Digital platform helps dealers boost Christmas sales

ASTON Barclay e-Xchange used car platform helps dealers report their best Christmas sales period for eight years

Aston Barclay’s ‘always on’ 24/7 e-Xchange digital used car sales platform helped dealers report their most successful used car sales Christmas period for eight years.

A combination of mild weather, longer holidays, and greater post-election consumer confidence saw many dealers report strong footfall and used car sales over the holiday period.

Aston Barclay sold £1.5 million of used cars via its e-Xchange timed auction online bidding platform between Christmas Eve and 2 January, with dealers able to buy stock 24-hours a day at a time when the used car industry is traditionally on holiday.

E-Xchange is available free to Aston Barclay account holders and features vehicles online from a variety of dealer, fleet and OEM vendors all in one place.

When dealers want a specific used car the integrated search facility enables them to access online vehicles and those that are in traditional stock.

Working in conjunction with e-Xchange, the e-Valuate inspection App empowers dealers to carry out their own part exchange inspection quickly, efficiently and to a consistent standard as soon as it reaches their premises.

The car is immediately loaded onto the e-Xchange platform post inspection to include detailed product descriptions and guided images to provide buyers with confidence when buying stock unseen.

The ‘always on’ digital power of e-Xchange has led to a series of recent new customer wins with Baylis Vauxhall, the Arbury Motor Group and Endeavour Automotive.

Meanwhile, a major leasing company sold 88 used cars out of 100 on the 30 December in its second consecutive festive e-Live virtual sale.

Daren Wiseman, Aston Barclay’s digital strategy director said: “Every month more and more buyers and vendors are using our digital suite of products.

“In December alone, we saw 30 new vendors see the benefits of our integrated digital offer.

“It’s good to see our digital investment over the past two and a half years paying off for buyers via their Buyer’s App as well as adding value to vendors.”