More than a quarter of shoppers say they would now feel comfortable buying a used car online, if it was from a trusted company, even though ecommerce is relatively new to this sector, new research suggests.
Some 24% of consumers reveal they would buy a used car from a trusted seller, according to the study from Bristol Street Motors which aimed to track the development of this trend, and thus, shape their services based on customers’ feedback. The figure was higher, at 39%, among respondents aged 16 to 34.
Trust in the company and the price of a vehicle were the number one factors that respondents identified to encourage them to make this significant purchase purely online. Wanting to see in situ and test drive the car they were buying was the main reason given for buying directly from a car dealership.
Bristol Street Motors, part of the Vertu Motors group, says it has taken respondents’ feedback into account when designing the Bristol Street Motors Buy Online platform. It offers three different paths for the customer shopping journey, enabling shoppers to choose between browsing and buying a car entirely online, with the car collected from a dealership or delivered to their home, or instead viewing a car in a dealership and then buying online.
“Shopping online has only been around for almost 25 years and nobody could have foreseen how quickly it would become the norm for so many people to buy their groceries, clothes, furniture and much more this way, so buying a car online is a natural progression,” says Phillip Regan, head of digital product marketing & ecommerce at Bristol Street Motors.
“Our research shows that already many consumers are willing to consider ecommerce for their next car purchase, particularly if the company offering the service is a well-known and trusted brand with a good reputation like Bristol Street Motors.
“This is a move by the company to give customers more choice in how they purchase their next used car. I believe Vertu Motors is the first major motor retailer to have created an entire online buying process for used cars, introducing true innovation to the motor retailing sector.”
“With the launch of Bristol Street Motors Buy Online, we are offering customers more choice, enabling them to create a bespoke buying process that suits their needs.”
Tony Webb of Monmouth, Wales, is pictured taking delivery of his Dacia Logan, bought entirely online and delivered to him 198 miles from the dealership that sold it, Bristol Street Motors Bradford Renault.
