Carparison trials the choice of female only automotive advice

IN WHAT sounds like a terrific step, Exeter leasing broker Carparison is offering customers the opportunity to speak with a female employee, whether that’s in enquiries or sales.

Carparison says it’s to make customers feel more comfortable, especially in the light of surveys which reveal that 70 per cent of buyers have never bought a car from a female sales executive and its own data where on 22 per cent of leasing finance deals are signed by women.

Past surveys and our own research has shown us that very few people have bought cars from women. We want to help change this pattern in the automotive industry.

Charlotte Channing-Jones, head of sales, Carparison Leasing Tweet

Charlotte added that more than 40 per cent of Carparison’s staff were female, saying that “The truth is, it may be that a customer would feel more comfortable speaking to a female about their automotive requirements and we’re fortunate to be able to facilitate that.”

Carparison is piloting the inclusion of a question in its online enquiry forms, asking if the customer would prefer to speak to a female member of the team. This has been live since the start of April 2023.

We started to wonder why women weren’t talking to us. There’s an industry stereotype that people working in the automotive industry are only interested in getting the deal over the line, rather than listening to what customers want. This can put people off and, considering the research we’ve seen, I think it’s important people have the option of speaking to a female about their vehicle requirements.

Beth Twigg, content marketing executive, Carparison Leasing Tweet