Heycar has partnered with automotive technology supplier SilverBullet to make it easier for people to buy online.
It said a survey of 707 website visitors that it carried out between June 1 and 2 found that a third of them now expected to be able to buy a vehicle from their home.
SilverBullet’s e-commerce systems mean visitors to the used car marketplace can now complete more of their purchases online, with all the paperwork sorted before they step inside a dealership, including reserving the car they want, finance applications, and securing a part-exchange quote.
Heycar, which has more than 3,700 dealerships in its network, said this was the first step of a wider strategy to make more of the car-buying journey seamless.
According to SilverBullet, finance penetration rates are as high as 90 per cent for retailers using its e-commerce systems.
Heycar head of strategy Brook Bishop said: ‘The coronavirus crisis is accelerating change across the used car market. We’re determined to be at the forefront of this and it’s great to have SilverBullet as our first partner in this.
‘Our customers are telling us they want to be able to purchase vehicles online, and our new and improved platform will allow many to do just that.’
SilverBullet founder and commercial manager Hamish Livingston said: ‘Heycar shares our outlook that technology is transforming the used car marketplace.
‘Our powerful software solutions allow the industry to meet changing consumer demands head on. We’re immensely proud to join forces with heycar to help drive this change.’
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