Helping auto dealers overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, CarOffer has introduced a new feature to bring automation and efficiency to marketing and selling vehicles.
That brings increased productivity to stores that might be closed or to dealerships working with limited staff.
CarOffer, a wholesale vehicle trade platform, said it is offering the new consumer vehicle acquisition channel for free for its dealer partners.
The company says the new Consumer Buying feature can help dealers reduce overhead, drive traffic and generate sales.
The Consumer Buying feature automates the delivery of co-branded invitations to eligible upgrade candidates in service drives and in a dealer's database.
Dealers can also use the functionality on their websites. That allows consumers to get instant offers for their vehicles.
Once a consumer accepts an offer, the dealer partner can keep the vehicle or wholesale it on the CarOffer trade platform.
The feature also includes graphic design, marketing, data management and eligibility profiling with full DMS and CRM integrations.
The Consumer Buying feature is available for free to dealers during the pandemic, and after that, the company will determine performance-based pricing. CarOffer said it does not use a subscription-based model for any of its products, and during the crisis, the company will continue introducing new features and applications ahead of schedule.
“The Consumer Buying solution is a product we planned on introducing later this year but given the unprecedented crisis COVID-19 has inflicted on our industry, we felt strongly that dealers need it now,” CarOffer chief executive officer and founder Bruce Thompson said in a news release.
Thompson continued, “We want to help dealers drive incremental sales right now during this difficult environment. We’ll allow dealers to use the tool free of charge until we get this crisis behind us. Looking ahead, there will be uncertainty and volatility in auction lanes across the country as regions begin to lift restrictions. We are leveraging all of our solutions and capabilities to help dealers succeed and be prepared for the post-pandemic market.”
CarOffer also said it was making training and implementation a priority for more than 900 dealers in its installation queue that want to use this time on strategizing for the post-crisis market.
Alex Perdikis of auto dealer Koons of Silver Spring says his company realizes that as the COVID-19 crisis continues, “these are the most challenging times we may ever experience in our lifetime.”
Because of that, his company is offering pay the rent, lease or mortgage payment for the next two months, up to $1,500 a month, for members of the public or businesses purchasing a new Ford, Lincoln, or Mazda from Koons during the month of April.
The program is in addition to Koons’ normally advertised prices.
“These relief payments are directly from our team to your family as a way to help weather this storm,” Perdikis said in a news release.
Perdikis continued, “You are virtually looking at no home or car payment for a really long time … This is not a gimmick. We are doing this as a local business to help you and our economy.”
Although Koons of Silver Spring showrooms remain open on an appointment basis, the dealership said its new “Anytime-Anywhere” service will allow customers to complete the entire transaction from their home or office.
Meanwhile, another dealership is taking social distancing seriously but is trying to “have a little fun and help where we can,” said Han Lee, marketing manager of Car City in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Saying it wants to help Michigan stay safe and get back to normal as soon as possible, it is giving people incentives to practice social distancing while having some fun.
The Wyoming-based auto dealership is holding a contest throughout April, asking people to submit photos of how they are creatively practicing social distancing or contributing to the community. Each Friday in April, the dealership will choose the top photo, and the winner will receive $500.
“While social distancing is a very important part of Michigan’s recovery, when you’re used to spending your days working, it can be a struggle staying at home and having so much time on your hands,” Lee said.
Lee continued, “So we’re asking people to post photos on our Facebook page of how they’re practicing social distancing or helping against this fight.”
Car City recently partnered with other local businesses to support the Garage Bar and Grill's CARES program. The local eatery has been providing up to 100 free meals every day for 30 days.
Technology company Xtime says COVID-19 social distancing measures have created a challenge for day-to-day service department operations and revenue. The company says a dealership’s fixed operations during these times are essential.
Xtime, wanting to “help its dealership partners seize the moment,” is offering enhanced resources and multiple features at no additional charge.
The company says that can help dealers provide consumers with a strong service experience during this time of changing landscape and can prepare them for a more digital and profitable future after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Xtime vice president of sales David Foutz mentioned the company’s recent Cox Automotive COVID-19 Dealer Impact Study showing that dealers anticipate service appointments to be the second most impacted area of business, “despite fixed ops being deemed essential work in many states,” he said.
“At Xtime, we’re in a position to help dealers not only weather the storm but come out the other side even stronger than before, and that’s exactly what we intend to do by offering free services for 90 days of features that promote social distancing like service pickup and delivery, and online payment to our clients,” Foutz said in a news release.
