Fleet and finance companies partner with Aston Barclay

Wessex Garages, which represents six manufacturer brands based in Wales and the South West, has signed a solus deal to dispose of part exchanges at Westbury’s new weekly Wednesday dealer sale. Finance company MotoNovo has also signed up to the new sale.

The auction’s weekly fleet sale will remain on a Tuesday, with leasing clients including Alphabet, Venson and LeasePlan.

In addition to physical auction services, Aston Barclay has announced the launch of its new vendor app, which signals phase two of the group’s digital technology roll-out to customers.

Vendors can control and manage their auction in real-time remotely through the app, with the option to switch to ‘vendor mode’ as soon as their vehicles are offered for sale.

This includes being able to send a direct message to the auctioneer during a sale to accept a reserve bid, or to answer a buyer question. Real-time sales data is planned for roll-out during 2018, while vendors can also target buyers with push notifications, which can include pre-recorded video messages.

Neil Hodson, Aston Barclay’s CEO, said: “Being able to send an auctioneer a message remotely during the sale has proven a big hit with vendors who have piloted the App. It means they do not have to attend every auction, but still have the power to engage with the rostrum and buyers.”

More than 5,000 buyers have downloaded the buyer app and up to 30% of bids are now being made via the app across core market segments.