NEW car website CarExpert, is starting the year by updating its offering to car retailers as the new car leads business model responds to feedback from dealer clients.
The leading new-car website has announced that it has “supercharged its quality lead subscription model” and that it will be “delivering dealers the edge they need to thrive in this crowded market”.
The CEO of CarExpert Damon Rielly told GoAutoNews Premium that CarExpert was adding key features to its current subscription model which has essentially been a $199 pay-to-play fee to be on the platform with access to leads priced at $80 each. He said dealers were asking to see greater returns on the payment.
“Under the new business model, there are now three levels of subscription; bronze, silver and gold with different offers within each level,” he said.
Within these levels, the changes include:
- Priority Leads: Get first dibs on enquiries
- Inventory Listings: Dealers can now showcase their stock to CarExpert’s readers
- Exclusive Leads: Dealers can now secure exclusivity on leads where stock is available.
- Free Monthly Leads: Dealers on higher subscription tiers can get bonus leads at no extra cost.
“Bronze level is essentially the previous pay-to-play offering but we have reduced the price to help dealers,” Mr Rielly said.“Silver offers additional services that dealers will get for the same price. So essentially, it’s the same price, but they get more value,
On silver, dealers can now display their own new car inventory on CarExpert which is uploaded from the dealers’ websites to CarExpert via Cox Automotive Australia.
In March CarExpert will launch a new gold level that includes one free lead per month as part of that subscription package.
“But the key thing is they’ll be able to get a content feed from all the CarExpert video and editorial content, which they’ll be able to access as it gets published.
“So essentially, if you’ve got a Ford dealership, dealers will be able to access all the CarExpert Ford video and editorial content which dealers will be able to use in their own dealership, on their website, socials, and so on to help promote and support them on a local level.”
Silver level is also now giving dealers the opportunity to accept leads from outside their primary market area (PMA).
“What we now do on the silver level, if a dealer wants to see leads outside of their PMA, and there’s no other dealer in that PMA who is on our platform, then they are able to accept those leads if they choose to do so,” Mr Rielly said.“They get the same thing on gold, but gold would also get a free lead.
“The big difference on gold is the content feed.”
Dealers can now also secure exclusivity on leads where stock is available. Where one dealer has stock available and another does not then the lead will go to the dealer that has it available, and they will get that lead exclusively.
Meanwhile CarExpert says that its independent Road to Purchase research, is revealing that buyers are overwhelmed by choice but are making quicker decisions—often after just one test drive.
“Dealers need to align their marketing efforts with the heavy lifting by relevant OEMs and focus on the bottom of the funnel this year where they can make an impact,” Mr Rielly said.
CarExpert says that brand consideration averages 2.9 options per buyer.
The bronze and silver levels went live this week. Gold will be live from March 1.
By John Mellor