Features
6 Dec 17

Better prepared for the future of remarketing

No less than 190 participants – more than ever – gathered for the fourth Fleet Europe Remarketing Forum in Estoril, Portugal. The first major event of the Fleet Europe Summit was a place for remarketing professionals to learn and debate, and not least to network – for which the well-appointed Remarketing Village provided an excellent platform.  

Like the automotive sector in general and the fleet and lease industry in particular, remarketing too is undergoing dramatic changes, driven by technological advances and internationalisation of the industry. The Remarketing Forum, on 5 December, was the ideal  conclave for industry professionals to get up to speed on the developments, present and future.  

After a word of welcome by David Baudeweyns, Sales Director at Fleet Europe and an introduction by Luc De Moor, Managing Director at Educam Group and moderator of the day, the first session kicked off. 

Big Picture
Christopher Ley, Senior Manager at Deloitte, provided insight in the Big Remarketing Picture, giving an overview of the economic, geopolitical and technological situation and evolution, with attention for upcoming trends and macro-economic developments. Following the presentation, Dean Bowkett hosted a Q&A, translating the international economic, political and technological trends to the vehicle remarketing business and detail their possible impact.

More on this session here:  
Flat growth, urbanisation more disruptive than dieselgate and globalisation

Need for harmonisation
The second session delved deeper into the need for harmonisation in remarketing in Europe. David Chapple, Board member of the European Car Remarketing Association (CARA), which held its annual General Assembly the previous day, also in Estoril, discussed the organisation's Five Deliverables. Roland Gagel, a brand-new CARA Board member, gave an exposition on the mileage fraud issue, and CARA's solution for it, CARaPASS. The session was closed with a Q&A by Luc De Moor. 

More on this session here:
Progress on fighting “the dark side of Remarketing”

Embracing innovation
Embracing innovation and inspiration was the main theme of the day's third session, with the five nominees for the first-ever Fleet Europe Car Remarketing Award detailing how they embrace innovation in vehicle remarketing with new solutions as a result. The five nominees and their products/services were: 
– ALD Automotive, with QIGO;
– AutoBid, with the Autobid.de app;
– DAT Consulting, with the Remarketing Health Check;
– Autorola, with INDICATA; and
– RMS Automotive, with RMS Automotive Inventory Management Solutions.

Later that evening, the prize was accorded to RMS Automotive.

More on that here:
RMS Automotive wins first ever Remarketing Award

Dealer and trader efficiency
The fourth session focused on optimising dealer and trader efficiency. Impacted by evolutions indigitisation and powertrain technology used-car dealers and traders have to transform their business model to stay successful, Christof Engelskirchen, Managing Director CarToMarket & Consulting at Autovista Group, told the audience. He unravelled the key conclusions of an international benchmark that examines the success factors for used-car sales with vehicle dealers and traders.

More on this session here:
Bad specs in used-car ads is “throwing money out the window”

To diesel or not
Following the networking lunch, the fifth session of the jam-packed day focused on what some feel is the sword of Damocles, hanging over residual values. First, Erwin Boumans zoomed in on the tax angle to the diesel question, and the legislative framework for powertrains – old and new – in Europe.

More on this presentation here:
To diesel or not to diesel: a tax question

The crucial angle to the diesel question is the Residual Value equation. Yes, the decline of diesel has started, but until today there hasn’t been a dramatic drop in RVs. Also, diesel and combustion engine technology keep on evolving. But what will the future bring?Andrew Fellows, CEO at DAT Consulting GmbH, discussed the possibility of a drop in diesel RVs, and how the industry can anticipate. 

More on this presentation here: 
“Internal combustion engine has a future”

How will powertrains evolve? Dave Cussel, General Manager Fleet & Leasing at Toyota Motor Europe provided insight into the powertrain evolution and the opportunities for the different powertrain technologies in Europe.

More on this presentation here: 
Hybrid today, hydrogen tomorrow

The diesel discussion was closed with a Q&A session, moderated by Luc De Moor.

New business models
The sixth and final session of the day discussed the new business models that have started broadening and transforming the industry. The first presentation, by Sebastian Fuchs, Senior Director Sales and Marketing Europe at RMS Automotive, detailed the evolution of the purely B2B-oriented model towards one that includes – or even focuses on – the B2B2E and B2C channels. 

More on this presentation here:
“We need to think like consumers”

Ib Kimose, Sales Director Autorola Solutions discussed how new business models like sharing and private lease have an impact on remarketing, with shorter, multiple lease cycles for vehicles, and so generate new business opportunities. The question: how to embrace them in the right way?

More on this presentation here:
Know your customer, maximise your profit

Frédéric van Heems, Remarketing Director at ALD S.A., detailed the opportunities of combining the digital and retail channels in Remarketing. Upstream vehicle remarketing in used-car sales has always existed, but advances in technology make it a lot easier to process with new solutions for new customers. 

More on this presentation here:
“We want to be the Amazon of remarketing”

With all the focus on new business models, B2B stays key to the remarketing process, proclaimed Johan Meyssen, CEO at CarsOnTheWeb. Although it is clear that exploring new customer channels in B2C and B2E will provide business opportunities, he argued that plenty of growth opportunities remain for B2B remarketing activities. 

More on this presentation here:
B2B and C2B is where growth is at

New B2C/B2E models imply a new type – or types – of supplier-customer relations, with a possible impact on other services. For example warranty schemes. Are these new developments leading to new, flexible or extended warranty models supporting the residual value equation? That was the presentation, the final one of the day, by Marcel De Rycker, Managing Director of IWS – International Warranty Solutions.

More on this presentation here:
How to maintain trust as Remarketing changes

Closing the proceedings of the well-attended and well-received fourth annual Fleet Europe Remarketing Forum was a panel discussion on the pros and contras of the various business models discussed by the speakers in the last session. Participating in the discussion were: Fritz Hackl, Member of the Executive Board of E.A.I.V.T., Johan Meyssen, CEO, CarsOnTheWeb and Marcel De Rycker, Managing Director of IWS.

As the remarketing industry continues to be reshaped by the forces of innovation and disruption, the attendees left the Remarketing Forum better prepared for the future and the changes it will bring. 

Authored by: Frank Jacobs