Seeing is believing

Initially, owner-director Patrick Hommel was not convinced by the JP.cars software, as now and again, it delivered insights different from his own. 

“I have quite some experience in this industry, 30 years’ worth, to be exact. As such, I have been asked to contribute to various projects. One of those is the Koerslijst, a tool for calculating a car’s market value – developed by Dutch automobile association ANWB. Besides, I have seen many systems that failed to live up to their promise. But when a colleague recommended JP.cars, I became curious. How do they leverage their data differently?” says Patrick.

He decided to give it a shot and invest his time into the software. Patrick: “As I was using JP.cars’ software more intensively and analyzing its data in greater detail, I started to understand its value. JP.cars’ approach does not only focus on price. It also takes marketability and other market factors into account. This delivered relevant insights that turned out to be crucial for fine-tuning our purchase and sales strategies.”

 

JP.cars won the vote of confidence

The data from JP.cars is more than just interesting. Auto Hommel has benefited from it already.

“The software gives us more detailed insight into the market value and marketability of vehicles,” according to Patrick. “This allows us to align our purchase and sales strategies, and work more efficiently.”

Patrick shares an example to explain: “Before we used JP.cars, our valuations were less consistent. Every sales person had their own interpretation. Now that we have JP.cars’ data, we do not just accept any car with a low ETR. Of course, we still take cars with a lower ETR, but we will make sure the margin is higher.”

 

Positive results show potential for continued partnership

Auto Hommel not only uses JP.cars’ software for valuating cars, but also for stock management. Patrick explains: 

“Our stock consists of some 130 to 140 vehicles. I’d like to reduce that by 20 to 30 cars and see whether I can sell the same number of cars as we did last year, but at a faster turnover rate. This would tie up less money in our stock.”

Looking ahead, Patrick believes the partnership with JP.cars offers a lot of potential. “After working around three months with the software, the results are clear. Our turnover rate has improved and I expect this to improve even more. I place enough trust in the software for me to build my business on it.

Car wholesaler expands offering with comprehensive service center

 

Axero used to focus mainly on car imports and exports for the B2B market. With the changes in the market, the company offers a growing service portfolio to car dealerships.

“The European automotive market is replete with the same models. This has made our core business of moving cars more complex. We have to respond with creativity and distinguish ourselves from other players in the game. The establishment of our service center was one part of our response. Here, car dealerships can use our parking, the 360-degree photo studio, our reconditioning services, the car wash and the battery power charging facility. We also offer de-fleeting. With this service center, car inspections can be performed 100% online, empowering the dealer to sell the car quicker. The other part of our new strategy was to partner with JP.cars to support us in optimizing our profit margins,” said Rudy Jagersma, Managing Director at Axero.

 

Combining data and expertise

According to Rudy, optimizing margins requires combining data and expertise.

“We used to purchase vehicles based on our gut feeling – but that occasionally led to a bad buy. JP.cars now gives us hard data to complement our existing car expertise. With that blend of data and expertise, we can base our decisions on the right input. I’m convinced this allows us to optimize our margins.”

In daily practice, the new strategy not only leads to better decisions, but also to significant time savings. 

“We tend to receive big files with long lists of cars. Our purchasers used to go through them with a comb. Now, we let the JP.cars software deal with that, giving us instant recommendations. It shows us the perfect purchasing price, based on our margin and the sales price. The software from JP.cars does all the hard work.”  

 

Extensive coverage and rapid expansion were decisive

Axero felt the need to add data to expertise, but was also swayed by the extensive coverage and rapid expansion of JP.cars.

“It’s a fast-growing party that capitalizes on its knowledge of data, both in the Netherlands and abroad. This also makes it possible to consider whether we should approach our colleagues in Belgium, should a car possibly sell for a better price there than here in the Netherlands. This is how JP.cars adds genuine value.”

 

Multiple advantages 

JP.cars not only supports Axero in realizing better margins and faster processes, it also provides opportunities for the sales channel. Rudy: “Our purchasers spend their days searching for cars and JP.cars is a great help for them. The software provides insight into the market, highlighting the cars that are in high demand. This empowers us to buy the right vehicles and find potential buyers that match with our supply at the same time.”

 

Great expectations

Rudy is looking forward to JP.cars’ further expansion. He believes that the more JP.cars grows, the better Axero will align with the European market. 

“We aim to develop a long-term relationship and I understand that JP.cars is expanding in various countries. As we trade in Europe as well, this is an important requirement for us. I expect great things from cross-country data comparison. It will really help us in the future.”

Partnership is a win-win

B-Rent director Ferry Rasenburg stumbled upon JP.cars’ software at a remarketing event a few years ago, and was immediately impressed.

“I figured that this was a way to speed up our processes. So, I proposed a cooperation in Belgium, to test the software there. And that’s what we did. By now, we’ve been working together for almost three years,” says Ferry.

It didn’t take long for the partnership to pay off for B-Rent, especially in terms of time savings. “Our usual purchasing practice involves checking various websites to gauge a car’s market performance. What does it do in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France? And can we compare those specs? For example, one car might not have leather upholstery, while another model comes without the panoramic roof. JP.cars helps us save a significant amount of time. If you’re searching for a specific car with the desired options, you can fine-tune your search very well and compare, nationally and internationally. Once JP.cars rolls out its software in the whole of Europe, the scope of comparison extends further, increasing our time savings even more.”

 

Data as valuable advice

In practice, the software from JP.cars not only helps to save time, it also allows B-Rent to take better-informed decisions when buying and selling in bulk. Ferry:

“When we’re looking to purchase a certain batch, we use JP.cars to verify the turnover rates in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. That information helps us decide whether we should make an offer or not, or maybe lower or raise our offer. This also involves checking the ETR, focusing on the higher ETRs. The margin potential in relation to the market is immediately visible as well. I feel that is something you need to check, but the software still allows us to act fast.”

 

Extra tool in a changing market

JP.cars’ software is another tool in B-Rent’s toolbox – a tool that proves itself very useful in an ever more rapidly changing market.

“We now have all this information at our fingertips, but the software has also expanded our used car supply. A few years ago especially, there was a time with a great shortage of cars and suppliers disappearing. The software helped us find new suppliers. But personal contact with our existing relations remains of vital importance. The software is one tool in our toolbox, be it an important one – especially for monitoring prices. The market changes faster and faster, prices go up and down very rapidly. The current market is very volatile.”

 

Continued European rollout offers good prospects for the future

Given B-Rent’s activities in the whole of Europe, Ferry eagerly anticipates the full European rollout. “Once the software expands its scope, we can oversee more markets, with our scale of comparison increasing. That is definitely an interesting development, and we’ll be following the price and quality of the service provision with intent.”