Remainder of 2018 Leaves Dealers Feeling Hopeful!

Car Showroom
A new survey for RAC Dealer Network revealed that an estimated 7 out of 10 used car retailers are feeling hopeful about their future prospects for the remainder of the year.

The survey, which took place in April 2018 to gather data for a comparison of the performance of the new and used car market, expresses the opinions of more than 100 independent car dealers who are members of the RAC Dealer Network.

RAC Dealer Network Survey Results

Around 38 per cent of those surveyed described their expectations of the remainder of 2018 as positive and 29 per cent as very positive. A further 26 per cent of the dealers who took part in the survey said that their expectations for business are neutral, while a mere 8 per cent of them felt negative or very negative about the months to come.

33 per cent of the dealers who completed the RAC Dealer Network survey admitted that business performance in 2018 had been better than anticipated, while an additional 9 per cent of those questioned said that business this year had been much better than they had expected it to be. Out of the remainder, 30 per cent agreed that their performance so far this year had met their expectations, while 19 per cent appear to have thought the first half of the year would have been more fruitful and a further 8 per cent thought that it had been much worse than they had imagined it would be.

Used Car Demand Remains Firm

According to sales director at the RAC Dealer Network, Sean Kent, the results from the survey revealed that, no matter what the state of the new car market, used car dealers are doing well. He said, “The respective performances of the new and used car markets are sometimes quite different, and this appears to be one of those times.

“While the new market is feeling the effect of the movement against diesel, higher prices, decreased manufacturer support for finance and more, there appears to be something of a boom underway for used vehicles. Used car values and demand remain firm, according to almost all of the industry experts.”

Kent spoke about how used car dealers are reaping the benefits of this, with most of them having a good start to 2018 and positively looking forward to the remaining part of the year.

Though, he noted that several dealers had sold fewer diesel vehicles than they had the previous year. “Our research indicates that 41 per cent are selling fewer diesels and only 10 per cent more, which shows that there is some contagion between the new and used sectors in this respect. But at the moment its impact seems to be limited.”

To find out more about how Click Dealer can help your dealership make the rest of 2018 successful, get in touch via [email protected] or 01782 454354. Alternatively, you can send us a message through our contact page. 

Five Ways for Used Car Dealers to Be Successful in the Remaining Half of 2018

Used Car Dealer Advantage 2018

We are a little over halfway through 2018 now and it has certainly flown by for us! Hopefully, you’ve had chance to review the first half of the year for your car dealership and are feeling positive for the next half.

Nearly 70% of used car retailers confirmed that they were feeling optimistic about the rest of the year in a recent RAC Dealer Network survey with the majority saying their business performance was as expected or better than expected.

However, your dealership has performed in the first two quarters, now is a good time to take a step back and form a plan for the remaining two. Here are five things to consider.

1. Be Tactical with Stock Acquisition

A lot of dealers are saying that obtaining high-quality stock at decent prices has been their biggest issue of 2018 so far. With so much competition in the used car market at the moment, this is not likely to change, so choose what you buy carefully.

If you are with Click Dealer for DMS, we offer a function which allows you to automatically generate a report telling you how many of each make and model you have sold, how much they were sold for and how many days they spent in stock. Using this or your own method, identify your top and quickest sellers, so you can make an educated choice about which vehicles to buy.

2. Try New Things

If your dealership has not had the best start to the year, it might be time to try different lead generation tactics. If 2018 has been profitable for you so far, you may now have more financial resources to invest and see whether you can boost profits even further! You could try SEO, PPC, social media marketing, blogging or online retailing.

3. Track Your Leads

Lead source tracking can be very useful and if you aren’t currently doing it, I’d recommend it. Click Dealer’s lead source tracking tool will show you how many enquiries you have received from each advertising portal so far this year.

You can also use Google Analytics to find out how much traffic you are getting to your website and how much of that gets converted. The reason why this is important is that it will help you figure out the most sensible way to allocate your budget and whether it is worth the cost of advertising on certain sites.

4. Get Festive

The adverts haven’t started quite yet but it’s never too early to start preparing for Christmas! This can be a tough period for car dealers and can create a super competitive environment, so be prepared and have a strategy in place.

5. Social Media

Speaking of Christmas, this holiday can spark lots of ideas for social media content. If you are having a Winter sale, shout about it, post pictures of your staff and dealership in the Christmas spirit, tell classic cracker jokes! This will let people see your dealership’s personal side, and most people would rather buy a car from a business with a friendly face than a soulless corporate entity.

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To find out more about Click DMS, Click Web, Click SEM or ClickEngage™ and how they can help your dealership make the rest of 2018 successful, get in touch via [email protected] or 01782 454354. Alternatively, you can send us a message through our contact page.