mfldirect’s revamped platform simplifies vehicle buying for UK dealers

Wholesale used vehicle supplier mfldirect has relaunched with a new ecommerce platform backed by research with car dealers across the UK.

The new platform offers a personalised and streamlined buying experience, enabling dealers to search for, shortlist and purchase high quality stock quickly. New functionality includes an ‘Inspected vehicles’ channel and the ability to purchase cars via ‘Auction’. The previous ‘Buy-It-Now’ option remains in place.

Damian Oton, CCO at Motability Operations, said: “The new platform really is a one-stop-shop, which enables traders to buy quality used cars from the Motability Scheme in whichever way works best for them.

“We want to help dealers not only make the best buying decisions now, but to ensure they’ll still be in the best position to source the right cars for their business in future.

“We believe that our scale and unique buying platform allows us to offer both small, independent traders and big brand dealers exactly what they need to achieve their goals.”

Part of Motability Operations (MO), mfldirect sells over 250,000 cars to dealers each year, with 80% of all sales conducted through the website.

Interviewing large dealerships and smaller independent traders, mfldirect’s researchers discovered that buyers in the market have two different ‘buying’ mindsets.

‘Deal-seekers’ focus on opportunity to maximise profit on every purchase, accuracy of information and price.

‘Simplifiers’ place value on the speed and ease of a buying journey and provenance of stock.

The ‘Inspected vehicles’ category on the site was piloted by 400 dealers. Dealers are provided with accurate and detailed condition reports that allow them to plan for any parts which may be required, as well as meetcustomer expectations for timings and delivery.

With mfldirect’s auction functionality, dealers can use high-res images and detailed descriptions in the inspection reports to make decisions on what to bid on and buy.

Vehicles are published as a preview in advance of going on sale and can be shortlisted, ready to be bought with a click once on sale.

For Buy it Now, the preview for 9am sale is 1pm the day before and the preview for the 2pm sale is 4pm the day before.

For Auction, the preview of the vehicles takes place the day before. The auction opens at 9am and closes at 4pm.