Xtime also stressed the importance of safety of dealership staff and customers, stating that best practices involve a minimum amount of person-to-person contact.
The company said that to give staff and customers peace of mind and to keep business moving, dealerships can adopt the following best practices:
Offer vehicle pick-up and delivery: Much of the population is under strict stay-at-home orders. Because of that, Xtime says dealers should offer vehicle pick-up and delivery to service customers.
The company mentioned Service Pickup and Delivery powered by Clutch, which it says provides a concierge pick-up and delivery experience where permitted by state or local COVID-19 ordinances. That includes the option of a loaner to be dropped off when pick-up happens. Because customers will only interact with one person as opposed to other customers and the entire staff, Xtime says that option could be safer in the current climate.
Through the end of July, Clutch service pickup and delivery is available at no cost, with a full remote implementation in three business days.
Enable online payments: To remove additional in-person touchpoints, enabling online payment capabilities provides confidence to dealership staff and customers to do business safely, and it boosts payment efficiencies.
Xtime says its online payment encourages digital payment methods that customers can request via text or email, and they can complete transactions entirely from their own phone, computer or tablet. At no cost through the end of June, that feature is now available to all Xtime clients.
Adopt a digital check-in process: Xtime says dealerships should provide customers with the ability to check-in with their phone. They should also provide options to sign off on service recommendations. That, according to Xtime, can further promote social distancing and engage them throughout the process.
“Self check-in from Xtime makes a seamless and personalized check-in process possible while minimizing unnecessary face-to-face contact, thereby protecting employees and customers,” Xtime wrote.
The company added that for all Xtime Engage clients, self check-in is a new feature that is currently available for no additional charge.
Exercise social distancing among staff: Xtime says that to protect staff, dealerships should minimize high-traffic areas and employee in-person interactions by promoting the use of digital communication channels within the dealership and between departments themselves.
Xtime says Intra-Dealer Chat blends the best of Inspect and Xtime mobile to allow intradepartmental communication without contact. It offers a “low touch” experience to customers, and those customers can also communicate with staff using their own personal devices. With Xtime Inspect, Intra-Dealer Chat is included for no additional charge.
Dealer groups continue to keep busy with activities and announcements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purdy Mobility, which owns and operates Bryan College Station Toyota, Huntsville Toyota and South Toyota in Texas, said on Monday it would not terminate or lay off any of its associates as a result of the pandemic.
Bob Moore Auto Group in Oklahoma City said that in response to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order to close all nonessential businesses through April 21, it is working to continue providing essential automotive and collision services to individuals and businesses in the Greater Oklahoma City Area.
Meanwhile, a third dealership group, Luther Automotive Group in Minneapolis, said it was working to ensure essential workers have reliable transportation to support the community during the Stay-at-Home-Minnesota era. The company is adding new online sales, service tools and special accommodations to do that, including tools allowing customers to securely initiate sales and service transactions and communicate with sales or service representatives via phone, email, and text and from their homes.
On the Purdy Mobility news, Harold Hurst, who the company appointed as chief operating officer for North American operations effective Jan. 1, said its people are the “driving force behind our business.”
“We are a family business, and we take care of our family.” Hurst said in a news release.
Purdy Mobility, which also owns and operates YourDriveTexas, a subscription-based vehicle leasing company, has modified its business operations “so that we may continue to serve our communities while prioritizing the safety of our associates and customers,” Hurst said.
The company said that it will show its appreciation for the work of first responders to keep its communities safe by offering discounts on their service-related needs, such as maintenance and repairs.
“We’ve built our company around family — both our associates and communities — and we will continue to do so,” Hurst said.
On the Bob Moore Dealerships news, the company’s president and chief executive officer Mark Moore said the company is keeping its service departments fully operational to continue serving the public.
“We’ve implemented additional health and safety protocols in order to keep our employees and customers as safe as possible.” Moore said.
The dealerships will also offer priority service to customers employed in critical industries — such as health care, law enforcement, fire and safety, and first responders — through the duration of the crisis.
Bob Moore Dealerships said it encouraged customers to visit in-store by appointment only and to continue using online resources for shopping.
On the Luther Automotive Group news, the company said it would make essential services such as vehicle maintenance, parts, and sales available at all of its locations during the crisis.
Luther Automotive Group president and chief executive officer David Luther said the company will work to protect the health of its employees, guests and communities, “and to ensure that everyone has access to safe and reliable transportation.”
Participating Service Centers are offering home pickup and delivery for customers needing service. All service centers have dedicated service drop-off and pickup locations that comply with Centers for Disease Control social distancing guidelines.
