Online auto buying platform CarSaver recently announced it was expanding its cooperation with retail giant Walmart to more states after launching in just a few in 2017. Representatives at CarSaver kiosks in Walmart stores explain to customers how the process works, and customers can buy, finance, and insure a vehicle right then and there, using the CarSaver touchscreens. Most will probably do it on their phones or laptops later, however.
The actual sale is made through a nearby dealer, who pays a $350 fee per sale to CarSaver. Given that the consumer made the purchase at a Walmart, however, he or she is likely to think first of Walmart’s auto service center rather than the dealership when the car needs an oil change or a new tire, right? CarSaver co-founder Sean Wolfington says no. I will likely write about my conversation with him for next week.
Sticking with the topic of the changing nature of auto retail, this week I profile Soledad Gonzalo, the new regional marketing director at used car group HGreg.com. HGreg claims to offer a new kind of car buying experience through its online-offline model. Its
dealerships don’t have vehicles at them – those are stored in a nearby warehouse. What the “dealerships” do have are computer terminals and sales staff. Read about how Gonzalo sees this as the future of automotive retail in this week’s issue.
The expectations of dealership employees are changing in today’s world, too. That calls for a different kind of leader, one that consults with employees on how his or her leadership style could improve and is willing to make changes. Regular contributor Rawls Group addresses that topic this week.
And of course we have Transaction News.
Enjoy!
