The Windsor Motor Group - an authorised dealer for Nissan, Renault, Dacia, Opel, Peugeot, Citroen and Mazda - is claiming to be the first car-sales site in Ireland to adapt to the social distancing rules imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic by allowing customers to buy cars online now and arrange for contactless delivery to their home, once movement restrictions in the country lift.
€1m+ investment
Windsor says it is seeing a surge in interest from online car buyers as consumers adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the temporary closure of car-sales showrooms across the country. Pete Nicholson, managing director at Windsor, said: "Every car dealer is going to have to adapt to online selling and contactless delivery when sales activity resumes in the coming weeks and months. We know that consumers are spending a lot of time online during the lockdown and we are witnessing a big surge in our web traffic. In light of the current conditions, we have added a contactless delivery service for our online buyers for when the market reopens.
"Visitors to www.windsor.ie can fully finance and buy a car without leaving their home and arrange to have it delivered to them fully sanitised with a contactless handover. The existing restrictions that apply to the motor industry clearly mean that we cannot deliver the car until our showrooms reopen, but that reality has done little to deter interest from online buyers."
Windsor has invested more than €1 million into the development of its online sales platform late in 2018, which has proved useful for the current climate, with Mr Nicholson adding: "Digital has been reshaping car sales for some time but we expect that this will accelerate as people continue to practice social distancing and Windsor is well placed to move with the times."
Online payments
Visitors to the Windsor website can view, reserve and buy any used car they like online, with payments processed through Stripe or via their bank credit card. Buyers can also use the site to calculate and complete an end-to-end finance application. "We look forward to reopening our sales showrooms in due course," said Mr Nicholson. "Those who have been cocooning are the ones most likely to adapt to online selling and contactless delivery into the future, and Windsor will be there to meet their needs."