Carpages.ca are launching a new marketplace called ‘Buy From Home’ which will allow car dealerships to continue selling vehicles to housebound consumers whilst adhering to government guidelines set in place during the COVID-19 outbreak. The new online marketplace will provide dealerships with the tools to conduct virtual inspections, allow consumers to sign documents electronically and conduct their own at home test drives upon vehicle delivery.
As dire as the COVID-19 situation is, we are being pushed to learn how to adapt and cope during sudden and global crisis. Lessons are learnt and growth can emerge from the hardship experienced. We will begin implementing new strategies that aid business survival and Online Marketplaces are key to providing merchants and businesses of all shapes and sizes with the ability to do this.
“As Health and Government officials continue to stress the importance of physical distancing, we knew we needed to find a solution for customers who still needed a vehicle to get to work, or get groceries,”
“We also wanted to prevent our dealers, many of which are family owned, from losing everything by giving them the option to participate in Buy From Home.”
– Ben Mirecki , President and Founder of Carpages.ca.
Vehicle sales decline
Without as many cars on the roads, Dealerships are losing business and income fast. Yahoo state that recent research shows March sales alone were down 48 per cent compared to the same month last year. Without any clear guidance on how long consumers are going to be stuck self-isolating under the regulations of their governments, car dealerships will continue to struggle throughout the coming months. There is hope in that Marketplaces like ‘Buy From Home’ will start popping up to help businesses continue trading and at least bring back some normality where it can be retained whilst remaining strict on sticking to the guidlines that keep staff and consumers safe.
“These are trying times for all of us and looking ahead, there is still a lot of uncertainty about when we’ll be back to business as usual. We understand the importance of our customers staying home and staying healthy,”
“Carpages’ Buy From Home is a way for us to protect everyone, but also stay open even though our doors are closed.”
– Mike Foster , Co-owner of Foster Auto Group.
