e-commerce and online tyre business news
Bridgestone and ETB Autocentres have introduced the Mobox all-inclusive monthly tyre subscription service in the UK. First piloted in 25 First Stop stores across France in October 2017, Mobox has now been expanded to 30 Speedy shops in France and 20 First Stop stores in Spain since June 2018. The programme was rolled out in other European nations in 2019 and now makes its UK debut.
Launch UK is warning garages of the dangers of purchasing diagnostic equipment from internet sellers. The company reports that it has found at least 50 accounts claiming to be genuine diagnostic sellers on eBay alone. However, upon further inspection, these sellers are said to have listed “inaccurate company information such as a UK base and fraudulent VAT numbers”.
Ending lockdown has “unleashed a surge in demand for cars,” according to the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk. While spectacular increases in every measure of consumer interest during June are somewhat tempered by equally spectacular declines in the preceding months, BuyaCar contends that enquiries from buyers are not simply bouncing back from the depths of the coronavirus crisis. They are already beginning to overtake pre-pandemic levels.
eBay France has partnered with the 350-branch strong Feu Vert garage network to fit tyres purchased online. The development was hinted at last year’s Equip Auto show when the head of spare parts and accessories for cars and motorcycles in the French, Spanish and Italian markets, Francesco Faà di Bruno, announced that negotiations were underway. Now, Ebay has confirmed, the agreement is final.
Delticom AG has appointed Alexander Eichler as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective 1 June 2020. At the same time, Delitcom’s Susann Dörsel-Müller and the company’s Supervisory Board have agreed “by the best of mutual understanding” to terminate her current contract prematurely effective 30 June 2020.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is providing “on-demand and on-location professional vehicle services for Turo” a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace via its AndGo platform. The AndGo by Goodyear offer for Turo hosts is currently available in Southern California, with more markets coming soon.
In addition to reporting strong first quarter 2020 sales growth, Tirescanner reports that it has added more locations, and has added three new senior figures to its ranks. Graeme Bissett, previously chairman at TireScanner founder Mike Welch’s previous tyre business Blackcircles.com for 12 years, will advise the board on governance, finance and strategic matters.
Tirescanner, the US-based tyre e-commerce, has announced sales and customer growth of 400 per cent in the quarter covering January, February and March 2020. April and May have continued the same trend with the company predicting another record quarter.
Consumers are gearing up to spend more on their next car than they were planning to before confinement began in March. Data from the online car marketplace BuyaCar.co.uk reveals that the average price of cars being reserved for purchase when lockdown is eased has shot up to a record level.
Excel Automotive Group (EAG) has hailed the impact of Origin Software Services after investing in the company’s e-commerce solution to transform the way in which customers utilise EAG’s electronic trading platform.
Motorists have been doing less online pre-sale research related to tyres as a result of the coronavirus, according to Google search data. However, while the lockdown has led to a slowdown in tyre-related search traffic, there are already signs of recovery.
In the USA, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that it will extend the full capabilities of its Commercial Total Solution to carriers of all sizes in Convoy’s Digital Freight Network, in a statement on 9 April 2020. According to the company, Convoy is the first online discount programme Goodyear has offered through its commercial e-commerce platform GoodyearTruckTires.com.
Fixter, an online car maintenance service provider, has published survey results which show that essential businesses, such as independent garages, are valued more than before the crisis. Specifically, 89 per cent of customers who rely on their cars now think that it is more important than ever to keep it in a good condition.
Delticom has named the top-selling tyres sold on its sites, according to a number of different criteria. The rankings are based on Europe-wide sales from Delticom’s online B2B shops, such as Yourtyres.co.uk in the UK – across all brands and categories.
Evidence from a number of market research sources concurs – increasing numbers of motorists are choosing all-season tyres for their cars. The first indication came from GfK data, which compared the percentage growth of all-season tyre sales reported by its UK panelmarket (in terms of volume and value) in 2018 with seasonal tyre sales during 2019. Winter tyre sales volumes were down 1 per cent last year. During the same period, winter tyre values fell three times faster (down 3 per cent).
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Bridgestone
Launch Tech UK
PRNewsfoto/eBay Motors
Delticom AG
Turo
Google, Rezulteo