Client: CARS24 Partners Pvt. Ltd.

My role: Content strategist, UX writer

Team: Project Manager, UI/UX Product Designer

Tools used: Figma, Google Docs, Excel

CARS24 Partners is a B2B platform that helps car dealers across India buy, sell, finance, and manage used cars.

Since its inception, it has been a free-for-all application. CARS24 wanted to upgrade it to a freemium model where app access was limited based on the subscription tier. 

This was new for our network of 15,000+ dealers who use the app daily to buy used cars. My task was to frame the UX narratives across product, banners, and external channels to create a unified paywall strategy.

1/3 RESEARCH INSIGHT

Exclusivity mattered. Even with a price tag. 

Exclusivity motivated strategic investors to remain on the app. On the other hand, it added an aspirational value for growth-conscious dealers. Premium dealers did NOT want to be categorised with a freelance dealer. 

Outside the app, this social hierarchy existed even more strongly between dealers with shops & those without.

➡️ Possible content hook: Exclusivity & aspiration

3/3 RESEARCH INSIGHT

Free plan allowed low-intent dealers to place fake bids & raise the car price. 

This deferred our high-intent buyers. A pay-for-access approach will serve as a filtering mechanism for counterfeit bidders. Additionally, this will prevent car prices from inflating unnecessarily. 

➡️ Possible content hook: 'No fake bids', 'Priority access', or 'priority support and resolution.' 

USER TESTING 

But wait... what did 'exclusivity' mean for dealers? 

Fake door A/B test helped us identify our key value proposition: dealers responded better to 60-minute early access on car listings than to 15-minute exclusive bidding windows on cars.

With the subscription plan, dealers could unlock and bid on a car listing 60 minutes before it goes live for non-members. 

This became my primary USP to highlight in my copy. 

One of the options created for the fake door test. Left to Right: Before and after copy changes.

CONTENT STRATEGY

Despite the obvious benefits, adding a subscription paywall is still a behavioural shift for users. 

Users can become confused or sceptical about paying for access they previously had for free. The challenge was not just to sell, but to make paying feel like a smart upgrade. 

Meanwhile... the business wanted an aggressive upsell for its monetisation efforts. 

For consistency, I drafted a content map that covers all the user touchpoints.

TIME TO DRAFT!

I framed the messaging around value & exclusivity 

1/5 UX WRITING

Here's the introductory pitch for the first touchpoint: a bottom sheet.

I drafted 4 versions, each with a different pitch and tonality, but the same context.

2/5 UX WRITING

I wrote for different paywall touchpoints as well.

I customised the copy for different touchpoints to carefully guide the user on what they are missing out on.

3/5 UX WRITING

I wrote the main pitch on the product page paywall.

4/5 UX WRITING

To spread the word, we used print flyers and allowed users to pre-book the plan before the launch.

5/5 UX WRITING

I wrote the app notifications as well! 

And finally maintained transparency when a user cancels the plan.

FACT CHECK

Notes on content standardisation 

We use standardised jargon for B2B. These are the jargon words that have been tested thoroughly, benchmarked against our competitors, and are known in the car-dealing industry better than their simplified variants. 

As a sole UX writer, I ensured we maintained consistency. But to practice it by the book, we needed a book. (pun intended!). I curated a ready-to-use glossary to keep the content aligned across B2B, marketing, and AI interfaces. 

LEARNINGS

A monetisation effort requires a careful balance of words. 

Do we want to create urgency? Or do we want to highlight the new features? How might a different set of users approach the communication? Should we be transparent and honest? Or should we make it a sales pitch?

Research and field interviews helped me tap into user expectations and answer questions regarding monetisation. 

This project helped me learn how to write to regain trust and establish a subscription system with room for scale. Above all, I realised monetisation models work better when packed with honesty and reassurance so that users choose to pay with confidence. 

It's important to tell the WHY rather than the WHAT or HOW. 

Users are always more interested in knowing why they should opt for a particular service, subscription or any other kind of paid interaction. A good reason not only motivates the user to take action but also builds loyalty and trust.