Carter: another ‘Tinder for X’ app launches in SA

We’ve seen quite a few ‘Tinder for X’ or ‘Uber of X’ apps launching in the last year or two, with the car buying industry now receiving one as well, in the form of Carter.

A South African app, Carter uses swipe gestures to find a car for you, connecting you to an appropriate dealership in the process.

“The Carter app is a world first and has been designed to appeal to all new car buyers. A shortlist of suitable cars can be built by swiping right (i.e. yes, I like it) or swiping left (i.e. not interested) — similar to the well-known Tinder app,” read an excerpt of a press release sent to Ventureburn.

“The system learns from the user’s actions which then gets them closer to the cars they should be considering. Carter’s uniqueness comes from its app functionality, learning algorithm and the smart discovery process.”

In other words, the app learns about your vehicle preferences instead of asking you for an exact manufacturer and model. It takes a number of criteria into account, such as speed, safety, gadgets, maximum passengers and other factors.

The Carter app uses a tinder interface and algorithm to find the ideal vehicle for you

“The majority of other platforms ask you which make and model car you want. They assume you know what you want or need. Carter’s mission is to empower the consumer. We have built a fun and friendly platform to help you find the right car and then conveniently source great deals from reputable dealers,” said Amit Bholla of Carter.

Co-founder Tom Gardner compared Carter to Edgars.

“There isn’t an Edgars for new cars. There isn’t anywhere you can browse hatchbacks or compact SUVs side by side. The problem with this is that there may be the perfect compact SUV out there for you, you just don’t know about it. By creating a virtual showroom that allows people to browse by usage requirements, we have created a virtual Edgars for cars.”

The Carter app is available as a free download on Android and iOS.