Cars.co.za, arguably South Africa’s largest automotive platform, has launched its new match-making service for private sellers and dealers after trailing it across Gauteng over the last couple of months.
Aptly named Match! the new service allows private sellers to list pictures and information on their vehicle on the Match!-service on the Cars.co.za web, mobi site or app. Registered dealers can then browse the inventory and bid on vehicles on the same platform.
According to Hannes Oosthuizen, Consumer Experience Manager at Cars.co.za, the app has received over 10 000 listings since it moved from its beta phase, while “several hundred” dealers have activated their Match! service on their Cars.co.za profiles.
“Dealers are incredibly important to us, and Match! was created to help them source good quality used vehicles directly from the source. We will continue to refine the product and user experience for both the seller and the dealer and will consider all feedback from our dealer community,” says Hannes.
How it works:
Private vehicle owners can list their cars – with a detailed description and pictures on the Match! service for free. Once the listing is submitted, the clock starts and dealers have 48 hours to bid for that vehicle.
According to Hannes, dealers can set stock alerts and receive a notification when any car is listed that falls within their parameters.
Once the bidding has started, the vehicle owner can track a bid, or multiple bids, on a consolidated dashboard. A link to this dashboard and info on the bids received are sent to the owner via SMS and email.
After the 48 hours for bidding have expired, the owner has another 48 hours to “connect” the car to an offer. At that point, the seller and dealer’s details are shared, and the two parties can conclude their transaction, with Cars.co.za charging a nominal commission fee to the buying dealer.
“Sellers are under no obligation to sell their vehicles. They can reject offers and provide feedback as to why they rejected them, which is shared with the bidding dealers. What’s more, sellers have an opportunity to re-activate their vehicles for another round of bidding, if they did not like the bids or those bids have expired,” says Hannes.
As fuel prices continue to climb across South Africa, many motorists are beginning to question whether owning a car still makes financial sense. With in-land petrol prices now at R26.63 a litre and diesel costs rising sharply in May, transport expenses are placing growing pressure on household budgets.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
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Margins are shrinking, customers are under financial strain, and competition is intensifying across South Africa’s motor retail sector. Against this backdrop, dealerships are being forced to rethink how they remain profitable while still building customer trust and long term sustainability.
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