Andrew Dooley
Posts by Andrew Dooley
Partner focus with Shelbourne Motor Group
We drop in on our partners at Shelbourne Motor Group to talk about their dealerships’ family roots and growth into one of Northern Ireland’s leading dealerships.
In this video, Shelbourne Motor Group’s Sales Director, Paul Ward and, Group Marketing Manager, Ronan Marshall discuss:
– How they adapt to changing customer trends
– How they use reporting to measure leads and car sales from CarGurus
– How the dealership integrates CarGurus’ pricing tool into their everyday pricing strategy
Our team is on hand to talk through solutions for your dealership. Why not give them a call today on 0808 196 0766 to discuss your account and the tools available to maximise your car sales.
Connect with your leads through WhatsApp
During this challenging time for UK dealerships, our focus remains on improving our partner services. Through the constant evaluation and enhancement of our products and the launch of new value-adding features like Remote Sales Solutions, we aim to constantly improve the return on investment for our dealers.
In line with this focus, we are now launching WhatsApp lead management as a free service for our UK partners. Dealerships can now communicate with car buyers via their favourite messaging app.
As with Managed Chat and Text, leads will be handled by our in-house staff. The lead is further qualified and then sent to your dealership, reducing any wasted time. The good news is that our initial test results have shown an increase in lead generation rates.
Responding to customers’ needs with Remote Sales Solutions
In response to the UK government giving the green light for car dealerships to open on June 1st, we pooled some resources together to bring you the highlights of recent consumer research that will help inform your back to business plans. We also cover some of the ways CarGurus has innovated in response to these consumer sentiments and market changes. Watch now and if you have any questions please call 0808 501 5479.
Why building an online reputation is more important now than ever for dealers
While the UK continues its lockdown, there’s plenty dealers can be doing to fine tune aspects of their business which will enable a faster recovery as business returns. Online reputation management is one such area of opportunity.
Reviews are an easy way to impress buyers who are undecided about where to purchase during the lockdown. Underlining their importance: a previous CarGurus study found that nearly 70% of car buyers check online reviews before contacting a dealer.* The study also revealed just how impactful a positive online reputation can be for attracting customers—a quarter of survey respondents said reputation is the most important factor when choosing a car.
It’s a growing trend, too, with third-party research identifying the 18-34 age bracket as most likely to be influenced by online reviews. According to the research, 91% of this age group place as much trust on online reviews as on word of mouth.**
Some examples of positive consumer reviews left during COVID-19:
Whether you’re already a CarGurus Top Rated Dealer (congrats!) or you’re striving to become one, below are our top tips for online reputation management:
50% reduction of CarGurus fees in June
As the COVID-19 situation continues, we hope you and your family are safe. We want to let you know that as the very difficult climate for business persists in the UK, we’re here to support you however we can.
- We’ve reduced all UK listings subscription rates applicable to June by 50%.
- Your subscription will still be active, your contract with us will remain effective, and you will continue to receive leads.
- We continue to invest in driving traffic to CarGurus.co.uk to support the many buyers who are researching online and thinking about their next purchase: 63% of UK car buyers still plan to buy a vehicle this year, and of those nearly a quarter (24%) plan to purchase as soon as restrictions are lifted. In addition, 43% plan to purchase within three months.*
- We continue to move quickly and innovate our site to help you sell cars safely during this time. View a recap of the updates here, including more information on our Remote Sales Solutions.
Here to help with Ben.org.uk
Supporting individuals in the automotive industry through life’s challenges, Ben is continuing to provide assistance to the UK dealer community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben works with people to improve their lives by enhancing their health and wellbeing through its free and confidential online self-help, helpline and support services.
Ben advises: “There’s no doubt that we’re in unusual and challenging times. The Coronavirus is affecting many lives — both at home and at work. We want to reassure you that if you and your people need us, we are here for you.”
50% discount continued: ongoing support for May
As the COVID-19 situation continues, we hope you and your family are safe. We want to let you know that as the very difficult climate for business persists in the UK, we’re here to support you however we can.
As part of that support, we are continuing the discounted rates we started in April into May:
Central Lotus on the trust their customers place in shopping on PistonHeads
Our sister site PistonHeads sat down with Connor Bradbury, Sales Manager at Central Lotus, to discuss his dealerships history, their path to growth and how PistonHeads remains a pivotal part in their future plans.
Visit CarGurus at AMLive, 7 November in Birmingham
Are you attending AMLive, the UK’s leading event for motor retailers? If so, do come visit us at stand #D48 to see how we’re helping more and more AM100 and large franchise dealers unlock the power of the CarGurus world-class digital engine to accelerate growth.
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to change a tyre at a Formula 1 Pit Stop? Experience the feeling with our virtual reality F1 Pit Stop Challenge simulator when you book a meeting with us. Follow this link to schedule a meeting or demo with the fastest-growing automotive shopping site in the UK*.
Spaces are limited so please book in advance. See you there!
*Comscore MMX Multi-Platform®, Custom-defined list includes Cargurus.CO.UK. Percent Change in average unique monthly visitors from Q2 2018 to Q2 2019, UK.