The problem
A buyer two hours away says they'll come on Saturday, so you turn other callers away. Then they don't turn up, and the car has sat for a week. If that happens twice a month and a week costs an assumed $140£105€125A$202C$197 per car ($20£15€18A$29C$28 a day in stocking finance and depreciation), that's $279£210€250A$403C$395 a month, plus the sale lost when the other buyers moved on.
What the AI does
MotorDesk's sales tools list online payments and vehicle reservations, with card payments through Stripe, Acquired.com or takepayments and bank transfers through Crezco's open banking, which MotorDesk says is free. Set a reservation fee and the terms: how long the car is held and when the fee is refunded. The buyer pays online, the car shows as reserved and staff stop offering it. Online checkout and the deal builder aren't on the Starter plan, so this example uses Growth.
A worked example
A 25-car dealer near Exeter sells many cars to buyers from Cornwall and Somerset. They set a $266£200€238A$384C$376 reservation fee, held for 7 days and refundable if the car isn't as described, taken online on MotorDesk Growth.
Before
2 no-show buyers a month on held cars, each car held back a week: about $279£210€250A$403C$395 a month
After
Buyers who've paid to reserve turn up; no-shows drop to about 1 every 2 months
What it's worth
About $213£160€190A$307C$301 a month, if no-shows fall from 2 a month to about 1 every 2 months (an assumption): 1.5 fewer cars held back a week at an assumed $140£105€125A$202C$197 a week each. That roughly pays for MotorDesk Growth at $198£149€177A$286C$280 a month plus VAT on its own, and the same plan runs the dealer's stock, website and invoicing. Card fees are extra; MotorDesk asks dealers to contact it for rates.
How to set it up
- Decide your reservation fee, how long you hold the car and when you refund it, and write it in plain words.
- Connect a card provider (Stripe, Acquired.com or takepayments) or Crezco for bank payments in MotorDesk.
- Turn on online reservations and put your reservation terms on the checkout and in the confirmation email.
- Make a test reservation and check the car shows as reserved on your website and to your staff, then update any other site where it's advertised.
- Refund promptly whenever your terms say so, and note the reason.
What goes wrong
- A buyer who reserves or buys at a distance usually has cancellation rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, and you must tell them. Get your terms checked before you take money online.
- A fee that is never refundable, even when the car turns out not as described, is likely to be unfair to a consumer. Keep the terms fair and clear.
- The $140£105€125A$202C$197 a week holding cost is an assumption; work out your own from your stocking plan and how fast your cars lose value.