“We’re delighted to have won this prestigious award,” said Autoquake.com’s CEO, Garry Hobson, “especially as the judging has been done by members of the car-buying public.”

The Click Awards are based on an Auto Trader Website Usability Study that questioned more than 600 car buyers about their experience of over 70 top motoring websites.

“As an online car retailer, our website is our showroom, so it has to be easy to use, informative and attractive,” added Hobson. “Over the past 12 months we’ve worked hard to make Autoquake.com even better, with the launch of used car reviews, CO2 & MPG search options, online finance application, a blog, and a whole raft of technical improvements.”

According to the final AutoTrader.co.uk overview, “Surveyors thought highly of the homepage with its clear layout and easy to use links. The used car locator and customer service both scored highly. Customer service operators were considered very polite and professional, while the website was praised for its quality of information.”

The affinity website is a fully customisable version of the Autoquake.com website with the branding of the leasing company or fleet fully integrated into the Autoquake.com website framework. This gives the fleet or leasing company an opportunity to make their cars that come off-fleet available for sale to their employees and the employees of their customers.

A unique aspect to the Autoquake.com affinity offering is that cars offered for sale on the affinity website are at the same time marketed through Autoquake.com’s regular website and powered by its e-commerce platform. With 300,000 unique visitors per month to the Autoquake.com website and sophisticated e-commerce technology to drive transactions this ensures that the cars are sold within 20 days of being listed.

The affinity website has the same key features that have won the Autoquake.com website the accolades of AM Awards 2009 Best Dealer Website and a Top 10 Hitwise Website Award. They include 40 high resolution pictures per car, sophisticated transactional capabilities for reserving a car, applying online for finance or purchasing a warranty, and a 7 day money back guarantee backed by Autoquake.com.

Furthermore, Autoquake.com provides a comprehensive retail support package including a dedicated call centre, delivery service and after sale support. Crucially, Autoquake.com fully protects its fleet and leasing customers from the inevitable risks of retailing. Once the sale is complete Autoquake.com takes full legal responsibility for any post sale comebacks.

Autoquake.com tracks its consumer customer satisfaction rigorously and is dedicated to delivering an exceptional customer experience. The company is therefore uniquely placed to not only assure its fleet and leasing customers a seamless brand transition but also guarantee that the buyer’s engagement before, during and after the purchase will positively impact their perception of both company’s brands.  

Says Autoquake.com CEO Garry Hobson: “Leasing companies and fleets have for a long time been looking to provide to their employees and customers the ability to purchase their cars that come off-fleet. However, because it requires a certain number of cars to be taken out of the traditional remarketing route and stored for a period of time, it has previously not been economical to do. With the Autoquake.com solution the cars offered on the affinity website are simultaneously offered for sale on the Autoquake.com website to ensure that they are sold quickly and prices achieved are maximised."

Adds Autoquake.com VP Supply & Logistics Andy Shields: “In this competitive period, it is vital that leasing companies can show that they can add optimal value to their customers. This is not just in the provision of the lease car, but in a wide range of employee benefits. The Autoquake.com affinity proposition not only gives companies the opportunity to offer ex-lease cars through a fully branded website, but is backed up with a comprehensive retail solution.”

Fleet and leasing companies can learn more about Autoquake.com’s offerings by visiting the company’s business section on www.autoquake.com/remarketing.

Autoquake.com has seen a rapid expansion of its business in 2008. The company already remarkets cars for 26 fleets and has recently added a number of large leasing companies to its customer base. Eleven of the UK’s 20 largest leasing companies, including ALD Automotive and ING Car Lease, now remarket cars through Autoquake.

To serve its expanding fleet customer base, Autoquake.com has appointed two new account directors.

Richard Arnold joins as account director for the North. Previously Richard was head of national accounts (manufacturers) for Helphire and has extensive automotive account management experience with Auto Windscreens and National Tyres.

Steve Lidgey, previously with Volvo and Manheim, becomes account director for the South East and brings a wealth of experience on the used car market.

Andy Norman and Neil Campbell continue in their roles as account directors covering the South West and Midlands respectively.

Autoquake.com CEO, Garry Hobson said: “In 2007 we primarily worked with small- and medium-sized fleets. In 2008 we’ve signed up some of the UK’s largest leasing companies and next year it’s our goal to work with these fleets to handle the volume they are planning to put through us.

