Using techgnology to sell cars

A Newtown car sales company is using technology to keep sales ticking over.

Revive and Drive opened in Newtown, Powys late 2019 with the modest goal of selling ten cars a month but with an enthusiastic start-up spirit.

Their unique selling point was that they would find the best car or van for customers whatever their budget or needs, taking the time, hassle and worry out of doing it themselves and saving them money to boot.

Until about a week ago things were going splendidly well and they were almost reaching their sales target on a weekly basis, then, as many businesses have seen, sales reached a cliff edge. 

Fortunately, technology has given them the chance to fight back and keep their business afloat in this uncertain time.

When a customer came to them this week desperately looking for a cheap car to get to work, explaining that they were a key worker and needed transport, they found a way to safely show the car in great detail, work through the sales process, get a signature and deliver the car to the customer all without a single personal contact. 

But before all that took place they had to ask themselves some key questions:

Are we allowed to legally sell a car at the moment? 

After all things seem to be changing on a daily basis. The answer they found for the moment is yes, as long as they don’t come into physical contact with the customers – not an easy feat but possible with the help of technology. 

How can we sell vehicles remotely?

They quickly realised that while the showroom remains closed for business, customers who are in urgent need could complete the buying process through an online journey like this:

1.       View the car or van via Whatsapp video, Skype or with a pre-recorded video.  

2.       All paperwork, including digital signatures completed via email.

3.       Payment made via bank transfer.

4.       Home delivery of vehicle – including an interior deep clean in front of your house and keys posted through letterbox in an envelope (encouraging customers not to enter the vehicle for a further 24 hours). 

These strict safety precautions along with boosted warranties and an added 14-day money back guarantee seem to have alleviated customer’s concerns about buying online and they have already helped several commercial customers in urgent need of vans.

What’s the vehicle sales market like in this climate?

As they looked into the state of the market they realised that it’s actually a pretty good time to buy, the major trade vehicle sellers, including auction houses aren’t able to operate in the same way they usually do and are selling vehicles for their average values regardless of their condition, leaving room to find some great bargains. It’s also a great time to take out financing, if you are able to, with the record low Bank of England Base Rate. 

Who should be buying cars and vans now?

Even with the risk considerably reduced by using an online sales journey Revive & Drive have concluded that only those in urgent need should really be buying vehicles at the moment. They have however decided to also offer a service to any customer who wants to take advance of the current prices by offering to bring in and hold onto cars in their showroom with deposits until social distancing measure are lifted. 

This daunting period is undoubtedly going to have lasting consequences in all areas of our lives and many businesses will need to adapt to the new climate or face bankruptcy. Only time will tell if dealerships are able to do this well enough but, for now, Revive & Drive are giving it their best shot.