Motoring News

An expert has urged car dealers to cleanse and update their customer databases to beat the credit crunch.

New research from Experian found that 87 per cent of car owners are worried about the rising costs of living but only 42 per cent would delay the decision to buy a car as a result.

Kirk Fletcher, managing director of Experian’s automotive division, is heartened that not as many people as expected are actually delaying their purchases.

Mr Fletcher believes that there is still an opportunity to reach the car owners who are more likely to change their cars within a three-year cycle.

Stressing that the most effective revenue-building asset in a dealership is the customer database, he said: "Dealers can maximise a database’s value by using it to understand their customers more, then identify and target those who are most likely to buy soon."

The expert believes this can be done by ensuring that customer records are up-to-date.

"Regular data cleansing is a small price to pay for the significant amount of wasted expenditure it will save in the long run," he warned.

Written by Bobby Minter