GForces, the multi-award-winning automotive ecommerce solution provider, part of the Automotive Transformation Group (ATG), is celebrating three years of its next-generation NetDirector® Auto-e ecommerce platform. Developed specifically for automotive retailers and launched in November 2018, the ground-breaking digital technology enables automotive retailers to leverage a complete omnichannel retail solution and engage effortlessly and efficiently with customers online and in the showroom. The platform supports 1,772 franchised dealers today, and has helped 80,247 car buyers in the past three years.

While the GForces NetDirector® Auto-e platform is now utilised successfully by customers across the globe, the first to adopt the technology following its launch was the UK’s RRG Group. The company retails new and used Peugeot, Toyota, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Lexus, and SKODA models across the north of England. Over the past 18 months, the RRG Group has seen its online used vehicle sales increase almost eightfold from 2% to 15%, and has now signed a new long-term partnership with GForces. This is the result of an exceptional 81% conversion rate from sales opportunities that originated online achieved in the past year.

“Since the RRG Group was established fifty years ago, it has always strived to innovate and adopt new technology,” explains the group’s Head of Digital Strategy & Transformation, Katie Newton. “We can all agree that the automotive retail industry has experienced more change in the past two years than in the past half-century. Clearly, that has partly been driven by the pandemic, but with 15% of customers choosing to initiate their purchase (pay in full/ finance/ reserve) via our online platform in 2021, it’s clear that switching to buying online may be a permanent choice for many customers. We have worked hard to ensure our internal processes support our online journey and 81% of our online transactions now result in a sale, compared with 54% in 2018. I want to attribute much of this success to the hard work of our General Managers and their teams. Whether you are operating seven franchises like the RRG Group or selling 30 used cars from a single site, you have got to be able to offer your customers the choice of buying their next car in a showroom or in the digital world. And that’s what GForces helps retailers do ­– not just through its intuitive-to-use NetDirector® Auto-e platform, but through the continuous support GForces has provide us.”

Tim Smith, Chief Revenue Officer at Automotive Transformation Group, said: “As the first adopter of our new automotive ecommerce solution in 2018, the RRG Group has been an integral part of the NetDirector® Auto-e success story. The RRG Group is a textbook case of an automotive retail company that understands the need to adopt an omnichannel approach and knows how to change its culture and working practices to embed a successful digital sales strategy seamlessly into its operations. We are delighted that the RRG Group has decided to renew its partnership with GForces. We look forward to working with the RRG Group and all the other users of our ecommerce technology around the globe in the future, whilst introducing new customers to the proven benefits of the NetDirector® Auto-e platform.”