More sales opportunities for dealers using vehicle inspections

Independent vehicle inspection reports from RedBook Inspect deliver big benefits to dealers selling passenger cars, according to the latest carsales data.

Consumers looking to purchase a passenger car such as a sedan or hatch value the transparency independent RedBook Inspect vehicle inspection reports, consumer behaviour data from carsales.com.au reveals.

RedBook Inspect data, obtained from carsales.com.au between 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020, reveals that:

1. Passenger vehicles inspected by RedBook Inspect receive on average 115% more views than matched vehicles¹

2. Passenger vehicles inspected by RedBook Inspect receive 66% more leads on average¹

3. Passenger vehicles inspected by RedBook Inspect receive 107% more interstate leads on average¹

“The results verify the effectiveness of RedBook Inspect inspection reports in generating more sales opportunities for dealers trading in used passenger cars,” says RedBook Inspect CEO, Barry Freeman.

“It’s great news for mainstream franchise dealers and leading independents looking to improve inventory turnover and minimise holding costs.”

While new SUVs and LCVs are the overwhelming choice of consumers looking for a brand new car, passenger cars such as sedans and hatches continue to resonate with value-driven used car shoppers.

In December 2020, popular hatch models such as the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 were among the top 10 searched used cars on carsales.²

Discontinued local sedans such as Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon also featured prominently on the shopping lists of used car shoppers, placing sixth and 19^th respectively.²

Toyota’s venerable Camry sedan placed 11^th.²

“Market sets for used passenger vehicles have become increasingly competitive over recent years as Australians have trended towards purchasing SUVs and LCVs over the past decade,” says Freeman.

“In turn, this means that it’s even more critical for dealers to merchandise their passenger car inventory effectively, such as attaching independent vehicle inspection reports to vehicles for sale on carsales.”

Vehicles with a RedBook Inspect inspection report are clearly marked on carsales.com.au with a ‘certified badge’ that’s highly visible from both the search results and detailed view pages. Furthermore, consumers can narrow their search to only shop vehicles that have been inspected by RedBook Inspect, via the carsales search panel.

The effects of RedBook Inspect inspection reports for passenger cars come off the back of recent data that highlights the benefits of undertaking inspection reports on prestige cars from brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Volvo and more.

“RedBook Inspect offers cost-effective, flexible and convenient subscription packages for Australian car dealers of all sizes and brands,” says Freeman.

“I urge dealers looking to take their performance to the next level in 2021 to get in touch to learn more about what RedBook Inspect can do for your business,” Freeman concludes.

For more information about RedBook Inspect dealer packages, get in touch here.

Source:

1. carsales.com.au data for published and subsequently delisted listings between 1 July 2019 and to 30 June 2020. Equivalent non-RBI inspected vehicles were matched for odometer reading within 10%, same RedBook code and build year within one year. “Time to sell” claims are calculated by comparing the date on which a vehicle is marked as having been inspected by RBI on carsales.com.au (whether on the date of first listing or otherwise) and the date on which the listing is delisted. Data does not take into account any ancillary advertising products applied to listings.

2. carsales RedBook IQ data, December 2020