D.igital’s first used car business Motor Connect will be set to 100 percent growth in the coming year after launching its new industry-leading digital platform and increasing nationwide sales capacities.
The independent company, based in Northwich, Cheshire, has already achieved a 50% increase in sales in the past fiscal year by shifting its strategy to online sales and expanding its innovative automotive retail market based on collaboration rather than competition British used car dealer.
Owner Stephen Corwood, who has more than 20 years of experience in the used car sales market, switched from the traditional route to used car trading at the beginning of the initial lockdown when auction prices skyrocketed and customers sought contactless online sales.
He bought a van to deliver nationwide and quickly developed his online platform as a marketplace for UK dealers to advertise stock (free).
The innovative business model calls for Motor Connect to take ownership of all vehicles sold through the website, and their team then takes care of the entire customer experience, from vehicle prep to door delivery. Motor Connect also enables customers to arrange financing, parts swaps, and warranties for a completely hassle-free process.
Stephen explains, “In May last year it became clear that traditional ways to trade used cars would get expensive – combined with finding a single digital touchpoint to buy, sell and finance a car. We changed what we were doing internally and it worked so well for us.
“For us it was also about being different and not putting ourselves in the same boat as some large dealer groups and supermarkets that are in stock.
“With our business model, we can scale quickly – and that’s exactly what we’re doing now. Rapid expansion of our dealer partner network in order to increase the vehicle volume on the website. We are also working much more efficiently and data-driven, which is a great advantage. We can easily add new digital features and invest in the visibility of our platform and cars.
“The new platform is a win-win situation for both the customer and our approved dealer partners.
“Our strategy is to manage the entire customer journey across all touchpoints with intelligent technology, customer insights and our experienced staff. Because the process is so streamlined and connected, customers can often buy a vehicle online, complete their financing, and have a vehicle delivered to their doorstep in just two days.
“By working with a select network of dealer partners, we offer an additional route to the market and by taking over the entire customer service process, dealers can benefit from faster inventory turnover and reduce their personnel costs.
“While the average inventory turnaround time in the industry is 44 days, we reach 23 and less. And we are committed to the independent retailer so that our partners’ inventories can be seen, sold and they too can benefit from our investments in digital technologies.
“Our inquiries can be vehicle-related, financing-related or for a part exchange offer – it is important that you can choose from our services and that you are well looked after.”
Stephen continues, “There is a significant shift to online selling in our industry and we are leading the way with a digital platform based on consumer information and expertise.
“We partnered with some of the best digital professionals in the industry to develop our new website that will ensure the entire customer journey goes smoothly. More and more industries are using digitization to offer consumers more personal, concierge-style service – and we can offer that too. Meet customer expectations to be able to manage their purchases through one platform.
“While COVID-19 has accelerated the shift towards consumers buying cars online, we were at the forefront of that turnaround before the pandemic and had already begun our digital approach to the used car trade.
“We’re disrupting the ‘competitive’ nature of car sales by opting instead to collaborate where we make it easier to sell and use our world-class customer service. We look at the entire customer journey and customer experience – and this is where our ability to use data and insights lies to continuously adapt and meet today’s expectations. “
Motor Connect’s current sales are £ 9.6m with a target of £ 20m over the next 20 months in line with its strategy.
Include a link about your company
