Up to 50% of all vans sold at Manheim in 2019 will be purchased by an online buyer, according to the firm’s director of commercial vehicles.
Speaking as the firm announced a strong overall start to the year for the used LCV market, Matthew Davock said online sales in particular were performing well. Continuing the trend seen in recent months, 45% of the commercial vehicles offered by Manheim in January sold online, a new monthly record and an increase of 8% year-on-year.
“We’ve been reporting strong growth in online sales, online bids, and participation for some time now and January stepped-up a gear once again with some vendors seeing 88% of their stock receiving an online bid,” added Davock. “This growth has been supported by our SureCheck LCV product, which gives buyers the confidence of a true mechanical understanding of the vehicle at the time of sale.
“I’m predicting that up to 50% of all vans sold at Manheim in 2019 will be purchased by an online buyer. Buyer feedback and the accelerated change to the way customers want to transact, are reflected in our strategy for the year. We’re focused on developing our existing digital channels, and exploring solutions that give the best results for each asset, and our valued customers.”
His comments come as Manheim reported strong overall volume growth in January, with arrivals up 6% year-on-year, while continued buyer demand saw 81% of vans sold first time. Meanwhile the average selling price reached a new record level at £6,596, up 17% on January 2018.
Interest in Euro 6 van stock also continued to rise, representing 12% of the vehicles sold across the month.
Davock added: “As you might expect, we’ve seen a spike in activity around Euro 6 van stock, and many London-based dealers have been keen to source used stock in preparation for the April ULEZ implementation – definitely one to watch in the coming months.”
