Winner: Autoplanet.co.uk
Produced by: Spidersnet
Highly commended: smc-cars.com
Highly commended: hrowen.co.uk
This year the multi-franchised Eward was a new category and was added to reflect the challenges these businesses have of placating a variety of manufacturers.
Group franchised dealers have to tread a fine line between getting their own branding across on their website while at the same time promoting a number of different car makers and their models. That being said, these larger groups often have larger budgets to match – and that opens up the possibilities online even further.
This inaugural Eward was one of the most hotly contested categories this year with just five points separating the top three websites.
Sealing the win – by just two points over the second placed site – is Autoplanet.co.uk. The group holds franchises for Fiat, Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, Renault and Seat with sites across the south. Judges were impressed with the clean layout, the bold graphics and the ease at which cars could be researched.
Brett Kavanagh, group marketing manager, said: ‘It is a great honour for the team here at Waters AutoPlanet to win the Car Dealer Magazine Multi-Franchised Dealer Website of the Year Eward.
‘It is testament to the extensive thought and effort that went into designing the site that we’ve managed to design and build a website that has been recognised for its user-friendliness and ease-of-use.
‘Online is now central to the success of every automotive retailer in the country and it is now essential to understand, and deliver precisely, what the customer wants.
‘I think we have managed to achieve this in a format that presents our own Waters AutoPlanet brand, and all the manufacturers we represent, in a way that is easy for customers to understand and interact with.
‘Of course this award is only the beginning as we now strive to build on what we have achieved and to be recognised once again by our peers in the future.’
Autotorq.com talk:
THIS website is definitely the best
entry in this class and a worthy winner as it ticks many of the boxes for customer experience and usability. Offers are immediate, clear and engaging and if the
customers are looking for different brands it’s easy to find with the clear architecture and presentations.
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