“After a tenfold increase in sales between 2007 and 2008, we’re expecting sales to triple through 2009. The addition of Richard and Steve to the account team is an important step towards building our additional capacity.”

Keith Allen, Managing Director of ALD Automotive, commented: “ALD has always used a wide range of channels to optimise remarketing performance. With the increasing importance of the internet, it makes a lot of sense to use an online resource to reach the end customer. Autoquake.com provides a seamless way to do so.”

Duncan Metcalfe, Head of Remarketing, ING Car Lease, added: “We have remarketed cars through Autoquake.com for 18 months now and are pleased with the performance. Consumers pay higher prices for cars than what is achieved in the trade and that ultimately results in better returns for us. “

While people have been using the Internet to research their car purchases for a long time, actually purchasing a car on the Internet is a relatively new phenomenon. However, consumers are now increasingly embracing this new way of purchasing a car, driven by the desire to save money. 81% of respondents say they would expect to pay less for a used car on the Internet than through a traditional dealer and 76% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase a used car online now than they were 12 months ago.

“We have seen more than a 260% increase in website traffic from 85,000 to 222,000 unique visitors per month to the www.autoquake.com website since the credit crunch started to take hold in June. With this growth it looks like 2009 will be the year when buying a used car online will become a mainstream phenomenon.  We are currently operating at a monthly sales level that equates to 10,000 cars sold per year, even if we stop growing further. And that is a big number!” says Fredrik Skantze, Chief Marketing Officer of Autoquake.com

Another clear trend is that consumers are willing to widen their geographic search to find the right car with 93% of respondents saying that because of the economic downturn they are willing to travel further to find the right car at the right price. On average, customers purchasing a car online from Autoquake.com live 135 miles away. This is widely different form the typical 5 mile pickup area of a traditional car dealership.

When it comes to the factors that would be most important in convincing consumers to purchase a used car online respondents quoted trust in the seller as the most important factor (quoted by 53% of respondents) followed by low price (21% of respondents) and a good return policy (14% of respondents).

After saving money, consumers quoted convenience as the biggest benefit of purchasing a used car on the internet (quoted by 34% of respondents). The ability to make the purchase decision from the comfort of the home rather than having to travel from dealership to dealership was seen as particularly attractive.

Another benefit quoted by respondents was the ability to transact without having to speak to and negotiate with a sales person (16% of respondents). Consumers say they feel at a power disadvantage when dealing with a professional car salesman and the Internet helps them restore the balance of power by empowering them with the information they need and allowing them to make the purchase on their own terms without anyone pressuring them.

“Buying a car in the UK and importing it into Ireland is a big saving as is. However, Autoquake.com prices are, on average, 10% cheaper than UK car supermarkets which, even after expenses, becomes a phenomenal saving. This is largely why 10% of our customer base is from Ireland and why we felt that a dedicated Irish page was necessary,” said Garry Hobson, Autoquake.com CEO.

“We went for a Honda Accord 2.2 Executive with 75k miles on the clock. It is worth about €20,000 here and we bought it from Autoquake for €7,200. Obviously VRT adds a bit on top, but this car is in the 20% VRT bracket, so that brought it to €11,000 all in – almost a 50% saving,” said an Irish Autoquake.com buyer in August 2008.

Autoquake.com is especially popular with Irish consumers for its competitive pricing but also due to its unique e-commerce website that enables consumers to browse and buy their car remotely via the internet.

Autoquake.com has pioneered the concept of enabling consumers to buy a used car from the comfort of their home. Every car listed on www.autoquake.com is illustrated with 50 interactive high quality interior and exterior images, a full vehicle specification and photos of the documentation and keys. The breadth and transparency of information about the vehicle and the ability to reserve the car online or pay in full dramatically changes the purchase experience.

“I like the honesty of Autoquake’s vehicle descriptions. The decision to buy was near already made before viewing because of the immense level of detail on the website – it is confidence inspiring,” commented a satisfied customer who bought a Mercedes CLK in October.

Irish buyers can travel to mainland UK knowing that the car will still be available on arrival and confident that the risk of any surprise is hugely reduced. In any event, Autoquake.com offers a full, no questions asked, 7-day money back guarantee from the date of collection.”

