AutoPlay and our friends at Need A Car are pleased to be able to offer free listings on needacar.co.nz from 1st April, 2020 for any dealership currently a customer of AutoPlay.

With dealerships closing for 4 weeks from 25/03/20 due to COVID-19 it's going to be impossible to continue to do business the way that we are all used to.  With no face-to-face contact it's more important than ever to get as many eyeballs on your vehicles as possible.  The general public will shift to searching online to find vehicles in preparation for when the time is right for them to buy - making every electronic lead more valuable than ever.

As part of both AutoPlay and Need A Cars commitment to helping dealers minimise the impact of the COVID shutdown, AutoPlay will export your listings to, and Need A Car will display your listings for free on needacar.co.nz.

• Free Basic Listings package with Need A Car for 12 Months from 1st April 2020 - no term, no commitment - just list your vehicles!
• Your listings can easily be fed from AutoPlay to Need A Car via AutoPlay's Listing API - to sign up just email support@autoplay.co.nz and tell us which yards you want us to export
• Any leads generated from Need A Car will be automatically captured back to AutoPlay Sales Pipeline
• ​Offer is valid until May 2020

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needacar.co.nz is a purpose built vehicle listing website with circa 50,000 unique visitors per month.  Engagement of browsers on the site is great - with each visitor spending an average of 6 minutes browsing the site each session.  AutoPlay will take care of all the on-boarding after we get dealer agreement so it is well worth the effort to list your vehicles on the site.

AutoPlay feels strongly about not sharing your listing data anywhere you don't want it, so we will NOT automatically opt you in to this initiative.  As such please contact our Support team on support@autoplay.co.nz and we'll get it set up for you.

If you have any questions about this initiative please email matt@autoplay.co.nz 

In 2019 AutoPlay are phasing out of website work.  Building sites has always been something we have done as a value add for customers using our Data Management or Sales Pipeline services, and is not our core focus.

As such we've made the decision that we will focus on continuing to develop our core products, and will not be taking on any new website work (though we will continue to support our existing websites).  

Working in this space it's inevitable that we will be asked by our customers to build sites.  That's why we are pleased to be able to recommend Adtorque Edge for all your website needs.  Adtorque Edge have a proven track record in Australia and the GM for NZ is Todd Fuller - who will be well known to many in the industry through his time with Driven.

EV Sales recently launched in NZ to give dealers and buyers alike a dedicated place for all things Electric Vehicles.

As an AutoPlay customer we've made it easy to advertise on EVSales.nz directly via the AutoPlay Studio.  Once you are signed up your Electric vehicles will automatically be sent to EV Sales via our API - simply load your listings as per normal and your EV listings will appear on the site.
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EV Sales were recently an exhibitor at EV World South and report that they experienced overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public, saying how great the idea was and confirming the need for a central place for buying EVs.

Interest, site traffic, and listings are growing, and its the place you want to be!

To find out more about EV Sales visit the site at https://evsales.nz/
To register your interest in advertising on EV Sales visit https://evsales.nz/account/register
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It is now possible to add  'Sale', 'New' and 'Under Offer' banners to your AutoPlay Vehicle Display Pages.  As pictured below, these small banners appear on the Search Page on your AutoPlay Vehicle Display Page.

The banners are also displayed on the RHS of the image when you view the Detail page for an individual vehicle.  These are positioned in the top corner of your image to avoid any clashes with any watermarks/logos that might be getting applied to your listings.

Adding the banner is easy.  Just find the vehicle you want to add the banner to in your AutoPlay Studio account.  Under the 'OPTIONS' header you'll find a range of check boxes available.

• To add the 'NEW' banner click on the 'New' check box (note this signifies a new vehicle and has an effect on your ORC display)
  
• To add the 'SALE' banner click on the 'Specials' check box
• To add the 'UNDER OFFER' banner click on the 'Under Offer' check box

Please note you will first need to have this feature enabled on your AutoPlay account.  To request set up please email support@autoplay.co.nz to request.

The latest version of the AutoPlay Sales Pipeline for iPad, iPhone and Desktop is now available. 

To download the latest Desktop update just visit https://automotive.autoplay.co.nz and loging and the update will apply.  If you have previously installed the Desktop icon when you next login in it will detect there is an update and then ypou will need to log out and in again to apply it.  If you are unsure look at the bottom left for your version number.  You need to be on version 16.4 to get the features below.

​On iPad and iPhone if you don't have your device set to automatically update versions then you'll need to check your app updates or revisit the app store and search for "AutoPlay Automotive".

In the latest version....

Bulk Allocate Leads from a Deleted User
When a User is Deleted from AutoPlay using the Desktop Studio it is now possible to bulk allocate all of their leads to another User.  This only works when actually ‘Deleting’ the User account, as opposed to changing the status to ‘No Access’.  This function is only available for AutoPlay staff so if you would like to move all leads from a Deleted User to their replacement please email support@autoplay.co.nz.

Test Drive Forms licence photos
You can now view both front and back Drivers Licence images in the Desktop Studio Test Drive Forms.

Assorted iPhone Improvements

• You can now edit previously created leads in the Sales Pipeline for iPhone. 
• If a User has forgotten to select a primary Listing when first loading the lead they can now do so at any point from the general Lead tab on the iPhone
• When viewing the Customers details on a lead from an iPhone, you can now click on the phone number to prompt a phone call

Notification to Managers on pending Appraisals
When set up with the Vehicle Appraisal Manager Approval the Sales Pipeline will send an iPad notification and email to the APPRAISAL MANAGER when an Appraisal is created and needs approval

​Easier searching Leads from the Dashboard
The User List drop down on the Dashboard is no longer conditional on Date Range in Dashboard iOS & Desktop.  This will make searching for leads easier – as no matter if there is a lead against the user in the currently visible date range their name will be visible in the drop down

Occupation & Default Yards
When capturing a lead, you can now add the Customers Occupation in iPad and Desktop Sales Pipeline.  Additionally, the Sales Pipeline will now first show you the default yard you have set up when choosing a Listing to add to your lead.

