12:32 am, April 1, 2011
MOTORS.co.uk has frozen advertising rates for the next 12 months, due to listening to dealers’ concerns says the firm.
The move will take effect from April 1 and guarantees that prices will not rise in any UK region for a full calendar year. The decision follows calls from the industry for the dominant online used car websites to give traders a fair deal as the industry faces some of its toughest ever trading conditions.
The site has guaranteed that its rate card will not increase for 12 months with its rates already tailored regionally to reflect the traffic and response generated, ensuring price reflects the commercial value delivered.
Garry Hobson, CEO at Motors.co.uk, said: ‘We know that dealers are feeling the pinch as the economy slowly recovers, and unlike some of our competitors, we believe that it would be inappropriate to adopt a business model of continuous price increases for our core tenancy advertising packages. It is fundamental for dealers to get the right mix of advertising spend across all areas, and although the internet has been a growing source of response, we believe dealers will benefit from certainty on pricing.
‘We are committed to providing dealers with value for money as well as being transparent on the response that our websites provide to help them make informed decisions on their advertising spend. Despite this rate freeze, we will continue to invest significant amounts in marketing to consumers ensuring that we help dealers sell more cars.’
Graham Elliott from the campaign group Motor Traders Advertising Union (MTAU) said: ‘It’s good to see one of the major players taking a stand and we call on all the other used car sites to follow suit and freeze their advertising rates to give dealers a chance.
‘After what many are heralding as a disappointing budget, the financial pressures on the industry are set to continue for the foreseeable future and therefore we need to work together to secure a positive outlook for the motor trade. The MTAU sees this as a positive sign as motors.co.uk recognise the need for strong relationships with its clients in these difficult and uncertain times.’
The site which has 150,000 used cars for sale is the second largest used car website and has exclusive partnerships with Parkers.co.uk, Honestjohn.co.uk, Teletextcars.co.uk and Desperateseller.co.uk.
