Kiwis love their cars. In fact, our roads are home to around 4 million of them. New Zealand is also a proudly diverse nation, with hundreds of ethnicities and languages spoken on our streets. It makes sense, then, that consumers be able to find and buy a new vehicle in their own language. ​

AutoPlay are always looking to share good news with our customers and HouGarden represent a opportunity to target a specific audience.  AutoPlay have worked with HouGarden to make this easy for AutoPlay customers as we have a direct connection via an AutoPlay Data API.

Anytime, Anywhere
​​The HouGarden Motors platform has been designed to work optimally on both desktop and mobile, while smart new iOS and Android apps meet the demand of today’s on-the-go users. 

Elite Customer Base
During HouGarden's eight years of running New Zealand’s largest property portal for the Chinese market, HouGarden has dealt with thousands of elite professionals, including real estate agents, lawyers,bankers and developers. These same people are potential clients for your own business.  

Affluent, Highly-Motivated Audience
The New Zealand property market is very attractive to Chinese buyers who have a lot of disposable income. HouGarden Motors enables you to put your listings in front of an audience that’s very motivated to buy.

NZ-Based Support Team
The HouGarden team combines our Chinese backgrounds with local knowledge to develop online products for a New Zealand-based Chinese-speaking market. Their head office is located in Central Auckland.

How Do I Get Started?
Keen to improve your marketing results bylisting your vehicles on HouGarden Motors for FREE*? 
Visit https://nz.hougarden.com/motors 
Contact the HouGarden team on +64 9 377 5666 
or support@hougarden.com for  more information.
 
You can start to take the above benefits with HouGarden Motors by just signing a form (Dealership Data API Access Authorization) and send back to our email support@hougarden.com

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!

Once you have signed up to list on The Dealership Network they will contact AutoPlay to enable access to your listings.  The Dealership Network (TDN) have hooked up to AutoPlay’s listing API so the moment you load a listing, it will be live on www.thedealershipnetwork.co.nz – with no need to manually select listings for export.

The Dealership Network introduces a completely new concept to help users find their next vehicle. With their Feature Finder they provide an alternative to the standard make, model, year search criteria, allowing their users to search by, feature, function, technology and other criteria to find all the makes and models from around the country that suit what they want from their next vehicle all from one simple search enquiry.
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The Dealership Network is proud to only work with dealership listings, to give their users the trust and confidence when looking at any listing on their website. By integrating with AutoPlay they enable their users to "Book a test drive" or "Request a call back" that feeds straight into your lead API, connecting their users with your dealership and stock. The Feature finder search function incorporates the needs based selling approach onto an online platform. Allowing users to search from a combination of requirements and being able to recommend the specific makes and models that suit their needs. The refinement feature then makes it even easier to narrow these results for the user to find exactly what they are looking for

Last week we launched a refresh of the AutoPlay website.  The new site does a better job of showcasing the full range of products and features that AutoPlay can offer.  In addition there are now separate versions of the site for New Zealand and Australia that include customised content for each country, that more closely reflects our product offerings in each respective market.

Feel free to take a look via the links below.  We'd love to hear your feedback.

For New Zealand customers - https://www.autoplay.co.nz/ 
For Australian customers - https://www.autoplay.com.au/​

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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In last month’s PlayBook we let you know that the 10th December was the cut off for website change requests and Christmas emails.  As we are super organised we have these under control so it’s not too late to request a website change or Christmas email – but you need to do it NOW!!                           

If you need to change your website hours on an AutoPlay run website to reflect opening times over the Christmas & New Year period please make sure you submit a Support request now as there will not be ANY web development resources available at all from December 24th to January 11th.

Additionally our schedule is fully booked up in the lead up to Christmas when it comes to eDM requests.  If you have left this to the last minute submit the request we cannot guarantee we will get it done in time, but submit it to support@autoplay.co.nz and we’ll do our best.

We’d like to wish all our customers a Merry Xmas and a safe and happy new year.  We look forward to working with you all in 2016.