Since the arrival of the Covid-19, the world has been turned upside down. Customer appointments take place behind a screen and consumption habits are changing, even when it comes to vehicles.
Recently at 8pm on a major French TV channel, we saw a dealer making vehicle visits via videoconference. What seemed unthinkable or ridiculous a few months ago is now the new standard. Local businesses, too, are finding ways to boost online sales. They implement Click & Collect solutions and adapt.
The work and consumption habits that have been established during periods of confinement are likely to continue. The Covid-19, at least, will have made it possible to accelerate or start, for some, the digitalization we have been hearing about for years.
In the automotive world, online sales of used vehicles continue to grow and if the absence of malus has something to do with it, so does digitalization. Some had already seen it coming, such as VPAuto, a company from Lorient, which before confinement sold 70% of its vehicles online. Others are getting into it and are betting on online sales, like PSA or Porsche. The French manufacturer has even created an e-commerce department entrusted to a former Veepee employee.
Remarketing players, for example, have been able to rethink their buyback process thanks to automatic visual expertise solutions using AI. These solutions bring operational excellence, reduce the duration of an expertise and in the case of marketplace, bring trust and transparency.
At a time of digitalization and social distancing, the coronavirus will have been the opportunity to undertake innovative measures in the sale, transport and repurchase of new or used vehicles. The proper use of technology can be a determining factor in the strategy of remarketing players, both in competitive differentiation and in daily operations.
