Case study: Taking MG sales in the UK to the next level

Andrew Smith
May 12, 2023
3 min read

Background

MG is a car marque on the rise. As one of the fastest-growing car brands in the UK, more and more ambitious sales targets are being set to capitalise on the company’s increasing popularity with British buyers.

In early 2022, Geraint Isaac, Head of Fleet Sales for MG Motor UK Ltd, got in touch to find out if we could provide the right solution to further increase MG’s presence in the UK market. He wanted a sophisticated online car sales platform that would target select audiences, such as workers from the NHS, local government and the armed forces.

A basic scheme had been trialled in the past, but this was low-level and had little to no management. As a result, traction had been minimal. MG also had no control over who was accessing the platform, which meant that the right customers were not necessarily being accepted into the scheme.

Going forward, MG wanted a fully managed solution. It sought a bespoke Affinity scheme sales platform that would provide control over pricing, sales and authorisation. This scheme would need to establish itself quickly and provide 10% of MG’s UK sales by the end of the year.

The challenge

MG Motors UK had no systems in place to show their savings, or for dealerships to pick up leads from the brand. We would therefore need to build the platform from scratch, developing the back-end software and CRM (customer relationship management) system, before taking full control of its sales monitoring and support services.

A policing and authorisation system would also need to be put in place to ensure that the eligibility of customers was being monitored before the sale was complete.

With the new financial year about to start, a short turnaround was essential too. We had just 6 weeks to get the platform up and running so that Affinity scheme sales could begin.

The solution

We began by building a VPS Affinity platform from the ground up to suit MG’s ambitions. Using the basic chassis of our other Affinity platforms, we began tailoring the software to meet the marque’s specific needs.

A lack of management had proved to be a big stumbling block in the past, so we created a fully trackable system that allowed for real-time sales monitoring. This is crucial as it opens the opportunity for last-minute price adjustments and the capping of sales.

Authorisation systems were also created so that dealerships could send proof of customer eligibility and have them checked off by our team, enabling the sale to be authorised and processed.

We met the tight timeline and the platform went live on 11 March 2022. Our experienced customer service teams were then put to work managing the day-to-day running of the scheme, authorising sales and providing assistance to customers.

This has given MG vital support with its sales pipeline, from the beginning of the sales journey through to completion.

The results

The scheme was up and running within the tight timescale and, over the first year, allowed MG to manage its sales pipeline, controlling the flow of new Affinity orders and ensuring only qualifying customers enjoy their Affinity benefits.

In the year that the scheme has been running, sales have been strong, meeting the ambitious targets set by MG Motors UK.

As a result, MG has been very positive about VPS Affinity.

“It’s been a great success and has made a big difference to our sales and our exposure in the UK market,” said Geraint Isaac. “It is fantastic to have a well-managed scheme, and it’s really coming into its own as customers look for more opportunities to save money. It’s great to be able to give targeted audiences the chance to access exclusive savings on a new MG through the scheme.”