12:25 pm, August 11, 2020
Dealers using What Car?’s New Car Buying platform can now sell online any unregistered, pre-registered and nearly new cars that they have in stock.
The latest service from the lead generator was developed during lockdown, after being asked for by the 900 retailers using the platform, said What Car?, adding that it was being launched at a critical time for the industry, which was looking to make the most of strong new and used car sales caused by pent-up demand.
What Car? said it got nearly 80,000 visitors a day and buyers could contact retailers about the type of car they were looking for online, including details such as budget, spec and colours, which saved time.
Dealers using New Car Buying are emailed the in-stock car requests and can manage the inquiry via What Car?’s central lead management system.
Kate Hannam, director of sales and commercial partnerships for What Car?, who explained to Car Dealer in May how New Car Buying worked, said: ‘During these incredibly difficult months for the industry, we have done everything we can to stand by our retail partners, and this is another example of how we have kept improving our platform so that it is best in class as customers return to buy cars.
‘The number of retailers using our platform has grown significantly in recent months, as have the number of leads we are sending them.
‘To be able to add this crucial functionality to our product and help drive sales and success during this difficult period is fantastic news.’
Chris Martin, head of product for What Car?, added: ‘The goal was to create a product that widens the number and types of vehicles retailers can advertise on our site, while showcasing more great-value cars for our audience.
‘I’m delighted that we have been able to deliver this so quickly, and at a time when it can really help the industry.’
Access to leads from the platform is open to any franchised dealer or OEM for free at the moment, with no lock-in period, as part of What Car?’s efforts to help the industry recover from the economic fall-out of the pandemic.
What Car? extends free access to New Car Buying platform until end of September
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