How AutoTrader uses Webflow to build premium car shopping experiences

AutoTrader paves the way in
the automotive industry

AutoTrader.ca, Canada’s largest and most trusted automotive marketplace, has taken a revolutionary step forward in its digital transformation. In preparation for the launch of Storefront, an innovative way for new car buyers to shop for their next vehicle, AutoTrader’s team recognized the need to adapt quickly and get to market fast, so they turned to Webflow Enterprise for scalability and greater efficiency.

The manufacturer Storefront experience is a critical initiative for AutoTrader, aimed at creating a dedicated, high-performance shopping experience for individual car brands. Their brand-specific digital Storefronts not only showcase new car models but also tell the story behind each brand, offering custom interactive builders and calculators for an engaging experience, while displaying real-time inventory by dealership.

To help auto manufacturers and dealerships reach new customers quicker, AutoTrader looked to the latest website development best practices. Their team’s experience with Webflow made it a natural solution, and their familiarity with the content editing experience in Webflow instilled confidence in effectively managing content for future projects. However, building an entire Storefront on Webflow represented a major leap in AutoTrader’s digital strategy. This change needed to handle high traffic and ensure a seamless, engaging user experience, allowing forward-thinking auto manufacturer partners to tap into new premium marketing channels.

Ensuring seamless integration of new Storefronts via APIs

AutoTrader’s decision to move forward with Webflow Enterprise is another example of the product investments the company has made to support the flexibility and extensibility enterprise organizations expect in a modern web development solution. AutoTrader’s project required operating a full Storefront, which meant building on top of native functionalities with complex integrations and APIs. Because of this, choosing the right Webflow partner was crucial to unlocking the full potential of this product-level functionality. 

By partnering with Composite, an award-winning design agency and Webflow Premium Partner, AutoTrader ensured they were working with some of the top Webflow experts. Their chosen partner’s expertise needed to extend beyond basic familiarity with Webflow to provide valuable strategic recommendations on how to leverage Webflow's best practices, making them the ideal partner to navigate AutoTrader's complex needs. By leveraging Webflow Enterprise and Composite’s extensive experience with Webflow, AutoTrader successfully launched a multilingual web Storefront helping their manufacturer go to market 3 times faster in just four weeks, down from the three months it would have taken without Webflow.

“Webflow Enterprise has truly transformed the way we work. It’s allowed us to build and launch new, innovative products faster than ever before. It has streamlined our process, freeing up our engineering teams to focus on the technology that powers the products, while empowering design to confidently manage UI and content.”

_{Rob Holody, Design Lead at AutoTrader}

Maximizing impact with faster speed to market

Composite’s journey with Webflow extends over the past seven years, evolving from its earliest versions to becoming an Enterprise Partner in 2023. Specializing in crafting compelling marketing websites, robust e-commerce stores, and intuitive user-friendly designs, Composite’s multi-disciplinary teams seamlessly combine beautiful design capabilities with modern development work. Their longstanding commitment to building on Webflow positions them among the most experienced agencies, fully leveraging capabilities for mid-market and enterprise clients.

“Working with Composite as our Webflow experts supporting the development and launch of Storefront was a truly pivotal decision, their deep expertise and genuine collaboration brought our vision to life, making the debut a real success.”
_{Benoit Laforce, Executive Vice President of New Car Solutions & Media at AutoTrader}

AutoTrader’s innovative approach and strategic partnerships with Webflow Enterprise and Composite highlight a new era of digital transformation in the automotive industry. Their willingness to invest in new technology demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to adapting to market changes and reimagining user interaction with car brands online, setting a benchmark for speed to market, efficiency, and user experience. Identifying Webflow Enterprise as their development platform provided the competitive edge AutoTrader needed, with the best-in-class website experience platform leading the future of development.