Auto Trader has opened nominations for its annual Retailer Awards, marking 11 years of celebrating the “very best” in automotive retail.

Formerly known as the Click Awards, the annual celebration recognises those brands and individuals that are pushing the industry forward.

Taking place on July 19 at One Marylebone, London, this year’s Awards will consist of six categories, including two new self-nomination categories, offering retailers the opportunity to prove to an independent panel of experts why their business represents true automotive excellence.

Auto Trader will be offering 12 tips to improve used car sales performance at the AM DigiTech conference tomorrow (April 17) 

The self-nomination categories are open to all car and commercial vehicle retailers, large and small, independent and franchise until May 14.

Auto Trader’s group sales director Le Etta Pearce said: “We launched our annual Awards in 2007 with the ambition of honouring and raising awareness of the incredible work that British car retailers achieve in the digital arena.

"This year will be no exception as we continue to celebrate those brands and individuals that aren’t only inspiring our industry but are setting the bar for all retailers across all sectors.”

The categories include:

The Business Initiative of the Year is designed to showcase an exceptional project, campaign or strategy that met an operational challenge or a business objective e.g. a marketing campaign to attract new customers; a data management system to increase forecourt efficiencies; a new CRM system to engage with customers more strategically; or a colleague training programme to align teams to business principles. 

The Rising Star Award is designed to celebrate the next generation of ‘legends’; those individuals that are set to shape the future of the industry.

The judges are looking for a salesperson or a marketer who has been in the industry for less than two years but is already setting their business alight with a new way of thinking, lots of creativity or simply much needed enthusiasm.

The remaining categories - Retailer of the Year, Best Online Experience Award, Customer Experience Award, and Customer Choice Award - will see all of Auto Trader’s 13,000 retailer customers entered automatically, with the winners determined either by the opinions of thousands of car buyers, from an in-depth analysis of millions of data points, or, for the first time, a comprehensive mystery shopping programme.