More than 80 percent of used-car shoppers who are familiar with CARFAX Canada believe that the brand helps build confidence in their vehicle choice, according to a 2018 CARFAX Canada brand awareness survey.
With that in mind, the company is now using the CARFAX Canada brand to help dealers attract customers. The company recently launched its CARFAX Canada Advantage Dealer program as a way for dealers to show transparency and set themselves apart from the competition.
Advantage dealers provide a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report on every car they sell, and the company says that helps dealers build credibility with their customers.
The program provides another feature that the company says help dealers drive trust and confidence with consumers, and that is exclusive dealer access to free digital assets and enhanced point-of-purchase materials for their websites and dealerships.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of the Advantage program, because we’re a full disclosure dealership,” Chris Degraw, sales manager at Honda House in Chatham, Ontario, said in a news release. “Our customers expect to see a history report on every used car, so we don’t wait for them to ask—we volunteer it upfront. The CARFAX Canada name helps provide third-party assurance to our customers that they’re working with someone they can trust, which is really important to us.”
CARFAX Canada vice president of automotive sales Shawn Vording added, “In the used-car industry, transparency is proven to drive sales.”
Vording also noted that research from the summer 2018 edition of CARFAX Canada Driving Insights shows that Canadians would rather purchase a car with history information available over one that does not have it available.
“The Advantage Dealer program elevates dealers who have a subscription to access unlimited CARFAX Canada vehicle history reports and are committed to running a report on every used vehicle they sell,” Vording said.
Carfax Canada has released a new pricing tool available on the Kijiji Autos site and an app that the companies say will help Canadians better understand used-vehicle values and empower them to make better decisions about used cars. The tool, according to Carfax Canada, will also help used-car sellers set competitive asking prices.
The company says its price analysis uses a proprietary algorithm that calculates the average price for a vehicle by considering its available history. That history could include factors such as odometer readings, damage and actual selling prices for similar vehicles in nearby locations. Carfax Canada says sellers and shoppers can use those findings as a benchmark to understand what similar cars are worth.
Carfax Canada says it is the exclusive source of vehicle history information on Kijiji Autos’ platform, and the company's president and general manager Mark Rousseau said in a news release that the company is "proud to now also power the platform’s price analysis tool with Carfax’s valuation data."
Leanne Kripp, director of autos at Kijiji, said in a news release that Canadians mentioned transparency when telling her company which factors would be an important factor for them in using the new platform.
“By integrating CARFAX Canada data into our price analysis tool, we're able to provide millions of Canadians with a greater level of transparency that will empower them to feel more confident in their car buying journey," Kripp said.
TRADER's strategic investment in Vancouver-based Convertus earlier this year has allowed the company to begin working on a new TAdvantage digital solution for Canadian dealers that will launch nationwide in February.
The company announced Wednesday that as part of its comprehensive digital solutions strategy, its TAdvantage dealer website solution will see a major upgrade on the heels the company’s recent partnership with Convertus — a Canadian provider of premium web solutions and digital marketing services for automotive dealerships — earlier this year.
To enhance digital marketing capabilities for dealers, the company said that TAdvantage will be closely integrated with the new digital advertising platform, TRFFK, that TRADER first introduced to dealers late last year.
“We listened to feedback from customers nationwide about the challenges they have experienced with our third-party website platform,” TRADER president and chief executive officer Sebastian Baldwin said in a news release. “As part of our commitment to offer the most innovative, best-in-class products and solutions, we have joined forces with Convertus to help build our next generation, Canada-first dealer website solution.”
TRADER said that it aims to bring dealers a comprehensive solution that optimizes the entire consumer journey with premium technology and service for Canadians.
“The new and improved TAdvantage … will allow TRADER to bring innovation in-house and be adaptive to what its sales and product teams see firsthand as current and future needs specific to Canadian dealers,” the company said.
According to the company, three key features that dealers can expect from TAdvantage include:
- Performance reporting that gives a holistic view of all performance
- Local presence in every province with native French-speaking support
- Advanced integration with digital campaigns
Meanwhile, in wait of the revamped TAdvantage’s February launch, TRADER said that it will carry on representing Dealer.com exclusively in Canada, and all dealer websites will be fully supported.
“At launch, existing website customers will retain all core site functionality and features and will benefit from a painless transition from the old platform to the new, improved TAdvantage,” the company said.
RSR Digital, a sister company to RSR Global, has a new business division named Online Guided Intelligence (OGI) that has introduced a new online guided shopping solution powered by software provider PERQ.
The company announced this month that the mission of the OGI division is to provide Canadian automotive dealers with online technology solutions.
Early this summer, RSR Digital said, it will introduce a second dealer technology offering that can locate car shoppers in real-time, and more information will be announced in a few months.
RSR Digital said that it spent two years sourcing vendors in conjunction with leveraging its network of more than 1,700 dealer partners to create new online marketing, research and buying solutions.
“We’ve been listening to dealers over the past number of years and understand their pain points in their endeavor to market online,” RSR Digital president and chief executive officer Karey Davidson explained in a news release. “What’s equally important is that we are keenly aware of consumer trends. We sourced the best of the best tech partners to supply solutions that car buyers want to use and that they can trust, which will ultimately help generate more sales for our clients.”