The company is thoroughly sanitizing vehicles throughout the process for protection of service technicians and customers.
Luther is also making secure financing and trade valuation tools available online for customers needing a new car. To answer questions or provide video tours and test drives, product specialists are also available through phone, email, and text. The sales departments will remain open by appointment only to protect guests and staff. Private test drives are also available by appointment at the dealership, and they are also available at home through participating dealers.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and their families, our guests, and our communities, is of the utmost importance to me, personally, and to our management team, as we navigate this uncharted territory,” Luther said.
A new National Automobile Dealers Association initiative to help local dealerships navigate business and regulations in the coronavirus environment will provide information about coronavirus developments affecting dealership operations.
The initiative, called the Dealership Lifeline Series, provides guidance on how dealers can manage their operations in the wake of those developments.
The series is a collection of webinars, white papers, reports, best practices, and blog posts.
NADA says the collection, located in its Coronavirus Hub, provides dealers, manufacturers and allied industry companies with best practices and information covering the coronavirus pandemic.
The association said series content will cover topics such as:
— The Families First Coronavirus Response Act
— The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)
— The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act
— Cash flow management
— Expense reduction
— Dealership service and parts departments as essential business
Subject matter experts such as NADA Academy instructors, 20 Group consultants and NADA executive staff will host the Dealership Lifeline Series webinars.
NADA said the webinars will be presented live as soon as they are available. They will also be recorded and made available on-demand on the NADA Coronavirus Hub.
Additional information is available at www.nada.org/coronavirus.
Like other small businesses across the United States, auto dealerships are mobilizing and adapting to a changing consumer landscape, said Jessica Stafford, senior vice president and general manager for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.
“Autotrader’s new Dealer Home Services tools aren’t a radical departure for most dealerships but rather an expediting of products, services and ways of doing business that were already on the way,” Stafford said in a news release.
Stafford is referring to a new Autotrader program called Dealer Home Services, which the company says is helping dealers stay connected to shoppers as consumers shelter in place and practice social distancing. Dealer Home Services assists with “no contact” interactions through virtual vehicle tours for consumers, test drives at home and local vehicle delivery at no additional cost to dealers.
“This new form of communication can help consumers get needed, reliable transportation without leaving home and risking excessive in-person contact while promoting business as usual for dealers amid this unique situation,” Stafford said.
Dealer Home Solutions includes a Virtual Walk-Around, starting the virtual sale with a personalized video chat that allows consumers to ask questions and get a feel for the vehicle.
Test drives from home is another part of Dealer Home Solutions, and that involves bringing the car to the customer with a no-obligation test drive at their location.
An additional part of Dealer Home Solutions is local vehicle delivery, which provides the option to start a local shopper’s purchase online and receive delivery of the car directly to their location to complete their purchase.
Autotrader sourced the 2019 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study in noting that the car shopper of today spends 61% of his or her time online.
The company also sourced recent Cox Automotive consumer research in stating that because of COVID-19 concerns, 37% of six-month intenders are less likely to visit a dealership in person. Autotrader said that during extraordinary times, online merchandising and digital retailing are more important than ever.
The company said it is helping provide dealers with tools to reach customers safely and conveniently by delivering an informational and virtual shopping and buying experience.
Through at-home services, dealers can accommodate the buying needs of consumers looking for a vehicle at this time.
Autotrader is providing tools to local dealers to promote these services to in-market shoppers, whether those shoppers are researching from the couch or scheduling a car to be delivered to their front door.
Also, with the increase in online media consumption, shoppers can start the car-buying process from home through the use of digital Autotrader tools such as Accelerate.
Autotrader is offering ongoing updates and answers to questions such as “How to clean your car,” “Is it a good time to finance,” and “Is it better to lease or buy?”
The company is offering Coronavirus News and Advice for Car Owners and Shoppers from Autotrader editors.
NextGear Capital is offering a relief package to support independent dealers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Among those measures are base rate reduction by 50 basis points, deferred curtailment and extension payments for eligible floorplan advances and no late fees.
Company president Scott Maybee stated in a letter to the dealers that he hoped the measures “can provide some relief and assistance to your business and eliminate at least a marginal amount of stress.”
Effective starting today and for a period of 30 days, additional measures in the relief package for all NextGear Capital dealers in good standing include: no collateral audit reconciliation fees, no first extension fees, no full or partial waiver fee tied to curtailments or extensions and no collateral audit fees.
