Core Insights - Cars.com has launched Carson™, a multilingual AI-powered search tool designed to enhance the car shopping experience for its 25 million monthly users by converting conversational queries into targeted search results [1][2]. Group 1: AI Implementation and User Engagement - Carson aims to simplify the car shopping process by allowing users to input natural language queries, addressing the fact that over 70% of shoppers are undecided about make and model at the start of their search [2][5]. - The AI tool has shown strong performance, assisting approximately 15% of web and mobile searches on Cars.com, and users of Carson return to the site twice as often as other shoppers [5][6]. Group 2: User Behavior and Search Trends - Shoppers are utilizing Carson for various types of searches, including practical needs (e.g., "reliable"), emotional needs (e.g., "cool"), lifestyle needs (e.g., "good for a new teen driver"), and specific automotive terms (e.g., "c6 vette") [6]. - Carson users save three times more vehicles compared to other shoppers and exhibit a nearly 30% higher conversion rate from search results to vehicle detail pages [5][6]. Group 3: Future Developments - The company plans to evolve Carson further by providing AI summaries, search refinement prompts, and personalized options for users, reinforcing its commitment to innovation in the automotive industry [4][5].
Meet "Carson™": Cars.com's New AI Engine for Car Shopping