The new tool for guided shopping is a connected suite of solutions designed to be added to an existing dealer website so that online visitors can use it to research and shop vehicles, according to RSR Digital.
The company said that the launch of its new online guided shopping solution serves the new OGI division’s mission to offer platforms that can build consumers' trust for dealers.
“This solution is built with the customer in mind first, and the dealer lead second, in order to foster trust and loyalty,” said Jenny Vance, PERQ executive vice president of sales. “We do not put lead traps in front of them. By doing so, consumers do more and share more, which helps dealers win business.”
The shopping solution can create a tailored shopping experience by providing car shoppers helpful and easy to use tools that are intuitive and designed to keep traffic on dealer sites longer.
RSR Digital said that a recent test pilot of the new shopping solution with Harris Mazda in Nanaimo, British Columbia showed impressive results.
“Other dealers are intrigued. We get calls from dealers all across Canada wanting to know how we’re doing what we do,” Harris Mazda general manager Doug Culham said. “It’s all about being flexible, he adds, because car shoppers are put off when the sales process doesn’t go the way they want.”
Canadian dealers can now leverage the CARPROOF brand in a fresh way via a new trade-in value lead generation tool that is designed to integrate seamlessly into dealership websites.
CARPROOF announced Wednesday the launch of True Trade, a widget built for dealer websites that can equip visiting consumers with accurate trade-in values, as well as help dealers acquire new inventory for retail or wholesale purposes.
This news follows the March launch of CARPROOF’s data-driven appraisal tool True Value that can provide consumers more accurate values of used vehicles based on history reports and what similar vehicles have sold for via carproof.com.
The new True Trade tool allows dealers to present consumers with trade-in values based on real transaction data and advanced analytics from CARPROOF via their own websites.
“We know that trade-in valuation is one of the most contentious elements of selling a used vehicle,” CARPROOF vice president of automotive sales Shawn Vording said in a news release. “Consumers want a fair value that comes from a trusted independent source, and dealers want to work with numbers that help them maximize trade-wins and profit.”
With True Trade, consumers can easily obtain an instant vehicle appraisal just by entering information about any vehicle they're interested in trading in, the company explained.
“Backed by the most trusted brand in the business, True Trade will help to educate consumers about what their trade is really worth and why. The end result? More qualified leads, more trade-wins and higher sales,” added Vording.
CARPROOF’s newly released data-driven appraisal tool — CARPROOF True Value — can provide more accurate values of used vehicles because it looks at vehicles' unique history, rather than just what it’s being listed for within a particular geographic area, according to company vice president of product management Greg Beckman.
To calculate a specific appraisal, the new online tool leverages the company's extensive automotive data such as listing information, along with reports on prior damage, odometer readings and even where a car has been registered.
“Based on the full data we have, we’re able to give a very accurate value for what that vehicle is worth,” Beckman explained during a recent phone interview.
In addition to CARPROOF’s free True Value range, car buyers and sellers can also upgrade to get the specific True Value that includes the vehicle's unique history records.
“What we’re doing with that is we’re providing a range of values for similar vehicles in a geographic area, and rate is based on full data, so it’s not based on what cars are being listed for. It’s actually generated and calculated based on what the cars are selling for in that area,” Beckman said. “With that range you get a good idea of what that vehicle would be worth but then get a vehicle’s specific amount, which is our ‘True Value’ — that value is calculated based on a car’s unique history,” Beckman explained.
CARPROOF’s exact True Value is based on a combination of what similar vehicles have sold for and history reports.
“In order to get that value you have to purchase our history report, which is anywhere from $40 to $52 for the full story,” Beckman added. “With that purchase of the history report, you get the actual specific value for your vehicle as opposed to just a free range.”
Along with odometer readings and more, vehicle history information also includes important information regarding how the vehicle has been serviced or any accidents it may have been in, according to Beckman.
“Our mission is to help Canadians make informed decisions about buying and selling used cars,” said CARPROOF president Mark Rousseau in a news release announcing the launch of CARPROOF True Value. “Our aim is to reduce the guesswork around used-car value, helping private sellers set competitive asking prices and giving buyers peace of mind that the price they're paying is fair.”
CARPROOF is one of the presenting sponsors at the Auto Remarkting Canada Conference later this month. The event is being held March 27-28 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
TRADER recently launched TRFFK powered by autoTRADER.ca, its new full-service digital advertising solution for Canadian dealers.
TRFFK allows dealers to power local digital advertising campaigns and convert online traffic via data-driven solutions led by proprietary autoTRADER.ca data on in-market car shoppers.
The program is now available in Quebec and will slowly be introduced to other markets across Canada, according to TRADER.
Using exclusive consumer shopping data and consumer behavior insights from autoTRADER.ca., the company said TRFFK can also help dealers with their digital marketing strategy and execution across paid search, display, social media and audience retargeting.
“It’s always been our goal at TRADER to work in partnership with our dealers, listen to their feedback and act on it,” TRADER Eastern Canada vice president of sales Luc Morin said in a news release.