In the letter, Maybee added that he and his leadership team see “a unique opportunity to assist with some of the issues our clients may currently be facing.”
He wrote that his company anticipates a slow-down in business because of the current economic environment.
“The temporary measures set forth above will hopefully alleviate some of that pain,” he wrote.
He went on to say his company is prepared to continue providing its dealers with the ability to finance their transactions.
“However, in an effort to create an optimal future state for when this crisis passes, please be advised that it will be within the context of new credit availability guidelines,” he wrote.
He also stated that NextGear Capital will continue to conduct inventory audits.
But the company will make adjustments to the process. Maybee wrote that the adjustments are meant to reduce any undue burden and disruption to dealers’ business during the crisis. He told dealers that their portfolio manager can answer their questions on any other issues that might come up.
“It is our anticipation that this period will be short lived, and we can all return to business as usual very soon,” he wrote.
He added that coming together as an automotive community would be the best way to get through the crisis.
He wrote, “We are here to support you during this period and in the future when it’s time to get back to business as usual.”
Add Larry H. Miller Dealerships and the Prime Automotive Group to the many automotive companies announcing measures designed to provide peace-of-mind to customers following current health recommendations and guidelines in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies and Larry H. Miller Dealerships said that in line with current social distancing guidelines, it was starting a complimentary concierge vehicle pickup and drop-off service for customers with service appointments.
That is an effort to help people whose health might be at risk, and it could also help those providing critical services to get to work.
Customers can make all service appointments online through LHMAuto.com, over the phone or by using the Larry H. Miller Dealerships mobile app, which is available on Google Play or in the Apple store.
The complimentary concierge service can pick up and deliver a customer’s car to his or her home or office.
Rather than wait during a service appointment, customers can take a complimentary courtesy shuttle or a rideshare service. The dealership pays for those services, which can drop customers off at their home or office until their vehicle is ready.
“We want to be great community partners to help those who are on the front lines, assist those who are most at risk, and provide a safe and innovative experience for our automotive customers and employees,” Larry H. Miller Group of Companies chief executive officer Steve Starks said in a news release.
Starks continued, “This approach allows us to practice social distancing while ensuring our customers’ transportation needs continue to be met.”
Another measure is that all LHM Dealerships service advisers and service technicians wear a fresh pair of gloves with each customer’s vehicle.
Also, when a vehicle enters the service drive, technicians place a protective seat cover on the driver’s seat of every vehicle. They use disinfectant wipes to wipe down the steering wheel.
DrivePur is an additional measure for LHM Dealerships. That is an airborne sanitization product that kills unseen germs and bacteria inside the vehicle.
“We know that people rely on their vehicles to get them where they need to go,” said LHM Dealerships president Dean Fitzpatrick.
He continued, “Even now, there are people working in essential businesses whose job is to keep the collective public safe and healthy. We want them to know that our dealerships are open, and that we’ve instituted various measures to minimize the risk of potential exposure.”
The company encourages employees and customers to conduct practices such as frequent hand washing, coughing and sneezing into the elbow or tissue, not shaking hands and staying home if they are sick.
In the area of seating at the dealerships, the company has spaced seats in customer waiting areas. During interactions, the company encourages employees and customers to maintain six feet of distance.
The dealerships are performing sanitation multiple times daily for high-contact surfaces such as door handles. The same goes for high-use areas such as bathrooms and customer service areas.
The company has placed additional hand sanitizing dispensers at business entry points and is keeping bathroom soap dispensers well-stocked and operational.
In the area of signage, the company has increased its use of posted information in visible areas showing recommended hygiene practices.
LHM Dealerships has temporarily canceled its service of freshly prepared items such as fruit, popcorn and pastries. Sealed snacks and beverages will still be available in customer waiting areas.
In other news, another dealership, Prime Automotive Group, will begin a vehicle pickup and delivery service it is calling “Prime Pickup." Prime Automotive Group includes more than 50 automotive dealerships, 25 brands, and five regional platforms across eight states.
With Prime Pickup, the company can deliver cars to customers’ locations for test drives. It can drop off newly purchased vehicles at a customer's front door.
If a customer needs auto maintenance or repair, Prime employees will pick them up and drop them off when service is complete, although mileage restrictions might apply.
Prime has already begun precautions such as employee health and safety protocols and extra sanitary measures in all areas of the dealerships.
“During this time, customers have so many concerns, with the primary one being the health and safety of themselves and their families, said Todd Skelton, chief executive officer of Prime Automotive Group. “If we can be supportive in a small way by offering this service, we are very happy to do so.”
