See all Motoring NewsThe speed at which Irish car buyers are shifting to shopping online has rapidly accelerated since the start of the COVID-19 crisis according To Windsor, as with three out of every five of its customers are now buying from the comfort of their home. 65% of car buyers at Windsor - one of Ireland’s longest established motor groups – are now making just one 30 minute visit to its showrooms to drop off their trade-in, to pick up their new car and to close out the deal having completed the bulk of the transaction online.
Buyers to Windsor can view, reserve, fully finance and buy a car without leaving their home and the number of visitors to the site continues to break all records with 50,000 car video views recorded during September alone. Windsor’s online platform is also supporting traditional showroom sales. 30% of customers making dealership appointments are now purchasing cars on their first visit to the showroom having already taken the time to complete their research online.
Online enquires at Windsor have also soared by 25% as a growing number of customers begin their car buying journey online. Car buyers who are putting safety first are also doing the legwork online in order to reduce the need to visit a showroom to a single visit. “Digital has been reshaping car sales for some time but COVID-19 has accelerated the move online as consumers adapt to the crisis. Windsor is meeting the needs of today’s car buyers, enabling them to buy, finance and trade-in cars without visiting a showroom,” said Peter Nicholson, Managing Director at Windsor.
“The number of online visits to our site has grown year-on-year, but the single biggest change in recent months is that buyers are now viewing, reserving, trading-in and fully financing cars online. The bulk of the transaction is done before they visit our showrooms and the online process has reduced showroom visits to just one visit,” he added. Windsor is an online car sales pioneer having invested over €1m in the development of its online sales platform in late 2018. Buyers can use the site to view, reserve and buy used cars, to engage sales staff and to calculate and complete an end-to-end finance application. Online payment is processed through Stripe or via their bank credit card.
A contactless delivery service is also available to online buyers and all cars are fully sanitised before delivery. Windsor is an authorised dealer for Nissan, Renault, Dacia, Opel, Peugeot, Mazda and Citroën. It is also the biggest seller of used cars and operates a rigorous certified programme allowing customers to buy with confidence and to enjoy peace of mind. For more information, buyers can visit www.windsor.ie.