NEWS

SMA Group has launched its new website after a total rewrite following customer feedback and advice. This, says SMA Group MP Bob Anderson, gives it ‘a much more user friendly experience. ‘We are still the only major auction company in the UK to allow all viewers access to our vehicle search & stock lists online. [...]

UK Web Sites is now supplying all customers with smartphone-compatible websites free of charge. This ensures sites remain legible even when viewed on the smaller screen of mobile phones such as iPhones and Blackberrys. Both new and current customers will get the added mobile functionality. This new enhancement is being offered to all UK Web [...]

ONLINE car sales will account for 1 in every 5 transactions in just 5 years’ time predict web experts GForces. This could potentially displace the car dealer from having any physical contact with the customer prior to the transaction being completed. However, rather than being worried, car dealers should see it as a big opportunity [...]

CAR dealers are turning to online sales channels for the same reasons as their customers says an industry expert. Epyx reckons convenience and choice are leading dealers to switch onto the internet. It is much more efficient than visiting multiple forecourts or scanning the newspaper ads to find the right car, says head of business [...]

CAR buyers are more willing than ever before to purchase new cars over the internet says a web giant. Autoquake.com is the UK’s largest online used car retailer – and says 14 percent MORE people are happier to buy online than they were 3 years ago. In contrast, all other conventional used car sources have [...]

ALFA Romeo chief Andrew Humberstone wants dealers to have a more strategic role in the network’s future. The Fiat Group Automobiles UK chief executive told Car Dealer he wants the network’s dealer council to become the ‘Alfa Romeo Dealer Association’. ‘We’d want them to come up with ideas and general topics that need addressing,’ said [...]

NEW website UKcarexchange promises dealers higher returns for their unwanted PX stock – and listing on the site is free! The website utilises a unique ‘price-drop auction’ approach and the concept here is simple: Cars are listed for 14 days and every 24 hours the price drops by a pre-set amount. The idea is that [...]

NISSAN has rolled out a special website prior to the launch of the head-turning Nissan Cube in January. It’s described as ‘a unique virtual club for Cube fans and prospective buyers’. Forming what Nissan says is a ‘groundbreaking project,’ not everyone can access the site. To ‘get your name on it’, customers need a special [...]

GFORCES has bolstered its senior management team with three new regional account directors. This move will help drive the company’s strategic goal of 100 percent customer satisfaction. GForces boasts more of the company’s top-200 car dealers on its books than any rival. They’ll be supported by the highly qualified trio: •    Scotland and Northern Territory [...]

INTERNET marketing is 4 times as successful in generating sales leads than traditional offline methods. The power of the internet over print advertising and direct mail has been revealed by car dealer web company GForces. In a double bonus, internet marketing is also far cheaper. Offline methods cost nearly 10 times as much per lead! [...]

ONLINE access to ALL of its auctions across the UK will soon be offered by car auction house SMA. This will mean car dealer customers of the Scottish firm need never visit a ‘live’ car auction ever again. The move will, says SMA, set a UK-first precedent. Never before have customers been able to hook [...]

AUTO Trader’s giant UK site can now be viewed on mobile devices such as the BlackBerry and iPhone. A redesign has created a site honed for on-the-move functionality, with loads of new content. It represents a real opportunity for car dealers, says Auto Trader. Key to it is the core search function, which has been [...]

EBAY is to start carrying brand-new GM cars, in a new scheme that launches in the US this week. Initially, the trial scheme is going to be limited to California. But, if it’s a hit, it will be introduced nationwide. It’s an intriguing prospect. Car buyers are currently familiar with searching eBay for used cars [...]

THOUSANDS of customer leads on cars dealers actually have in stock are on offer from a new website feed. Matchthedeal.com launches this week, with the promise of giving a flurry of qualified sales leads to dealers within its network. The launch campaign is to be fronted by BTCC star Jason Plato, who’ll be appearing both [...]

CAR buyers at Motorpoint are using an online ‘checkout’ tool to reserve £500k of cars every month. The facility allows buyers across the country to secure cars online with a credit card. They then compete the balance of the transaction over the telephone. It’s been in place since spring 2007 – since which, 2000 people [...]

Is your online strategy ready for the upturn? According to our experts, dealers who ignore the potential of the internet will be guaranteeing themselves a place in the slow lane when the good times return. Richard Aucock spoke to leading lights in the car business – here are his exclusive findings… WE are nearing an [...]

CAR dealers looking to save in the credit crunch are being targeted by a growing online marketing provider. Localcarsearch says it can deliver dealers’ stock and services to hundreds of thousands of buyers… for 85p per car! That’s the special offer rate provided by the company’s special discount structure. But even without this, per-car rates [...]

CAR buying website buyyourcar.co.uk says the scrappage scheme is already seeing ‘significant’ interest. Car buying enquiries submitted to the site have doubled since the scrap scheme was announced! ‘Despite some industry commentators showing concern,’ said a statement, ‘our findings have demonstrated that it is already generating overwhelming demand.’ The site says the scheme could even [...]

NEW car discounts are running at their highest level for 13 years, reports bargain finder website drivethedeal.com. ‘It really is a buyers’ bonanza right now,’ said the firm’s MD, Richard Sanders. ‘The manufacturers have had thousands of cars in stock to sell, and customers have been snapping them up at rock bottom prices.’ The excess [...]

HALFWAY Garage in Thatcham has ‘significantly’ improved income with a new web booking system. The Berkshire garage uses the Webbooker service, which allows customers to book servicing and MOTs online. This means customers can book in cars even when the garage is closed – and ensure there are no clashes. It does this by allocating [...]