A new range of four short animated videos about add-on products has been created by iVendi in an effort to support car dealers' online sales efforts.

The two-minute videos cover warranties, GAP, paint protection and tyre and alloy wheel cover.

iVendi’s chief operation officer, Richard Tavernor, said: “We have found that online videos of this kind are very effective at increasing sales penetration of products.

"In the past, we have used them to explain a range of finance options to online customers, and these have been watched hundreds of thousands of times.

“The new, add-on product videos will fulfil a similar role, providing customers who are interested in a warranty or GAP insurance with a fun but useful product description that lets them know what they will be buying.

"We expect them to have a very definite impact on sales penetration.”

iVendi had recently been spending a lot of time working on the best ways to integrate add-on products into the development of online motor retail.

“These products are often important sources of profit for dealers and other retailers, and can provide valuable protection for customers but are often easy to ignore if they are simply presented as a single page of options online,” said Tavernor.

“Major dealer groups - who in many ways are leading the way when it comes to online processes - are especially concerned about possible reduced add-on sales.

"Upselling of warranties, for example, is difficult for them to achieve when a deal has already effectively been concluded online.

“We have been working on a number of strategies and new tools to help retain – and even increase – penetration of add-on sales online.

"The videos are the first visible result of this but we will be making more announcements later this year.”