BCA has released details of online sales volumes for 2010, which surged past 100,000 units in the UK for the first time on record. In Europe, a further 89,000 units were transacted online by BCA, meaning the company is fast approaching 200,000 annual online sales.

In the UK alone, the company sold 105,863 vehicles via online channels, with the majority selling via Live Online and significant volumes were also recorded on Buy Online and manufacturer online auctions.

Bid Now and Buy Now, which launched in Quarter 4, saw volumes climb sharply with plenty of activity over the Christmas period, as BCA sold cars online during the festivities for the first time. The company offered over 500 cars in the Buy Now online sales format between Christmas Eve and the New Year, with the BCA website attracting up to 2,900 professional trade buyers at peak times. Over 40 major vendors contributed stock for the Christmas period from all market sectors.

In all, BCA transacted well over a quarter of a million pounds worth of business during the period.

BCA’s remarketing director D’Vidis Jacobs commented “Online sales in the remarketing sector gained some real traction in 2010 and have become an integral part of the sales programme for most volume sellers at BCA. The fact that nearly one in every five vehicles sold by BCA last year was purchased, processed and paid for online is significant indeed.”

He added “While Live Online is an established force in the market, we have been pleased with the swift growth of our Bid Now and Buy Now online selling services since they launched in October. In particular, professional buyers appreciated the opportunity to fill gaps on their forecourt that appeared over the festive season with instant online purchasing with BCA. We recorded an average of 2,000 plus professional trade visitors a day to the website during the holiday period which shows there is an appetite for this service. There were even professional buyers browsing on Christmas day itself.”