Ten top tips to help your business thrive in 2025

By Cliff Deller

Selling more used cars more successfully in 2025 will require a strategic approach that considers current market trends, customer preferences and emerging digital technologies. Of course, the fundamentals – the three Ps (preparation, presentation and pricing) – must always be at the forefront of your used car strategy, with appropriate and matching KPIs to keep you on track. For example, days to display or days to prep, days to sell – and ROI are some of the important ones.

Here are some tips to help you succeed:

1. Leverage digital platforms

Optimise your online presence: ensure your website is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate and features high-quality, high-definition images, together with detailed descriptions of vehicles and all their features. And remember to cut out the jargon! It doesn’t go down well with most customers.
Use social media: Make the most of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for targeted advertising, video walkarounds and promotions.
Partner with marketplaces: expand your reach by listing cars on platforms such as Auto Trader, eBay Motors or Gumtree. Don’t just rely on your own website to save money. But, if you do invest with digital marketplaces, ensure you fully manage your content by ensuring you use tools such as attention grabbers, customer reviews and, of course, look closely at the number of vehicles you place on the platform in order to keep control of costs.

2. Offer a seamless online buying experience
Enable online transactions: offer features such as online finance approvals, digital paperwork, dynamic part exchange valuations and with home delivery. Ensuring that you can capture all relevant customer data to enable follow ups.
Provide virtual tours: use video calls or 360° views to allow customers to inspect cars remotely. Transparency is vitally important.

3. Focus on customer trust
Transparent pricing: clearly display prices with no hidden fees. Offer price-match guarantees if possible.
Provide history reports: offer free vehicle history reports to reassure buyers about the car’s condition. Explain in detail what information the history report contains. We take for granted that the potential customer fully understands what we mean by the terminology ‘history report’, but itemise all the features and information contained in the report.
Positive reviews: encourage satisfied customers to leave online reviews, which can influence potential buyers. It’s a well-known fact that customers place a great significance on reading customer reviews. It goes without saying your customer experience management process must be robust and able to capture not just customer responses to a specific set of questions, but to also give the customer the opportunity to submit their own observations along with their particular likes and dislikes of the buying process. Then use this feedback to improve your customer experience.

4. Expand your used vehicle inventory
Include hybrids, EVs and small SUVs – as these are in growing demand.
Source locally wherever possible: use auctions, part exchanges and bulk deals to maintain a diverse stock. Not forgetting the all-important Motability returns. This is a significant missed opportunity for many franchise retailers, i.e. when the customer hands the car back to you and you have first dibs on the purchase opportunity. Also, by keeping in regular contact with your Motability customers you will know in good time if they are going to purchase another same brand car giving you the chance to do some additional upstream marketing.
I can’t miss the chance to mention the service customer marketing opportunities that many retailers let slip through their hands day in, day out. It’s so simple and quick, just put a short note in the customer’s car explaining how keen you are to buy used cars, dedicate a sales exec with this task but, importantly, ensure sufficient incentives are in place to ensure success. Also make sure you have enough management information to measure the effectiveness (if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it)!

5. Adopt green and electric trends
Promote EVs and hybrids: highlight the cost savings and environmental benefits of buying eco-friendly vehicles.
An important initiative is to offer charging solutions: partner with companies to provide at-home EV chargers as an added incentive.

6. Use data-driven marketing
Targeted ads: use AI and data analytics to target potential buyers based on demographics, location and preferences. Your marketing agency should be fully conversant with all aspects of this strategy.
Re-targeting campaigns: stay in touch with prospects who didn’t convert, with personalised ads or email campaigns.

7. Improve customer engagement
Flexible financing: partner with lenders to provide competitive financing options, even for those with less-than-perfect credit.
Loyalty programmes: offer discounts or free services such as oil changes to repeat customers. Also consider winter/summer health checks and service plans.
Follow-up: send reminders for MOTs, servicing and part exchange opportunities.

8. Invest in technology
AI chatbots: use chatbots on your website for 24/7 customer service. These need to be thoroughly researched before application (I speak with direct experience of less than perfect and somewhat frustrating chat bots)!
CRM systems: implement customer relationship management software to track leads and improve follow-ups.
Vehicle condition technology: offer diagnostic scans or inspection videos to showcase vehicle quality. Digital health checks identifying additional work can be a great way to generate additional income and improve customer satisfaction.

9. Host events and promotions
Make sure you plan well ahead: a well thought-out campaign will reward you more handsomely compared with a last-minute scrambled together half-hearted effort.
Sales events: organise weekend sales or holiday promotions to create urgency.
Community engagement: host events or sponsor local activities to boost brand visibility and awareness. Use these events to generate used car purchase opportunities as well as generating sales prospects.

10. Adapt to local market conditions
Flexible pricing: adjust pricing to align with market conditions, especially availability, desirability and days to sell
Focus on value: emphasise affordability, reliability and the key vehicle features.