Motor Connect to double turnover as car buyers move online | Digital Marketing
Motor Connect expects to double its turnover in the coming year to £20 million as more buyers embrace online car buying.
The digital-first used car business enables dealers to advertise stock free of charge to a UK-wide in-market audience, taking ownership of any vehicles sold before facilitating delivery from the dealership to the customer.
Motor Connect is predicting 100% growth in the coming year, as it expands its dealer partner network and launches a new digital platform.
Stephen Corwood, owner of Motor Connect, said: “There is a significant shift to online sales in our industry, and we’re at the forefront of this with a digital platform baked in consumer insight and digital know-how.
“We’ve partnered with some of the best digital professionals in the industry to develop our new site, which ensures the whole customer journey is a smooth one – from finding a vehicle and arranging finance to getting vehicles delivered to the door. Collection from UK-wide collection points is also available.”
Motor Connect's business model places it in direct competition with existing online retail platform, Buyacar.
Buyacar chief executive Andy Oldham now leads the new Autovia venture, launched back in March, which aims to fuse its ecommerce offering with the publishing firepower of Dennis publishing’s automotive titles.
Together the brands, which recorded 96 million website visits and 250 million page views, while boasting 14 million users 2.5 million magazines per year, it said.
Motor Connect handles the whole sales and aftersales process, removing hassle for dealers, reducing staff costs and bolstering stock turnover rates. It also allows to buyers to arrange finance and part exchange via the site.
Corwood, who has more than 20 years of motor trade experience, added: “By working with a select network of dealer partners, we provide a customer-facing marketplace and upon sale take ownership of the vehicle to see through the whole sales process with the customer, meaning dealers can simply hand the vehicle to us with no hassle.
“Our business model means we can scale at pace – and this is what we’re doing now. Rapidly expanding our dealer partner network to increase vehicle volumes on the site. We’re also operating in a much more efficient and data-led way that’s of huge benefit. We can add new digital features with ease and invest in getting our platform and cars seen.”
While the Coronavirus pandemic accelerated the shift to consumers buying cars online, Motor Connect was on the front foot of this swing, having already begun its digital-first approach to used car retail.
“We’re disrupting the ‘competitive nature’ of car sales opting for collaboration instead where we facilitate sales and apply our first-class customer service. We look at the whole customer journey and customer experience – and this is where our skill lies, in using data and insight to continually adapt and meet today’s expectations,” said Corwood.
This content was originally published here.
