Manheim Retail Services has launched a vehicle mobile marketing solution that helps dealers convert enquiries into sales. The solution enables car dealers to deliver high quality mobile web pages, with professional images and full vehicle specs, directly into the hands of prospects via their mobile phones. Managing director of Fife SEAT, Steven Graham, has been using the product at his dealership for the last five months and says the impact of the messaging “blows people away.”

According to Graham, the product excels when dealers use it to push information directly to prospects. He says: “It’s like a virtual showroom. You can have a customer on the phone and within about 20 seconds, send a vehicle ‘brochure’ straight to them while you are talking. The template also allows you to tailor personal messages to the individual customer.”

Customers can also request information on a specific vehicle or a stocklist of vehicles by sending a text to an advertised shortcode number.  All vehicle data is instantly and automatically sent to the customer via SMS, with a link to a mobile web page, allowing them to view full imagery, specs and other information.

Graham says he has already seen significant results from using the solution. “We had a recent enquiry from a customer outside our area whose local dealer didn’t stock the car they wanted and couldn’t provide any further information on it,” he says. “Even though we were some distance away, the customer got in touch with us at 9.30 one morning and I texted him the information while he was on the phone. By 2.30pm, he was in the showroom, and by 4.30pm he was driving away in his new car!

“This type of sale really demonstrates the power of the mobile marketing solution to extend our sales reach and impress prospects with our innovative marketing communications. It’s a small investment for state-of-the-art technology that delivers a real ‘wow factor’ and can only grow in popularity as more people upgrade their mobile phones.”