ONLINE SALES INCREASE

Research from online review community Trustpilot and the Centre for Economics and Business (Cebr) reveals motorists looking for a new or used car will become increasingly likely to buy online, rather than from a dealership, with around 20% set to be sold online within a decade.

The traditional salespeople could take a back seat as tech-savvy consumers become more comfortable making purchases of new and used cars online.

The new research uses consumer survey data to predict that car dealers could see more than £41 billion revenue and 27,000 jobs disappear if they fail to adapt to the new sales environment, with nearly £1.5bn worth of sales moving online by 2020.

The key to winning this race is not just on price, but by generating consumer trust and confidence to buy a car through their platform, .

Dealerships are being encouraged to adapt their current business model to meet changing consumer behaviours.

Manufacturers including Hyundai, Peugeot and Smart are already responding to consumers’ desire to purchase online.

As automotive retailers establish online platforms and consumer behaviour adjusts, VCL expect to see car sales shift online, as seen in other industries, VCL was founded in 2006 and has already established consumer confidence with a complete transparency approach.

The pace of change could be slower than that seen in international markets, however, whereas just 20% of UK consumers are open to buying a car online, 60% of consumers in China and India are already open to the idea.

VCL have also noticed no restriction in location either, consumers will purchase anywhere throughout the UK as long as they have trust and confidence.