AM Awards 2016 citation - Best Dealer Website

Arnold Clark’s efforts to future-proof its online presence with a new website offering “original and high-quality content” alongside practical tools won the judges’ vote.

The group analysed its old website and identified issues with its functionality on smartphones and tablets. This was potentially a huge problem given that about 60% of its website traffic came from such devices.

A group spokesman said: “Our vision was to create an experience never seen before in the automotive industry, and to be the go-to place for users of these devices.”

High-quality images and videos now appear alongside content produced by an in-house newsroom, while the ability to search used cars, buy insurance, book appointments and access live chat functions are all easily accessed and fully optimised for a new generation of devices.

Website development is carried out by an in-house team, with sections of Arnold Clark’s 150-strong marketing department taking responsibility for their own element of the site.

Attracting more than 16.5 million visits during the past year (up 7.5% year on year), more than 7.6m unique visits (+10.7%) and more than 141m page views (+10%), the new website is credited with delivering 20,000 leads a month, with live chat accounting for 19.8% of website enquiries.

The judges said: “The winner by a country mile. Arnold Clark’s website is quick to load, customer-centric, easy to use and has lots of functionality. This company genuinely believes in digital.”