24 October 2016

It was only a matter of time before Auto Trader launched a comprehensive new car buying service for consumers. The company’s reach and brand awareness among buyers is already considerable, while the efforts made to market its services on television demonstrate a depth of resources that few others have in this business. 

That consumers will now have access to new vehicles, albeit in ‘virtual stock’ status according to Auto Trader, when shopping online alongside the company’s familiar used stock offerings will no doubt appeal to those who are time-poor and anyone not overly enamoured by the traditional retailer experience.

And with news of Carwow expanding its influence into the world of used cars, conventional retailers could be excused for feeling the pinch from both sides. 

Once again it would appear that ‘upping your game’ is but one course of action in this brave new world of Internet shopping, price aggregation and ‘click and collect’ retail trends. Pessimists would see this as the beginning of the end of the (retail) world as we know it. Sure, Auto Trader has some serious clout, but it’s the conventional auto retailers who have the human touch. Building lasting relationships should still count for something in this rapidly changing digital world.

Iain Dooley

Editor, Agenda

Auto Retail Network

Tags: Auto Trader, Carwow, disruption, new car, online, sales, used car