Making a difference to our industry
As a business we’re committed to supporting our customers and the wider automotive industry; whether that’s developing the next generation of talent, sharing best practice advice with our retailer customers through masterclasses and industry events, providing in-depth insights and data through our webinars and Market Reports, or encouraging our teams and partners to operate in a transparent, progressive and diverse manner.
retailers attended our Masterclass and Discovery programmes
retailers viewed content through our webinars and insight on demand initiatives
Leading change in automotive
As a customer-focused business we are committed to findings ways to improve the process of buying and selling vehicles for consumers and retailers alike. We have changed our sales approach, removing commissions, and our packages; both of which enable us to promote best practice and equip our sales teams to create strong business partnerships with our customers helping add value to their businesses.
We partner with pioneering organisations such as Ennis & Co. and the UK Automotive 30% Club to host events attended by senior executives and change leaders from across the automotive industry. These events provide platforms to share best practice and insights into the cultural and economic benefits of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce, as well as exploring the necessary steps to attract more women into automotive.
Recognising excellence
The Auto Trader Retailer Awards is an annual event which recognises the best performing retailers, which we have been doing for more than 12 years.
In 2020 we hosted our fourth-annual Auto Trader New Car Awards, where we celebrate the very best new cars launched. Unlike other industry car awards which are voted on by panels of experts, we believe the opinions that matter most are those of our consumers. That’s why our winners are decided by feedback from more than 181,000 car owners.
Supporting the technology and digital industries
We continue to support the technology and digital industries with various partnerships and projects. Working closely with Manchester Digital, whose members include progressive businesses, we aim to create the optimum environment for our industry by taking direct action to solve specific issues like talent shortages as well as providing a cohesive voice for the sector.
Our colleague from our product and technology teams host ‘AT Tech Talks’ that are free to everybody who wants to learn about the latest use of technology and network with other professions. We also have a ‘Tech Blog’ series including useful content on anything from product design to automation, in order to support the development of people in other businesses.
Developing talent
One of the most critical challenges for both the technology and automotive industries is ensuring we develop diverse teams of young people with the right skills to lead us into the future.
To encourage the next generation of technology and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) talent, we partner with a wide range of local education organisations from primary schools to universities:
- We work with Manchester Digital on their Apprenticeship Scheme and have welcomed apprentices into the business for the last two years
- We work with local universities and schools to host experience days in our offices, running mock interviews and giving talks to introduce students to careers in digital
- We run ‘Code Clubs’ in local primary schools to teach young children how to code
- We continue to offer a PhD scholarship and two summer project grants for Data Science students from the University of Manchester.
- A number of our colleagues are STEM ambassadors, and lead our involvement with initiatives like the nationwide “People Like Me” campaign to encourage girls into STEM careers