Autoquake.com is bucking the current automotive downward trend with sales increasing by more than 50% in the last quarter. This strong performance is due to the company’s unique e-commerce technology platform that enables cars to be remarketed directly to consumers with factory-like efficiency.

“With the recent slowdown in the trade, where remarketing returns and conversion rates are at a near all time low, Autoquake is bucking the trend with sales increasing by more than 50% in the last quarter. This strong performance is due to the company’s unique e-commerce technology platform that enables cars to be remarketed directly to consumers. The monthly sales increase trajectory is really impressive and I’m looking forward to helping feed that growth,” commented Shields.

Andy brings considerable experience in automotive management. During his 10 year tenure at Avis Europe Plc Andy held a number of positions culminating in the roles of European Fleet and Remarketing Director and European Fleet Planning Director which saw him coordinate the annual acquisition of 200,000 cars and remarketing of 60,000 cars across the Avis Europe group.

Garry Hobson, CEO, Autoquake said, “Andy is a real asset to the team here at Autoquake and it is testament to the company’s huge potential that such a capable individual has decided to join us. With more than one million page views per month on www.autoquake.com there is a growing retail appetite to satisfy. Autoquake offers a fantastic alternative route for fleets to remarket their cars directly to the consumer and Andy’s team is here to bridge that gap by establishing senior relationships with some of the UK’s major fleet and leasing companies.”

Andy lives in Bracknell with his wife and three children. He drives a Saab 9-5.

Autoquake, the UK’s leading online used car retailer, today announced the closure of a £6 million second round of venture capital funding led by Highland Capital Partners in conjunction with existing investor Accel Partners. The financing is in addition to the £3 million invested by Accel Partners in the summer of 2006 and will allow Autoquake to rapidly grow its UK operations, service offerings, technology platform and brand. It will also provide Autoquake with capital for its planned international expansion.

Autoquake sells high quality used cars direct to consumers through its website www.autoquake.com. Autoquake has pioneered the concept of enabling consumers to buy a used car from the comfort of their home. Cars are displayed in Autoquake’s virtual showroom, each with a comprehensive description and a picture library of 50+ high quality digital photos. The breadth and transparency of information about the vehicle and the ability to pay a fixed price online rather than haggle with a salesperson dramatically improves the purchase experience for the buyers who are enthusiastically embracing the Autoquake model.

Autoquake saves on costs by selling cars through its website without traditional car salespeople involved. A further saving is derived from Autoquake’s ecommerce platform which enables cars to be processed with factory like efficiency. These large savings are passed directly to the consumer. Autoquake continuously surveys the prices charged by car dealers and car supermarkets for specific makes and models on the internet to ensure that Autoquake’s price for a specific car is always among the lowest in the market. So far in 2008 Autoquake has offered car buyers discounts of, on average, 10 percent over car supermarkets and 17 percent over franchised dealer prices. On a £10,000 car that is a saving of £1,000 to £1,700.

All cars go through a 120 point inspection and come with a 100% money back guarantee. Car finance, warranty, insurance, part exchange and delivery are supplementary options that buyers can benefit from. While there are no sales people at Autoquake, the company employs friendly customer support staff to help guide customers through the process if needed. Customers can test drive the cars at one of Autoquake’s handover centres before committing to the purchase.

As part of the financing, Fergal Mullen, General Partner at Highland Capital Partners will join the Autoquake board. Fergal comments: “We believe Autoquake is in a unique position to transform the UK used car market. We were particularly impressed by the many happy car buyers Autoquake has. It is clear that the company is filling a void in the consumer purchase experience of used cars.”

“Our new financing will enable us to quickly ramp up our operations and develop Autoquake into a recognised and trusted brand. We are delighted to have Highland Capital Partners onboard. Like Accel, they have a breadth of successful ecommerce, internet and retail investments behind them and their track record speaks for itself.” says Garry Hobson, Chief Executive Officer of Autoquake.

Adds Kevin Comolli, Managing Partner of Accel Partners: “We continue to be impressed with the progress Autoquake is making. Key to this is the company’s unique blend of ecommerce and automotive expertise. We look forward to working with the Autoquake and Highland teams to help grow the company and build a category-defining business.”