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Autofinder.ie conducted a survey of over 400 car dealers in Ireland. The results, according to the company, suggest that the number of car dealers with Web sites has increased by 11 percent over last year, to 33 percent currently. Moreover, the company says 65 percent of dealers now have e-mail compared to 48 percent last year.
"We were shocked by the results," claimed Richard Burke commercial director of Autofinder. "We did a similar, although smaller survey last year and the growth in the industry has been much more than we expected," Burke said. "One interesting fact was that many of the dealers who were using free Internet services for their sites and e-mail are now moving to a hosted service."
According to Autofinder, the study also shows that there has been a six percent growth in automotive Internet usage for the month of January alone, with Internet sales predicted to double again this year. "If you look at what most people are doing, they are actually doing most of the research and finding all the information about the car they want on-line. Then they are able to price the car they want and find the dealer that is selling it," Burke said.
For a commission, Autofinder provides a service whereby the company will search for the car the user wants and will find the lowest price that vehicle is available for on-line. The car can then be delivered to the customer's home, or collected from a lot.
Autofinder.ie currently employs eight and is in the process of launching a number of new services, including a used car on-line purchasing facility. The company is also developing an all-in-one pricing service that can tell users how much a car will cost, including finance repayments, insurance and tax. Finally, the company plans to launch its dedicated consumer service centre next week, to help users with any additional questions or concerns that they might have both before and after their purchases on Autofinder.ie.
Along with the survey, Autofinder announced a partnership with Esat's Ireland On-Line and Oceanfree.net to provide the two Irish Internet portals with research tools and information for users interested in searching for or buying a car on-line.
Autofinder was launched in October 2000 and is privately funded by its management. Hibernian Direct and Bank of Scotland (Ireland) provide the site with its insurance and financing services.
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