Nominations are now open for the 2018 Auto Trader Retailer Awards, which marks 11 years of celebrating the very best in automotive retail. Formerly known as the Click Awards, the annual celebration recognises those brands and individuals that are pushing the industry forward, leading from the front and inspiring their peers.
With an average of 55 million cross platform visits each month, Auto Trader is the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace, as well as the most trusted amongst consumers1. Recognition at this year’s Retailer Awards is an effective way for retailers to demonstrate their excellence to potential car buyers.
Auto Trader’s Group Sales Director, Le Etta Pearce, explained: “In today’s competitive and complex market, it’s hard for retailers to stand out from the crowd and attract an increasingly savvy car buyer. Having an Auto Trader Retailer Award trophy in your cabinet, in addition to a winner’s logo on your ads and website, is a great way to stand out from your competitors, as well as build confidence and that all important trust.”
Ted Cribley, Sales Manager of The Premium Car Collection, which won Best Performing Retailer (Independent) at last year’s Awards, said: “It’s made a massive difference to our marketing. A consumer might not know anything about you, but they know that Auto Trader recognises you as the best and that means a lot. The Award doesn’t make people buy a car, but it certainly makes them pick up the phone and give us a call. They take a lot of confidence from the Award, and we do genuinely have people tell us that they only came to us because of it.”
Taking place on Thursday 19th July at One Marylebone, London, this year’s Awards will consist of six categories, including two exciting new self-nomination categories, offering retailers the opportunity to prove to an independent panel of experts why their business represents true automotive excellence:
- The Business Initiative of the Year is designed to showcase an exceptional project, campaign or strategy that met an operational challenge or a business objective e.g. a marketing campaign to attract new customers; a data management system to increase forecourt efficiencies; a new CRM system to engage with customers more strategically; or a colleague training programme to align teams to business principles.
- The automotive retail industry is full of legends. The Rising Star Award is designed to celebrate the next generation of legends; those individuals that are set to shape the future of the industry. The judges are looking for a salesperson or a marketer who has been in the industry for less than two years but is already setting their business alight with a new way of thinking, lots of creativity or simply much needed enthusiasm.
Greatness comes in all shapes and sizes. That’s why the self-nomination categories are open to all car and commercial vehicle retailers, large and small, independent and franchise. Retailers have until 14th May to enter for free at www.autotraderretailerawards.co.uk.
Pearce continued: “We launched our annual Awards in 2007 with the ambition of honouring and raising awareness of the incredible work that British car retailers achieve in the digital arena. This year will be no exception as we continue to celebrate those brands and individuals that aren’t only inspiring our industry but are setting the bar for all retailers across all sectors.”
The remaining categories – Retailer of the Year, Best Online Experience Award, Customer Experience Award, and Customer Choice Award - will see all of Auto Trader’s 13,000 retailer customers entered automatically, with the winners determined either by the opinions of thousands of car buyers, from an in-depth analysis of millions of data points, or, for the first time, a comprehensive mystery shopping programme.
Auto Trader is the UK and Ireland’s largest digital automotive marketplace, attracting 55 million cross platform visits each month. The winners of each prestigious award category represent a standard of excellence within the automotive market, recognised by the trade and consumers alike.
