The team at carsales was very proud to once again sponsor and present insights at the 2019 Australian Automotive Dealer Association Convention held in Melbourne. Here is a wrap up of key topics that carsales touched on during the three days.
Maximising used cars
The carsales workshop session—Used Cars: Structuring Your Dealership to Meet Today’s Customer Needs—was not only one of the highest rated by delegates at the Convention, but also boasted the highest attendance on the day.
Presented by carsales Head of Executive Business Ren Blanning, the workshop was clearly topical in today’s market and resonated with dealers looking to extract the most out of this department. Expect to see more from Ren in this space in the near future.
Delivering innovation
The convention was also an opportunity to showcase the great progress carsales has made as an innovator and provider of tools and products that align your business with the needs of today’s consumer. Recent examples of this innovation include the ability to upload video to your published inventory on carsales, the recent release of an upgraded New Car Showroom on the homepage and numerous AutoGate enhancements such as Promote Automation.
A further example of aligning with today’s customer needs—while also taking into account the needs of our dealer customers and OEM partners— is our revised new car packages. carsales—for the first time in over 20 years—is empowering dealers to add their branding details to their brand new cars in stock.
Finance trial
The topic of finance has generated headlines and scrutiny since last year’s Royal Commission. In an effort to support a dealer’s ability to responsibly provide finance to prospective buyers, carsales has started trialing an option that enables cars to display both an indicative finance rate and payment for the customer to enquire on. The initial
results of this trial are very positive given consumer engagement so early in their search process. The team at carsales will keep you informed as this functionality is rolled out.
Actionable insights
A key part of our strategy not only involves providing good customer service, but delivering to you comprehensive and relevant consumer behavioural insights to support your business – both in day-to-day operations and in your strategic planning.
As part of this commitment, we’ve recently launched a new carsales business site featuring the latest insights and research and an accompanying Insights Linkedin page. I’m sure you find both of these to be valuable and I encourage you to visit and check these regularly. Please also don’t hesitate to let our team know the insights that you need to help you sell more cars.
Dealer feedback loop
It’s not widely known by our dealer customers that carsales initiated a Customer Loop – a group of 2000 carsales consumers that delivers regular feedback on our site, products, and their own buying process. Since inception, this loop has ensured that our investment and innovation aligns with the needs of today’s car buyers. Excitingly, I can announce that carsales will be developing a Dealer Loop in the near future, to ensure our products are keeping up with your needs as well.
Finally, I’d like to wish you all the best for a strong final sales quarter. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like more information from us in achieving your sales and profit goals.
