The online motor retail experience is to be the focus of a revealing workshop being held by iVendi at next week’s Car Dealer Expo 2018.
Called “Meeting consumer expectations of online motor retail,” it will beheld twice daily on both of the two days of the event (May 21 and 22).
It is suitable for almost anyone involved in the retailing or finance of new and used cars, whether you already have a comprehensive online consumer offering or are just planning your first steps.
The workshop falls into parts. First, it first asks what customers want from dealers online, looking at what works well in a variety of other retail sectors, examining a variety of “prime” retail web sites, why consumers are enthusiastic about these examples and the lessons that the motor industry can learn from them.
This exploration means drilling down into areas including web site design, mobile and desktop platforms, constructing a customer online journey and more. Then, there is an examination of how the motor industry measures up, looking at notable examples of dealer sites that deliver customer satisfaction and results – and some that don’t.
The second part of the workshop provides solutions for how dealers can best answer customer needs, exploring in detail the technology that is available. It starts with basic tools such as finance calculators, then progresses to multi-lender finance quoting and finance pre-qualifying, showing how these can be used to deliver a complete online customer solution that creates greater engagement and, ultimately, higher sales.
A large part of the workshop is devoted to the question of how to handle part exchanges online with an examination of the pros and cons of each of the currently available solutions.
There is also an explanation of why dealers need to consider the way in which nearly all customers will shop for a car neither purely online nor entirely in the showroom, but will take a journey to purchasing that involves both.
James Tew, CEO, iVendi, said: “The CDX workshop is very much designed to provide a complete overview of online motor retailing for dealers and others in the motor industry at this point in time.
“iVendi is in a unique position, thanks to the 100 billion motor finance quotations a month being generated through our platform and the wide variety of businesses with which we work. This data and experience allow us to provide delegates with a complete global overview of online motor retailing and follow it up with essential practical advice.”
iVendi is one of just four main sponsors exhibiting at CDX 2018, with one of the show’s largest stands. Being held for the first time in Manchester, the event is well timed for the company to talk about the latest developments in both its product range and online motor finance generally, explained James.
He said: “We have been saying for a while that we see 2018 as a key year in the development of online motor retailing and this will be an important shop window for us to speak to dealers and others about our latest product developments.
“As a result, we’ll have a bigger and better presence at CDX than ever before with 150 square metres of stand and 15 staff in attendance, giving us the time, space and facilities to talk about the opportunities and challenges that exist for dealers online.
“Having CDX in Manchester is a real bonus for us, being where one of our two office centres is based, and we are looking forward to using the opportunity to allow some of our developers to engage directly with customers, as well as showing some dealer friends around one of Europe’s great cities."
CDX18 will be held at Manchester Central Convention Complex on 21st and 22nd May and more details, including how to get hold of free tickets, can be found at cardealerexpo.co.uk.