The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the proliferation and expansion of online tools in an effort to deal with the demands of physical distancing, with this also the case in the automotive industry. 

One of these tools is Motomatch, a virtual marketplace and lead generator that aims to assist dealers to list the vehicles they have for sale, and to attract leads from interested buyers, as well as sellers. 

“People wanting to buy or sell a vehicle are looking for the easiest and safest route – less admin, more transparency, and access to deals that suit each individual budget,” says Motomatch director Dov Stern. 

“We created Motomatch to provide a trusted solution where customers can receive offers from dealers and pick the one they prefer. This, in turn, means dealers only engage with customers who are at the point where they are ready to buy, eliminating a lot of the old-fashioned sales footwork.”

In practice this means that buyers select the vehicles that they are interested in – new or used, according to price, brand, model, engine, gearbox, colour, mileage and standard features – while the selling dealers then respond with offers. 

The customer then selects the best offer and connects with the dealer (which has signed up with Motomatch for a flat monthly fee) to conclude the purchase.

Stern says all personal details are secure, and only shared with the dealer the customer chooses to connect with to conclude the deal.

Owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic consumers are still wary of any potential health risks, which has significantly impacted dealers’ showroom traffic, he adds.

Accordingly, all of these factors have irrevocably accelerated the switch to online, and it's important that dealers adopt e-commerce as an integral sales tool.

“We've moved into the age of online meetings, shopping and communication. Buying a car is no different to buying a computer or a house. It's all online until the consumer makes their final decision. This means that the only thing that makes you stand out as a dealer is your customer response time and the quality of service you provide,” says Stern.

Motomatch statistics show that 80% of customers prefer to use online chat platforms as the first line of communication. 

Motomatch streamlines this online communication process between dealers and customers through its integrated real-time chat function. 

“This allows dealers to instantly respond to customer queries at any time and wherever they are, ensuring that they never miss out on a potential deal," says Stern.

With the boom in digital business operations, Stern says Motomatch is refining its platform to add more value for both dealers and customers. 

For example, it gives dealers a value range when they are looking to make offers on customer trade-in vehicles. 

These ranges take into account overall condition and mileage of the vehicles and ensure that the dealer and customers have the same price range in mind.