In the modern world, cars are often considered more of a necessity than a luxury. They get us to work; they get the kids to school in the morning; they enable us to visit family at the weekends. It would follow that sales of cars are a reasonable indicator of the strength of the average consumer’s finances.
A new report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that new car registrations fell by 21% in September, compared with August’s figures.
It was the fifth consecutive month that numbers of new car registrations had gone down, and the biggest drop so far – the closest was 18.6% between July and August.
Debt problems or careful planning?
So is this a serious indicator of the trouble the economy faces, or just a sign that people are taking care over their finances?
"It’s important to remember that this is a reflection of new car sales, and not necessarily car sales as a whole," says a spokesperson for Debt Advisers Direct.
"It may well be that as we have seen with the supermarkets, consumers are simply keeping to a tighter budget. The market for second-hand cars could benefit, or perhaps people are just keeping their existing vehicles."
But the spokesperson commented that the shift in spending behaviour still reflected a change in consumer attitudes brought on by the credit crunch. "A major factor will be the limitation in peoples’ ability to obtain credit. Sales of new cars rely almost entirely on credit, because very few people can afford to pay the full amount up front," she said.
"Even for those who are still able to obtain car finance, many will be concerned about the risks surrounding the economy in general, and may want to avoid credit for fear of falling into debt.
"Likewise, some of those who were able to obtain car finance at the peak of the economic boom may now be suffering for it. As prices of other things such as energy and food rise, more and more people are at risk of debt problems, and the more debts you have, the higher the risk."
The spokesperson added that anyone who does find themselves struggling with debt should not hesitate to seek the appropriate help.
"We advise anyone worried about their debts to contact an expert debt adviser as soon as possible," she said. "They will talk you through your situation and help to find the best debt solution for you."
Debt Advisers Direct offer a range of debt solutions to suit various financial situations, including debt management plans, debt consolidation and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements). If you are struggling with debt , contact one of our expert debt advisers now
Thousand Oaks, CA — Despite a sluggish economy and sliding auto sales, the leading automotive advice site for women, AskPatty.com, is seeing an increase in interest from new and used car auto dealers looking to become more female friendly.
“Women purchase the majority of new vehicle sales in the United States,” says AskPatty.com President and CEO Jody DeVere. “Despite the economic slowdown, our new customer sign-ups are at an all-time high. Dealerships recognize the woman car buyer’s propensity to find online advice before making a major purchase. AskPatty.com can legitimize a dealership in the eyes of interested female customers.”
With women car shoppers spending $300 billion annually on purchasing new and used cars, trucks, car maintenance, repairs and service - auto dealers have begun to recognize that the female audience desires to be sold to differently.
AskPatty.com is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can shop for vehicles at their network of certified female friendly dealerships across the US and Canada - bringing a new level of comfort to the car buying process.”
Auto dealerships interested in marketing to AskPatty’s audience must become a certified female friendly AskPatty.com dealer - completing an online interactive training course designed and implemented by AskPatty.com, to help dealership employees communicate more effectively with women car buyers.
“Linnehan’s has long recognized that women have long felt alienated by the automotive industry,” said Ryan Linnehan, President and Marketing Director for Linnehan’s, a Maine car dealership. “A good part of our success over the past 58 years has been from treating our female customers with the honor and respect they deserve. Partnering with AskPatty.com was a logical step. We want to provide women with the best automobile buying and owning experience in the state of Maine.”
Visit Linnehan’s here: http://www.linnehans.com/hersite/
By becoming a certified dealer with AskPatty.com, auto dealers have an advantage over the competition in attracting women car buyers to their showrooms. The certification process teaches dealers and sales representatives how to create a safe and comfortable sales environment where women feel welcome - resulting in a more pleasant dealership experience.
AskPatty.com receives the majority of their new business through the AskPatty.com Website. The recent influx in business can be attributed to the implementation of several online traffic conversion tools, designed by Sapha. AskPatty has been able to effectively convert web and email interest into AskPatty’s services - resulting in more conversions than any other previous marketing efforts.
“We are currently converting 25 percent of our online Web traffic through the use of Sapha’s conversion tool,” DeVere said. “With interest at an all time high, we are making sure to convert that interest into real sales.”
“AskPatty.com has a unique service that auto dealers can benefit from - especially during a slow sales period,” said Benoy Tamang, founder of Sapha, the company that created a three-minute HookTour explaining AskPatty’s certification program and dealer benefits. “By condensing their message into a direct response online conversion system, dealers are able to see the benefits available to their dealerships.”
AskPatty.com’s HookTour can be viewed at http://hooktours.com/8003256/
About AskPatty.com
Ask Patty provides women car buyers with a wide range of automotive information, plus the opportunity to submit questions about car buying, selling, repair and maintenance to a panel of over 50 of the Top Female Automotive Experts. The Advisory Panel, which is headed up by Deborah Renshaw - professional NASCAR driver - is comprised of women who hold various leadership positions in the automotive industry. Web site visitors can also share and discuss their car buying experiences with other female consumers. Women can submit comments, add car reviews and ask questions directly to AskPatty at http://www.askpatty.com.
About Sapha
Sapha is the premier online conversion company. Their solutions instantly improve traffic conversion for Web sites, email campaigns, and landing pages. Sapha delivers proven products that combine rich media, proprietary analytics, and direct response know-how into easy, cost-effective conversion solutions that turn Websites and marketing campaigns into conversion machines. For more information about Sapha’s sales conversion tools, visit http://www.sapha.com.
