In this sluggish economic environment, 
CarMax is getting aggressive in attempts to move pre-owned vehicles off its lots. In the last month, the nation’s largest retailer of used cars has upgraded its search tools for folks looking to avoid the showroom floor. Previously, the retailer’s website could be used to research information on autos of various makes and models. Now, from the comfort of home, a car buyer shopping for pre-owned vehicles can click-on and search for cars based on a combination of personal preferences, such as desired vehicle type and fuel-efficiency parameters.
As I mentioned in this August item, aggressive incentives offered by new vehicle makers, coupled with consumer preferences for smaller cars in the face of higher gas prices, is denting demand at the used car retailer. CarMax derives about 80 percent of sales from used vehicles and is struggling to move bloated inventory of trucks and SUVs off its lots. New tools that can help customers — who are just beginning the used car shopping process — find the vehicle that they want or need, combined with no-haggle pricing, is a welcome aid for those of us who stall purchase-making to avoid answering questions from the dreaded salesman. Approximately 70 percent of in-store customers visit the website before coming to a brick & mortar store.
The company’s initiative runs tandem to shifting more of its consumer awareness spending from traditional print media to online advertising. J.D. Power and Associates found that used vehicle shoppers are more likely to find their car of choice on the Internet than by searching through print classified ads, according to Autoshopper.com. Now if only I could get my PC to serve me coffee, too.
