Blogs

The dust is settling on Mark Zuckerberg’s January announcement that Facebook has changed its algorithm to favour posts from friends and family over commercial messaging. On face value, excuse the pun, the move seemed to make sense – news streams had undoubtedly become clogged with link-bait and commercial messages, apparently curbing Facebook’s user growth, in a market shifting toward instant ...

The FCA’s recent comments on motor finance, and PCP products in particular, sounded positive and leave me optimisitic. It would seem that the FCA doesn’t have a problem with PCPs per se. But the message is clear: dealers should focus on proper qualification of needs and the transparent presentation of products, to matching the right product to the right customer. ...

I’ve had the honour of being on the judging panel of the Motor Trader Awards,  the long established and highly coveted automotive retailing industry Oscars, for the last three years and have never failed to be impressed by the passion that comes across in the many entries I’ve assessed. In my experience not enough dealers put themselves forward for awards. ...

Women make 85% of all purchasing decisions, and when it comes to car buying, that figure is even higher. In fact, research suggests women are the primary purchasers of cars, influencing 95% of all auto purchases and accounting for 65% of all new car purchases. But while sexist car adverts that objectified and demeaned women are thankfully now a thing ...

Websites are a digital forecourt and showroom for dealers, driving sales and aftersales enquiries.  Having a website which gives customers a great experience, whether they are accessing it via a PC or smartphone, is vital if dealers are going to maximise their online potential in 2018. If dealers are considering a new website, or looking at improving their existing site, ...

Recent accounts of the demise of UK dealerships have been largely overdone. There are several disruptors that have challenged, and will continue to challenge, the status quo of the automotive sector. However, underlying sentiment in the market remains positive and dealers remain optimistic about prospective profits for 2018. Admittedly some brands that are struggling to retain their market share and ...

In recent weeks there has been a real stir regarding the outlook for automotive retailing and the future of dealer networks. This on the back of regular press headlines regarding diesel vehicles, electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles has certainly created some significant uncertainty for those outside the industry looking in and is far from helpful. To put it into perspective ...

Attractive finance offers are crucial to driving customers to the forecourt and closing the sale. As finance penetration has grown in new and used sales, so has the focus on ensuring dealers are treating customers fairly. Dealers are facing increasing scrutiny from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and will have to deal with increased data compliance under General Protection Data ...

Falling car sales is only one part of the story pointing to the health of the downstream automotive industry. Margins and the influence of bonuses from the vehicle manufacturers significantly impact retailers and their profitability. Dealerships need to meet their sales targets in order to achieve their performance bonuses, and currently the targets are too high and bonuses are being ...

After 16 years in charge – or even 17, depending on whom you ask! – Curtis Hutchinson has given up the reins at Motor Trader. I’d like to start by thanking him for his work on the title, from what I’ve seen and heard it has benefitted greatly from his experience and leadership. That said, a change is as good ...