that motion-rich content is one of the most persuasive tools dealerships and OEMs have.

Formats that work:

✔ Walkaround videos that replicate the showroom experience
✔ Side-by-side comparison videos that simplify decisions
✔ Feature explainers that highlight a car’s unique selling points, as shown in the Phyron Inventory Video example below

These videos thrive on vehicle display pages, marketplace listings, and comparison sites, where buyers want clarity and reassurance. Done right, they move prospects from “interested” to “seriously considering.”

Bottom of funnel: closing the deal

This is the decision-making stage, where hesitation can kill momentum. At this point, video needs to do what a skilled salesperson would: make things clear, personal, and persuasive. The goal is to humanise the process, eliminate last-minute doubts, and drive action. You want to turn that intent into a signed deal.

Formats that work:

✔ Personalised reply clips (e.g., “Hi Sarah, here’s that Golf GTI you enquired about”)
✔ Finance explainer videos that break down costs simply
✔ Promotional offer recaps that create urgency, such as this example from Phyron

These formats show buyers they’re not just another lead in the system but a valued customer being guided toward the finish line.

When mapped properly, video doesn’t just support the funnel - it becomes the funnel. It carries buyers seamlessly from curiosity to confidence, and finally to commitment.

Why automation changes everything

Knowing what video works and where is only half the battle. The bigger challenge for OEMs and dealerships has always been scale.

Sure, dealers could film the occasional walkaround or commission a polished promo, but not at the speed or consistency buyers demanded. Manual production was slow, expensive, and by the time a video was ready, the car might already be off the forecourt.

How AI is having an impact

Automation has rewritten the rules. What once took days or weeks now takes minutes. AI turns a simple feed of photos and vehicle data into professional, brand-consistent videos that update automatically whenever stock or pricing changes. It’s like switching from hand-painting billboards to running a global digital ad network: suddenly, every car gets the spotlight, everywhere it needs to be.

To understand just how big a shift this is, it helps to compare manual production methods with automated video.

But automation isn’t just solving today’s bottlenecks, it’s future-proofing automotive retail.

As new channels emerge, from social video platforms to more interactive shopping experiences, buyer expectations will only grow more complex. With AI-driven automation, dealerships and OEMs can keep pace effortlessly, ensuring their video strategy evolves in step with the market rather than falling behind it.

At the same time, automation provides a real competitive edge. Dealers that adopt automation now are the ones who'll capture attention quicker, build trust, and win more market share, leaving slower rivals to play catch-up. In a landscape where speed and consistency matter, automation is quickly becoming the new baseline for success.

And perhaps most importantly, automation gives people their time back. With Phyron's tools you can create ads like these in minutes, not days, for roughly the price of a coffee per car.

Instead of wrestling with repetitive production tasks, dealership teams can focus on what they do best: building relationships, closing sales, and creating great customer experiences.

AI doesn’t replace that human touch. Instead, it amplifies it by ensuring every car gets seen, every buyer stays engaged, and every team can work smarter, not harder.

What’s next: avatars, AI agents and interactive video

Just as Netflix transformed how we watch TV and Amazon reshaped how we shop, AI innovation will redefine how people buy cars.

The future of automotive video isn’t just about showcasing vehicles. Instead, it’s about creating richer, more personalised, and more seamless buying experiences that meet customers wherever they are. What comes next are innovations like the following that will transform video from a storytelling tool into a complete sales engine.

Avatar-led videos

Virtual presenters will soon be delivering consistent, multilingual explanations across every channel. For OEMs and dealer groups, this means every model can be presented with the same clarity and professionalism in every market, without needing extra staff or resources.

Shoppable and interactive video

Video will no longer be seen as a passive format. Buyers will be able to click within a video to explore finance options, compare trims, or even book a test drive. This will collapses the gap between interest and action, turning video into a direct sales channel.