Today, the car dealer wholesale industry is built on manual processes which are often tedious and lack efficiency. Two years ago CarZapp was introduced, a digital transaction platform for motor dealers and the wholesale industry. Through collaboration with the dealer industry and the knowledge that there was an opportunity to innovate in this space, CarZapp was born. By engaging with users and taking the time to understand them, CarZapp was able to innovate in an industry that had previously been resistant to change.

The process has not been without its challenges. Usually when potential customers hear about CarZapp, they understand the idea and that the industry needs tools like this to progress. But often they’re fearful of taking the first step in beginning to automate their processes and this has been a significant challenge that CarZapp has faced. The user can see and understand the value in the app but is often fearful of trying something new. CarZapp understood this fear and used it to learn about the user and then tailor the service to meet these needs.

At the centre of the dealer and wholesale industries is relationships and communication, which are the key reasons uptake of automated systems in this area has been slow until now. With the user at the forefront, CarZapp utilises these relationships and encourages communication whilst also increasing the efficiency of manual processes. Another insight that CarZapp gained from users was that a digital platform presented an opportunity for them to easily engage with dealers across the country. The app has tapped into this and can now facilitate buying and selling of cars between users in different states.

The insights CarZapp has gained from engaging with its users will be the key to their success. At the centre of the app’s value proposition is that it connects the user more easily to their customer – this has extended to the way the app has been built and at all stages of the business the user has been at the forefront of all its processes. Andrew Tyson, CarZapp’s General Manager, is aware of the need to satisfy customers. In discussion of hiring he says, “I’m not employing sales people I’m employing customer experience people” and the results of this are evident in the success strategy of CarZapp.

Pickles Ventures was integral in the scaling of CarZapp and its ability to overcome industry challenges. As Andrew puts it, Ventures being a shareholder means that they have further industry expertise, comfort in knowing they have access to a wealth of resources and access to a highly qualified network. “We have a venture partner that could plug us in to 90% of key stakeholders in the industry,” says Andrew.

Ultimately what the CarZapp team has learned is that it’s key for businesses to connect with their users on an individual level and will continue to implement this as the business grows and the innovation process continues.