Discount Calculations on Write Up Forms
When using the Sales Pipeline to complete a Write Up Form it is now possible to enter a ‘LESS DISCOUNT %’ as well as a ‘LESS DISCOUNT $’.  Entering a percentage will automatically calculate the $ figure.

Create New Customer records directly from the Loan Car Form
It is now possible to add a brand-new Customer whilst creating Loan Car Form.  Previously it forced you to choose from your existing customer database.

Email Campaign Print Summary
When you click on the PRINT LIST button in the EMAIL CAMPAIGNS screen in the Desktop Studio it will now email the report with ‘Received’, ‘Viewed’ ‘Demo’ and ‘Opt Outs’ from all the campaigns in the report.

View Lead from Vehicle Registry
When viewing Test Drives in the Vehicle Registry you can now click through to view the Lead provided you have role management permission.

​Print Test Drive T&C's with PDF Form
It is now possible to Print the Test Drive Terms and Conditions with the Test Drive Form

Recieve a notification Email when a Wishlist match is detected.
If the role ‘Receive Wishlist Match Email’ is set up users can now automatically receive an email notification when their Wishlist is matched against a new Appraisal or new Listing.

​Larger display for writing Comments
When editing a Listing on the Desktop Studio there is now a + button which will pop up a larger space to write Comments in.

​Business Card Scanner warning message
When using the Business Card Scanner it now explicitly displays a warning message which informs you that you cannot use the Business Card Scanner to scan licences.  We are currently exploring options for a Drivers Licence scanner – watch this space!).

Improvements to the Test Drive Kiosk functionality
If you are using the TEST DRIVE KIOSK user it is now possible to add a Test Drive and/or Notes to a lead owned by another user (you still cannot allocate that lead to yourself).  When this is done the Lead Manager will be sent an email notifying them that someone has loaded a Test Drive against a lead they do not own.  The Test Drive Kiosk user uses the following rules;

1. If on the New Lead screen the kiosk user selects a different user and creates a new lead, the test drive screen does NOT show the User dropdown and the lead will be owned by the selected user.
2. If the kiosk user leaves the selection as Kiosk User and creates a new lead, the test drive screen shows the User dropdown. If a user is selected here, the test drive AND the lead will be owned by the selected user.
3. If the kiosk user selects an existing lead and creates a test drive (by clicking the + on the lead popup screen) then regardless of the selected user, the test drive will be created with the original lead’s user.

General speed improvements on Dashboard
Speed improvement when searching for all leads loaded, for all date ranges for a particular user.  Sped up from 40 seconds to 5 seconds depending on internet speed.

​If you have any questions about the new features and functionality contained in version 16.4 of the AutoPlay Sales Pipeline please email support@autoplay.co.nz

We’ve recently modified how we present pages on our Vehicle Display Pages.  Previously you had to repeatedly click ‘Show Next 12’ to view all the listings.  The bigger issue with this approach was that the page could not remember when a vehicle was viewed that it needed to return to the set of results you had been previously viewing.

We’ve now modified this to return listings as pages which can be easily clicked on.  More importantly with this new pagination feature the web page has no problem remembering what set of listings the browser was viewing before clicking on an individual vehicle.  This enhancement was deployed a few weeks ago and is part of our ongoing commitment to making the AutoPlay Vehicle Display page the best plug in experience money can buy.

We have also been working on a ‘My Garage’ function which allows browsers to save vehicles they are interested in to view at a future date.  To add a vehicle to My Garage it’s a simple tick box located on the Search results under each listing. 

Saving a vehicle to My Garage will store that listing for 7 days.  This means that unless the browser clears their browsing history, when they return to the website they will be able to view the listings they previously saved.  These listings can then be emailed to themselves or a friend or family member to view.

The My Garage functionality is scheduled to be released in June this year and will be automatically added to the Vehicle Display Page.

AutoPlay’s Vehicle Display Pages are part of the Data & Web Tool Package which is $575 per month + GST.  If you are interested in signing up to the Data & Web Tool Package you can do so by emailing Sales via http://autoplay.co.nz/Trial-and-Appointment.aspx#request-appointment

Driven.co.nz has turned one year old and are now adding a new way to buy and sell cars to a site that has had meteoric rise to already be New Zealand’s #4 Automotive website.

The New & Used Listings will add to unbelievable content that has gripped the Automotive public.  Drivens new, custom built, stand-alone multiplatform site developed to assist car buyers and enthusiasts wherever they are… at home researching or out and about.

AutoPlay are happy to announce that all AutoPlay dealers are to receive a 3 month free trial - after which you will receive AutoPlay Preferential rates see below.

If you are not interested in listing your vehicles on Driven.co.nz please email support@autoplay.co.nz and we will organise for them to be removed asap.

Preferential pricing per month for AutoPlay Dealers.  Pricing is based on the number of listings at the following levels.

• 0 - 50      = $125
• 51 - 100  = $200
• 101 - 150 = $275
• 150+ =  $350

The 3 month trial ends on 31/07/16.  Prior to this date AutoPlay will send another communication asking dealers if they want to sign up to list on Driven.  You will not automatically be signed up once the free trial period ends.

If you have any questions about listing on Driven or any technical issues please contact support@driven.co.nz

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Finally we’ve also built a plug in Vehicle Display Page for Facebook.  This stock page can be dropped into a page within Facebook in order to give visitors to your Facebook page the opportunity to browse your vehicles and make enquiries without having to leave Facebook. ​