Birchwood Motor Group has become the latest franchised car retail group to launch an online car sales platform with the help of GForces.

The Eastbourne based Skoda, Ford, Kia and Mitsubishi franchisee claims to have adopted the NetDirector Auto-e platform already used by the likes of Chorley Group and Shelbourne Motors after identifying a growing consumer trend that showed their customers were spending more time browsing digital platforms outside of showroom hours.

“Ultimately, what we’ve set out to do is give our customers the flexibility and control to buy their vehicle however they prefer, be it online or at the dealership” said Paula Kemp, Birchwood Motor Group’s marketing and IT director.

GForces’ end-to-end solution will enable Birchwood customers to choose between reserving a vehicle online, buying it outright, or through finance, and is set to launch at the beginning of December.

“We wanted to challenge the retail concept as it is,” said Kemp. “There are many different types of customers, each with their own unique needs and desires as to how they prefer to purchase, and we want to ensure that we can accommodate them all.

“By making more ways of buying a car available, we’ll be able to service more of our customers in the way that suits them best, including online.

“The days of expecting customers to do all the legwork are over – the journey needs to be about flexibility and convenience for them.”

Back in July GForces revealed that it had signed-up its 200th customer for its NetDirector Auto-e online car retail platform after reaching the milestone in “record time”.

The speedy roll-out of the online retail solution meant that more than 1,100 car dealership locations were operating the platform at the time in a move that the software business said “marks a defining shift in the industry’s acceptance of ecommerce”.