Sandown Group’s email alerts increase ‘lost sale’ conversions

·       Mercedes-Benz and smart retailer implements email-focused automated process across 11 sites

·       Helps combat ongoing stock challenges; brings prospects back into sales funnel as soon as right car becomes available

·       Marketing Delivery’s VoiceBox underpins strategy, driving conversions and taking on the “admin that salespeople don’t have time for”

The Sandown Group, one of the UK’s leading Mercedes-Benz retail groups, has achieved a 222% increase in the number of leads marked as ‘lost’ by staff that are subsequently converted to a sale, thanks to an enhancement to its process that alerts prospective customers about relevant stock via automated emails.

Customer enquiries are often defined as ‘lost’ by dealer staff if a suitable make and model of car is not available – a common occurrence given the ongoing industry-wide stock shortages. However, Sandown has used Marketing Delivery’s VoiceBox system to automatically email those ‘lost’ prospects as soon as a suitable model becomes available, and it has had a profound impact on overall conversion rates.

The software has been implemented at all 11 of Sandown’s locations across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire selling and servicing Mercedes-Benz new and used cars and smart vehicles. The email-focused process has been in place for the last six months.

Keith Jackman, Head of Marketing & CRM at Sandown Group, said: “Stock shortages stop us from converting business as quickly as we would like, and it also creates an ongoing admin burden for sales staff – if we don’t want to give up on a lead we have to keep checking and rechecking whether it can be fulfilled. The automation that VoiceBox offers takes all of that burden away, tracking the stock situation for us and issuing a tailored communication to the customer in a timely fashion. It’s kept large numbers of prospects in our sales funnel and is making a real difference to our monthly numbers. 

“The team at Marketing Delivery works hard to ensure we develop the right customer journey, ensuring we achieve the best results. The results speak for themselves.”