Guest Blog

Given the challenges the industry has faced over the last 12 months, and the fact retailers were only able to fully reopen halfway through the month, April’s performance is a respectable result and strengthens our confidence in a solid and sustained return to market health. Following the reopening of physical forecourts on the 12th, we saw levels of consumer demand ...

The car finance industry has surged over the last decade and increasingly consumers start their journey online. Once they find the make and model they want, they research finance options. If a dealer website does not feature a range of finance options that are easy to find and understand, the consumer is likely to go elsewhere for the right deal. ...

Customers are ready to return in their droves to showroms eager to abandon laptop and phone screens in favour of a close encounter of the real kind. There may well be less pent-up demand than dealerships experienced after reopening their showrooms last June following the first lockdown, but buying a car remains an enduring and very personal experience. This is ...

As car showrooms across the country opened their doors this month, many retailers will be keen to cash in on the anticipated pent-up demand in the market that is likely to result in a summer sales boom. Car retailers have been preparing for months to capitalise on each sale through stock checks, diary appointments and COVID-secure measures. But, how many ...

Dealers are set for a few bumper used car months now they are open for business. The used car market has continued to grow in strength during lockdown to the point that demand, and prices are back to where they were before dealers shut their showroom doors in late December. SVA saw prices drop to 80% of CAP Clean during ...

The new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on commission disclosure are high level, giving dealers significant discretion on how disclosures are made. Still, anything other than prominence at the crucial stages places dealers at risk. The risks come from potential FCA action and claim management companies’ campaigning activities. One CMS is currently campaigning across social media with the claim: “Qualifying ...

With non-essential retail outlets opening on 12 April Car Retailers will also be throwing open the showroom doors and welcoming buyers to meet their sales teams and look at both new and used cars in person once again. The next few weeks will be a fascinating period during which the automotive sector will learn to what extent the market will ...

The pandemic has caused financial hardship for many families and young professionals who have been furloughed or made redundant over the last 12 months. As a result of this financial toll, many ‘prime’ consumers prior to the pandemic, now find themselves with sub-prime credit scores. Recent figures from the Financial Conduct Authority estimate that nearly a third of adults have ...

The speed at which some used cars are coming into the market and being offered for sale online risk compromising sale prices. Some used cars are arriving from vendors and immediately uploaded into the next online auction which compromises the pre-marketing time a used car needs to create attention with buyers. Whilst this approach can reduce stocking days and speed ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up a massive challenge to the motor retail community. I am delighted that the overwhelming view was that business was a lot better than expected with dealers showing their classic agility across such a broad audience. From the research, we have distilled thirteen key points from dealer feedback that summarises their experiences and views on ...