25 Feb 2019 Aston Barclay Connects Customers to Cars with New Cascade Suite of Products
Aston Barclay has launched a new Digital Solutions arm to its remarketing portfolio. The lead product in this new Aston Barclay brand is Aston Barclay Cascade; a joined up proposition which ‘connects customers to cars’ through a mix of digital and physical remarketing channels.
Cascade combines Aston Barclay’s new e-Valuate, e-Hub, e-Xchange and e-Live products into an end-to-end used vehicle proposition for dealers and leasing vendors, from initial used car appraisal through to wholesale disposal and onward delivery to buyers.
The suite optimises a used vehicle journey across all stages of the retail, sourcing and disposal process. It features a smart dashboard for ‘at a glance’ decision-making featuring real time market intelligence to optimise vehicle control and management during the vehicle life-cycle.
The Cascade process initiates with the use of the e-Valuate vehicle appraisal App, allowing dealers to accurately appraise incoming vehicles with valuations referenced from CAP used car data or a customer’s own pricing matrix, as well as a guaranteed purchase price from The Car Buying Group.
All data captured, including inspection reports and images, is saved on the e-Hub back-office platform which allows vendors to decide whether the vehicle is kept for retail or uploaded to a second phase of the Cascade journey with wholesale disposal to open or closed buyer groups.
e-Hub is a dynamic control and report management tool, providing users with access to complex vehicle information ‘at a glance’. The smart dashboard connects to all elements of the Cascade product suite to provide real time stock overview and performance insights. Vehicles directed to e-Hub enable vendors to decide a ‘buy it now’ price and opt for the most appropriate disposal route.
The e-Xchange platform allows vendors the opportunity to fix the duration the vehicle is to be advertised for disposal, as well as set Buy Now and minimum reserve prices. Should the vehicle sell, the buyer arranges logistics and payments with the vendor. If the vehicle is unsold, it then flows into either a physical or online e-Live auction.
Vehicles directed to e-Live will be added to an auctioneer led sequential bidding auction with stock from across the UK offered by vendor or profile once collected from vendor locations. Remaining vehicles are then offered in physical sales at one of Aston Barclay’s five remarketing hubs.
Neil Hodson, Aston Barclay group CEO said, “Used car buying and selling patterns are changing and client requirements are becoming more complex. Digital Solutions places us firmly as a digital business supported by physical fulfilment combining the best of both worlds to drive real value for our buyers and vendors.
“The Cascade digital journey is seamless in taking individual used vehicles from initial vehicle appraisal, right through to physical delivery to the buyer with a number of options to increase speed of sale including dealer underwriting from The Car Buying Group.”
The Cascade Suite is a further addition to Aston Barclay’s digital push which includes the award-winning Buyer’s App, development of the company’s web, mobile and video offerings and installation of digital touch points within physical centres, all of which are brought to life by a Digital Eagles team that advise on and promote the digital journey.