“We have the largest car shopping audience in Canada on autoTRADER.ca, which gives us exclusive access to that qualified in-market consumer data to target the right shopper with the right car, at the right place and time, to drive high performance for our dealer partners.
“TRFFK provides a unique opportunity to serve our dealers by offering the most intelligent and targeted advertising to the highest quality traffic across any dealer ad platform,” Morin continued.
Key offerings from TRFFK include:
- Personalized dashboards showcase performance to maximize efficiency and ROI
- An automotive-focused team providing responsive support, such as advanced analytics and optimization strategies
- Comprehensive reporting of each program by region, VIN, or campaign
- Access to a publishing networks, websites and channels, including CPAX and the Google network
“TRFFK is an absolute game-changer for our dealer partners,” added Jill Hadfield, TRADER vice president of product commercialization.
“We’ve invested in a Canada-first, integrated digital marketing solution for dealers to make highly targeted advertising decisions based on the vast in-market car shopping audience data that’s proprietary to autoTRADER.ca. Each campaign is continuously optimized through professional management and unrivaled distribution across every major content network,” she explained.
Impact Auto Auctions, a subsidiary of Insurance Auto Auctions and a business unit of KAR Auction Services, recently launched Impact AuctionNow, a mobile app that allows buyers from across Canada and beyond to place bids both live and online.
Impact AuctionNow is compatible with iPhone, Android and tablet devices, and according to the company, it is currently granting free guest access to anyone interested in testing out the new app.
"Impact Auto Auctions is committed to continuously improving and simplifying the bidding experience," managing director of Impact Auto Auctions Terry Daniels said in a news release. "The AuctionNow mobile app allows bidders the ability to search and source specific vehicles with both speed and precision.
"This ultimately provides app users greater access, allowing them to bid from anywhere with confidence and convenience. Customer interest and response has been positive — the number of downloads has by far exceeded our expectations within the first 90 days of launch."
With Impact AuctionNow, buyers can both participate in auctions in real-time, which are simulcast live with audio and video, and monitor ongoing bidding and inventory updates straight from the app.
Additionally, users also have the ability to search for comprehensive vehicle information and view vehicle damage estimate reports on the new platform.
Impact AuctionNow can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
To begin using the app, participants must first register as a guest at www.impactauto.ca/Account/Register.
Koch Automotive Group recently announced that it has developed a new e-commerce website that it will roll out across each of its dealerships, starting with Edmonton's Koch Ford Lincoln and DK Ford.
The new platform for buying cars will allow consumers to browse inventory, speak with live operators and reserve a purchase — all online.
“The consumer can reserve or purchase a vehicle without ever physically stepping foot into a dealership,” Koch Auto Group said in a news release. “The new website challenges the auto retailer industry that has operated the same way for decades.”
Like at a brick-and-mortar dealership, consumers are granted test drives and can even negotiate pricing before paying the vehicle total on the website.
Before a purchase, car buyers can also speak with a representative to complete the financial terms.
When it’s time to pay, consumers will be directed to use a major credit card or a Paypal account to complete their transaction.
Additionally, there’s a "Reserve" option offered, it lets consumers reserve a vehicle with a refundable 1-percent deposit.
For more information about the new e-commerce website and its upcoming rollout, visit www.kochford.com.
Similarly, in the fall of last year, a new website launched in Canada that allows consumers to buy used vehicles entirely online.
Through Zoom.ca, shoppers can customize financing, put down a deposit, purchase protection and insurance, and sign necessary documents.
The site provides 360-degree views of vehicles and has what it calls a “rigorous certification and merchandising process.” The vehicles on the site are chosen by Zoom’s buyer team and undergo a 360-point inspection. A free CarProof report is also provided.
Zoom said that consumers will be able to finish the process in 10 minutes.
Ackroo announced on Tuesday its launch of Ackroo Anywhere, a platform integrated with CDK Global's dealer management system (DMS) that allows dealers to easily distribute rewards to customers in order to drive key marketing initiatives for their respective dealerships.
With Ackroo Anywhere, dealers who utilize CDK's DMS can issue rewards without relying on customers or staff to swipe or scan their account information following a sale, according to the gift card, loyalty and rewards technology and services provider.
The platform also imports consumer data regarding member vs. non-member spending and lets customers access and manage their gift card and loyalty accounts.
"Direct integration to CDK Global's DMS solution is yet another key advancement to further differentiate Ackroo in the automotive sector. As we continue to expand in this segment advancements like integration to dealer management systems is important,” Ackroo chief executive officer Steve Levely said in a news release.
Ackroo said it delivers its automated solution to dealerships through a SaaS based business model.
“At the end of 2016 we integrated to Authenticom's middleware solution which provides extraction from the majority of DMS's being used however that work did not cover the over 9,500 dealerships in North America that use CDK's platform," Levely said.
"We then made the decision to build a direct relationship with CDK Global to provide this option for all current and prospective Ackroo dealers. That work is now complete and so we are thrilled to be an approved partner of CDK Global and we look forward to expanding our combined solution with them across the automotive industry."
Additionally, Ackroo extends complementary marketing services to assist businesses utilizing the Ackroo Anywhere platform.
