6:37 pm, October 11, 2010
AS Thursday’s Ewards deadline fast approaches, James Baggott takes a final look at one of the entrants.
Time is running out to get your website in front of the Car Dealer Ewards judges! The awards, being held in association with Autotorq.com, will be voted for this month and the winners announced in the next issue.
One of the latest dealers to get their entry in is TCAutos.biz – a small, one dealership, family business based in Omagh, Northern Ireland, that holds franchises for Kia and Renault.
Dealer principal Damien Maguire said: ‘The internet levels the playing field in the digital domain and allows us to compete under the same parameters as anyone else regardless of size. Our site is not only about presenting ourselves online. It’s about pushing technological boundaries and trends and providing best practice examples within our industry.’
TC Autos uses social media to interact with buyers and likes to think its website gives customers ‘a wealth of information, presented in a clinical and engaging way’.
We showed the TC Autos website to our judges to see what they thought.
Headline sponsor Autotorq.com’s chief executive officer Stewart Niblock said he could see a lot of planning had gone into it.
‘The homepage promotional offers and business categories are prominent and well presented with clear calls to action and imagery,’ he said.
‘There’s great use of customer testimonials and creative use of video which has become an important influencer in the prospective buyers’ decision making process.
‘The website has good navigation, allowing visitors to easily find what they are looking for and the new vehicle functionality clearly indicates deals per model and users looking for used vehicles have an option to search on different criteria.’
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It wasn’t just Niblock that was impressed. HPI’s automotive director Daniel Burgess said he could see the dealership was ‘dedicated to making the buyers’ online experience as easy as possible’.
He added: ‘With tabs providing a range of options from aftercare to test drives, this site is informative, uncluttered and user-friendly.
‘Social media is noticeably utilised with links to the Kia Facebook page and TC TV. It is very evident that TCAutos.biz has a real emphasis in engaging with the customer as well as evolving with the digital media age.’
Impressive stuff. Fellow judge Shaun Armstrong, managing director of Dealer Plus, added: ‘Usability has clearly been made a top priority with this website. The design and development has been carefully planned making the site easy to navigate with a good level of functionality.
‘A variety of services are offered which range from classifieds and test drives to the ability to book servicing and repairs online. This promotes the garage’s services while clearly presenting the information to the user. The testimonials add a level of trust to the site and help to reassure the user.’
Finally, judge Alan Stuart, operations director for SpidersNet, hailed the offering as a ‘great site’ that was ‘jam packed with content’.
He added: ‘It’s what today’s demanding visitors are looking for. Latest offers and news on the homepage are great for search engines too. The basics are right, consistent navigation on every page helps the users.’
Entries for the Car Dealer Ewards close on THURSDAY AT 5pm. We’re searching for winners in seven categories this year: Single Franchised Dealer, Multi Franchised Dealer, Car Supermarket, Independent and Car Manufacturer. The judges will also be handing out two special awards: Web Innovation and Special Achievement.
To enter these Ewards all we need is a few details emailed to [email protected] – these include your name and position, company name, website address and the name of the agency that designed your website.
If you want to include a few words as to why you think you should win feel free!
