A survey commissioned by automotive digital marketing specialist, Marketing Delivery, has found that over half (51%) of UK motorists would consider buying a used car to avoid the current extended lead times for new stock.
When asked, those aged 18-24 years old were even more likely to consider an alternative to a new car, with 82% saying they would consider buying used to avoid the waiting lists, if they were presented with suitable options.
The survey also found that two-thirds (67%) would be more likely to remain in contact with a dealer that emails them about new or used stock that closely matches their initial enquiry.
Jeremy Evans, Chief Executive at Marketing Delivery, said: “New car stocks are starting to recover, but there is still a long way to go before we see a return to pre-pandemic norms. Some cars have waiting lists of more than a year, and the average waiting time is over four months – that’s simply too long for many buyers. If a new car order cannot be fulfilled as quickly as the customer might want, the dealer can use digital tools to automatically update them about the availability of suitable used stock.”
Marketing Delivery’s Stock Alerts tool will crossmatch customer requirements to incoming stock and automatically make contact when a suitable vehicle becomes available. Alternatively, if the customer is not yet ready to purchase but is still interested in keeping up to date with relevant stock, customers can register for alerts via the dealer’s website. These simple tools ease the administrative burden on sales staff while developing new opportunities for the customer to remain in contact.
Marketing Delivery’s VoiceBox software issues GDPR-compliant messages to customers and leads based on their self-identified contact preferences, whether that be SMS or email. VoiceBox functionality is effective in managing sales pipelines and can also issue timely messages to customers to let them know when their MOT or service is due.
