ATLANTA – Manheim has rolled out a new suite of online enhancements designed to make the online buying and selling experience even faster, easier and more efficient for time-constrained customers.

“Helping dealers and consignors achieve the best possible bottom line is always top of mind at Manheim,” said Joe George, group vice president, Manheim Online Solutions. “That means providing them with better and faster tools and services throughout the vehicle remarketing cycle.”

With 35-percent more inventory-hungry buyers and a record number of sellers choosing to remarket vehicles on Manheim.com and OVE.com during 2009, online wholesaling continues to grow at a rapid pace. It now accounts for close to 20 percent of all the vehicles sold by Manheim. More dealers than ever are also opting for the convenience of conducting business online, including managing functions like online payments through Manheim’s My Account feature. For 2009, My Account usage grew by 33 percent over 2008.

As a result, Manheim has added the following enhancements to help both first-time and seasoned customers search, buy and sell with confidence:

1. A short-cut for buyers who transact for more than one dealership. Customers who transact business for multiple dealerships now enjoy a seamless online experience without separate log-ins or multiple passwords for all of Manheim’s online tools and applications. A single step delivers fast access to their channel of choice.
   

   
   

2. An easier avenue to locating the right vehicles at the right price. Customer feedback has fueled Search function improvements on OVE.com that make it easier for customers to connect with vehicles that are priced right and feature complete condition information.
   

   
   

3. A faster trip into history. Dealers now have the choice of CARFAX Auction Quick Checks and Vehicle History reports across the entire Manheim marketplace. Whether it’s a fast snapshot of previous owners and damage or an in-depth insight into a vehicle’s past, it’s available now.
   

   
   

4. An easier way to view, share and print vehicle information for retail customers. Now it’s even easier for dealers to power up their close ratios by getting desirable vehicle listings in front of customers in an instant with OVE.com’s Retail View tool. The print and e-mail function of Retail View has been tweaked, making it even easier to use OVE.com to close a deal with retail customers by showing only the information they want and need.
   

   
   

5. A performance bonus for buyers and sellers. There’s no stronger symbol of trust than an unsolicited, unbiased customer recommendation. That’s the foundation for Seller Ratings, a customer feedback system that awards 1 to 5 stars to sellers for successful OVE.com transactions that live up to buyer expectations, including accurate descriptions of a vehicle’s condition.

   
   

As the Manheim Used Vehicle Index rose 5.1 percent in 2009 – the biggest increase in the Index’s 15-year history – efficient inventory management became more critical than ever. More customers added online transactions to their remarketing strategy and at the end of 2009, Manheim.com averaged 900,000 visits per week. The average monthly volume was up 52 percent on OVE.com, while Manheim Simulcast transaction volume increased 17 percent over 2008.

“We’re never more excited than at the prospect of continually raising the bar on the Manheim customer experience,” said George. “With an industry-first line-up of new products and services ready for roll-out in the coming months, we look forward to bringing an entirely new set of milestones in 2010.”