More dealers signing up to 1link Trade Buyer to beat stock shortages
Increasing numbers of dealers are signing up to source used cars and vans online through our 1link Trade Buyer platform as stock shortages increasingly impact businesses.
The company says that in May, 55 new dealers joined the platform as buyers, following 49 in April and 57 in March. In 2019, the most recent comparable year, the equivalent figures were much lower – 37 in May, 33 in April and 39 in March.
Debbie Fox, commercial director at epyx, said: “Dealers are finding that they cannot obtain all of the stock they want and need from their usual sources and are looking to new outlets in order to attempt to make up the shortfall.
“Especially, they appear to be signing up to digital sources such as 1link Trade Buyer because they are able to search through larger amounts of stock much more rapidly and effectively than through more traditional methods.
“At a point in time when stock is in such short supply and dealers are having to cast their nets much more widely, digital routes are providing an effective alternative.”
She added that she expected the situation to persist and even become more acute over the course of the remainder of 2021.
“The factors that are affecting used car and supply, such as restricted new car production, will not be solved easily, and there are no indications that the used vehicle sector will return to normal trading conditions any time soon.
“In the meantime, we expect growing numbers of dealers to continue to increase their digital sourcing footprint especially as 1link Trade Buyer has a tariff available which has no annual subscription fee and flat rate, low cost buyer fees.”
The best stock platform for today – and for the future
What do used car and van dealers want when they look for stock supply solutions that will meet their needs throughout the 2020s and beyond?
This was the question we at epyx considered when creating 1link Trade Buyer.
In replacing our long-established and well-liked 1link Disposal Network, the aim was to deliver a complete redesign based on both the availability of new technology and extensive research into the needs of the thousands of existing users. The result, which has been rolled out to users over the last year, is a platform that has been re-engineered from the ground up with a very sharp focus on one core objective – to enable dealers to identify and acquire the high quality, ex-fleet and rental stock they need as quickly and as easily as possible, whatever device they are using.
A better buying experience
1link Trade Buyer delivers a buying experience that we believe exactly meets the needs of stock buyers as we begin to move into the post-pandemic era. Innovative features include advanced vehicle filtering with multi-pick selections and dynamic counts, updated vehicle summary and vehicle record cards with more detailed service history and clearer data presentation, full-screen imagery, key information indicators, downloadable stock lists, improved address tools and much more.
The reaction from users has been very positive but probably the single best proof we can provide to illustrate its success in meeting dealer needs is through two sets of statistics. The first is that our user base has increased substantially – since the roll-out of the new platform began in Spring of 2020, the number of registered dealers has grown by nearly 500 to around 3500. The second is the dramatically increased volume of business now being processed through the platform – both March and April were within a handful of units of being record months for sales.
Looking to the future
1link Trade Buyer is the subject of an ongoing programme of improvement and innovation, something that has already seen a whole host of enhancements made. epyx is deeply committed to continuing this process. Also, we have developed a new account management structure around the platform, designed to help you maximise its potential. Given the fast-changing speed of the used car market as we emerge from the pandemic, this kind of support is crucial.
Indeed, as the new normal starts to take shape in the used car and van sector, we believe that 1link Trade Buyer provides a level of efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility that could be a major factor in dealer success. Why not get in touch with us to find out how it could help your business?