ATLANTA, GA. Sept, 24, 2008 - Anyone looking to put into context the growing importance of the Web in the wholesale used vehicle marketplace, consider this: Weekly site visits to Manheim.com are up by 17 percent since January of this year for a total of 800,000 visits per week to the site.
Sue Boehlke, senior vice president of Manheim Enterprise Solutions, said the skyrocketing increase in Manheim.com activity illustrates how Manheim is changing to meet the demands of its customers. With Manheim's dealer and national consignor customers becoming increasingly comfortable doing business online, Manheim has focused on continual improvement of their online customer experience.
For example, recent enhancements to Manheim.com have all centered on improving dealers' ability to quickly and efficiently find the vehicles and information they need. The site now includes features that bring a more customized experience to each user with a new personal homepage called My Manheim. This page automatically serves up all the information that each individual customer needs most, including saved searches, pre-sale inventory information and quick links to sales channels such as OVE.com and Manheim Simulcast. For registered users of myAccount, a site feature that allows Manheim customers to view outstanding balances and pay bills online, the My Manheim personal homepage also automatically shows Manheim account balances, MAFS credit information, title and arbitration notifications and links to online bill pay.
Boehlke said the goal is to provide a more intuitive online experience for customers and to recognize their individual buying preferences in order to make their time online as efficient as possible.
"Just as Manheim traditionally has been the partner of choice for both buyers and sellers because of the volume of vehicles, dealers and consignors that we bring together on a daily basis at our physical auctions, we're working just as hard to offer our customers the largest virtual marketplace in the industry," said Boehlke. "Our customers appreciate the fact that they get the best of both worlds with Manheim; we can serve them equally well online or in the lanes. The skyrocketing traffic on Manheim.com demonstrates that our customers are as comfortable dealing with Manheim via the Web as they are at our physical auctions."
In addition to improvements made to Manheim.com, Manheim's focus on providing customers with the best possible online experience has also led to enhancements to OVE.com, the company's 24/7 online wholesale marketplace, and Manheim Simulcast, the company's LIVE online marketplace. Both have experienced growth this year with OVE.com on track to realize 100 percent growth in transactional volume and participation in Manheim Simulcast events up more than 50 percent over last year's record levels.
Dealers interested in how to use Web-based sales channels to improve profitability are encouraged to attend The Wholesale Institute sessions that Manheim holds at various locations nationwide and in Canada throughout the year. These free, interactive workshops help dealers create step-by-step procedures for buying and selling inventory online and help eliminate the fear associated with using today's technology.