At CarGurus, we believe our dealers have valuable stories and insights worth sharing. Today, we’re featuring Carbase.
The History
Carbase was founded in 2003 to serve the communities around Bristol with quality used car sales. From humble beginnings and a handful of used cars on sale, Carbase grew into one of the UK’s leading used car supermarkets. Carbase now operates over 5 locations around the South West of England, stocking over 3000 used cars on sale at any one time.
The Challenge
For Carbase, a digital-first company, online sales have been a pivotal part of the business since it was established 20 years ago. Now, as more retailers and third parties enter the market with a digital offering, the Bristol-based firm wants to maintain its lead over the competition.
The Approach
Carbase uses its online presence and reputation to do the heavy lifting when it comes to the sale process. Knowing that many buyers have made up their minds about what they want by the time they enter the dealership, the sales staff at Carbase are focused on customer care and ensuring that digital platforms are delivering the best results.
Measuring the Impact
Carbase started working with CarGurus because it was digitally innovative and ahead of the curve when it came to used car pricing. Alex Jones, Head of Marketing at Carbase, explains:
“We truly recognised that ramping up the visibility of the stock was the future. CarGurus came along with a new method to be able to drive those ad views and that was a real bonus.”
During the first Covid-19 lockdown, Alex initially thought that a majority of buyers would switch to home delivery, but quickly realised that ‘click-and-collect’ was the more popular option. CarGurus helped to support this strategy by being the first to market with contactless services and Remote Sales Solutions for partners. CarGurus helped Carbase promote stock based on what extra options were available to the buyers like virtual appointments, and home test drives.
“In reality, as soon as the click-and-collect program opened, that was really where the customer’s desire was, as they’re not comfortable enough yet to make the entire decision and complete the purchase digitally.”
Carbase saw an increase of 17% in year on year email lead growth* and a 33% increase in year on year phone leads* from CarGurus and are hoping to better that again coming into 2021.
Partnering with CarGurus delivered what Carbase needed from a digital marketing platform, particularly during challenging times. To learn more about the features and products available to your dealership to help optimise your CarGurus partnership and connect with more highly engaged buyers, speak with our team today on 0808 196 6494 or visit here.
* Internal data: Growth in CarGurus email leads January – November 2019 Vs January – November 2020
** Internal data: Growth in CarGurus phone leads July – November 2019 Vs July – November 2020