01 July 2013

I sometimes feel the auto retail industry spends rather too much time looking inward and not enough looking outward. And last week that’s how I felt while attending a meeting to discuss the latest developments with Motor Codes.

That main development is stronger ties with the Government and Trading Standards. However if, as Motor Codes claims, it is now a “revenue driver”, then surely it needs a higher profile?

If I were to ask anyone I know outside the industry if they’d heard of it, I’d get a ‘no’ in reply.

And while I can see that Motor Codes is playing a long game here and doesn’t have the budget to go big on TV, surely it should be trying to raise its consumer awareness? And beyond that, shouldn’t it be also measuring that awareness.

I don’t doubt that knowledge of Motor Codes is growing. My point is, there are so many different approved garage or dealership schemes or even simple online recommendation schemes that the market is a blur.

Should consumers use Motor Codes, Trusted Dealers, the Bosch scheme, Reevoo, friends on Facebook? Even Honest John has a garage review site.

Yes, Motor Codes is usually part of a franchise requirement but you, as a dealer, need to know which of these schemes you should push your marketing efforts towards. And until someone measures the level of consumer recognition that blur is going to persist.

Tristan Young
Editorial Director
Auto Retail Network

Tags: customer service, Motor Codes