CHICAGO -

Multiplatform buying and selling dominated the discussion of the more than 200 attendees at the IARA Remarketing Roundtable today in Chicago. 

The subject has been debated, had white papers written on its behalf, has seen multiple conference sessions dedicated to it — and the key points made today by consignors, suppliers and other executives pointed to significant progress being made in various areas. 

Some of the main points from today's roundtables are described below: 

Multiplatform selling is currently working for consignors and dealers in markets run by AiM/MarketConnect, Liquid Motors and ARI. 

ARI’s Bob Graham, Liquid Motors’ Michael Daseke and MarketConnect’s Tom Gardner all touted the success of both buyers and sellers on their systems. 

The effort coordinated by AutoIMS — known in the industry as the Hub — includes the combined efforts of ADESA, Manheim and the independent auction groups and is said to be making a solid strides in its progress. An industry source we spoke with acknowledged that such a large and complicated exercise to bring competitors together will take time and cooperation. 

All parties seem to be gravitating toward the multiplatform model — but consignors have their sights set on the next level: cross-platform bidding.

Cross-platform bidding would allow dealers access to all inventory on all platforms. There is concern in the remarketing community related to antitrust and monopolistic issues, but other executives pointed to the CFPB, saying that a completely open market may become the norm versus some of the more restricted environments where wholesale vehicles are offered today.

These subjects and more will be discussed in further detail at the National Remarketing Conference, held this fall as part of Used Car Week, which runs Nov. 10-14 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. Among the sessions addressing these topics include:

  • The Hub: Multiplatform Buying and Selling (10:30 a.m. Nov. 13)
  • The CFPB and Its Impact on the Remarketing Industry (11:15 a.m. Nov. 13)
  • The Executive Suite: Insight Into the Hub & the Remarketing Industry (3:45 p.m. Nov. 13)

For the complete NRC agenda, visit nrc.autoremarketing.com/agenda; for the entire Used Car Week agenda, visit usedcarweek.biz/agenda.

The IARA Remarketing Roundtable ends Thursday in Chicago.