Chrysler has reached a partnership with eBay to market over 15,000 of its dealers certified pre-owned vehicles.
Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands will be initially offered on the eBay Motors site. One could wonder how long it will be before dealers entire inventory of used cars will be included in the deal?
The announced agreement follows General Motors stunning coo last February to list all of its dealers inventory of certified pre-owned cars from over 3,900 GM dealers on eBay.
GM said on Thursday that its listings are now live on eBay.
As a small non-affiliated used car dealer competing in this Internet landscape has become more important than ever. Initially it was the small local dealers who utilized online selling through places like eBay. Now the big three are doing more than looking at these small local dealers successes, they are joining the fray in a big way.
Chrysler's eBay showroom presents consumers a view of its used vehicles within their local area within a classified listings format. eBay motors is not just for bidding on used car auctions anymore.
Chrysler's certified pre-owned vehicles cover models from 2003 to 2008 with less than 65,000 miles and are reconditioned to meet the automaker's standards. They carry an eight-year, or 80,000-mile powertrain warranty, roadside assistance and rental car allowances. A great deal if your shopping for a used car...
Chrysler sold more than 122,000 certified used cars in 2007, up 5 percent from a year earlier. With this announcement and eBay affiliation the used car sales should grow at a higher rate. The auto company's used car sales are up 8 percent so far this year, new vehicle sales have dropped more than 20 percent in the same time frame.
How will local non-affiliated dealers compete with the likes of GM & Chrysler?
The entire U.S. auto industry has been hit hard by reduced demand for gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. Finding new and innovative ways to market used vehicles is a key to economic survival. Check out All Business Auctions Auto Dealer programs on our main website, we have some very interesting programs designed to equip local dealerships with an eBay "storefront" which will engage the buying public more than simply listing a vehicle in the middle of hundreds of thousands of Chrysler or GM certified used cars.
About 43 million used vehicles were sold in the United States last year, well over double the 16.2 million new vehicles sold. Used car profit margins are also generally better than they are for new vehicles. eBay is a good place to be for small used car dealers. The big car makers are trying to help thier dealers survive with these eBay deals. Small dealers have an edge and if they want to keep that edge we suggest investing in online and eBay marketing programs.
Dealer Blogs Part of the future of used car marketing?
A dealer blog could be a very effective method of lead generation. Under utilized until now but certainly an area to explore for any dealer of used vehicles. A blog will outperform any web 1.0 static or flash website when it is measured head to head in terms of traffic generation. Enticing the buying consumers interest is the name of the game and on the Internet, pure content is king. Blogs are ideally suited to tell the story of a dealership.
Ideas for blog development at an auto dealership include:
- Meet the sales manager - Special articles from the sales manager about his job, his family, his time selling cars and why it is important to buy from an honest dealer.
- Owners Corner - the dealership owner is usually the face of the organization - give him a voice as well
- Service Managers Shop - Open up the world of service to the consumer, let them know the many reasons why the best service is found at the best equipped dealer service organizations.
- Car of the Day or Car of the Week - Pick a car of the day or week and completely describe the features of that car. Photos, video, and text... Attract buyers with information.
If your local dealership is
searching for innovative ways to compete in this new Internet sales
landscape give the good people at All Business Auctions and iBusinessLogic.com a call, new web 2.0 methods of lead generation like social media marketing blogs and websites are our specialty.
Scott Pooler - CEO iBusinessLogic Corporation
Tags: chrysler, ebay, car dealer, used cars, social media marketing, auto dealer ebay store, auto sales on the internet,
