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Vanarama, an online vehicle leasing retailer, has been named as “the first major leasing company to implement Ebbon-Dacs’ newly-released Stockviewer platform.”

The platform will enable Vanarama to better manage its stock vehicles, special offers and sales campaigns by providing a web-based platform to upload, manage and sell large numbers of stock and campaign vehicles.

Market analysis from Ebbon-Dacs has suggested that many stock and tactical sales campaigns are managed through outdated methods such as spreadsheets, removing the possibility for a real-time view of vehicle stocks available to the sales channels responsible for selling them.

Therefore, Ebbon-Dacs formed the Stockviewer platform during the initial lockdown of 2020 with the aim of providing real-time visibility of the status of all stock held.

With this particular implementation, Vanarama currently leases around 51,000 vehicles to more than 40,000 customers across the UK, resulting in the need to identify a more efficient and automated alternative. The company’s e-commerce platform enables customers to lease their vehicle online and access a range of insurance options.

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Jo Elms (pictured above), chief commercial officer of Vanarama, was tasked with selecting and implementing the Stockviewer solution. She said: “We feel Stockviewer is the perfect platform for us to create and manage our own special campaigns. Its real time capability increases efficiencies and automates all of our internal process, which is just what we wanted.”

Whilst Stockviewer can work independently, it was designed to integrate with Ebbon-Dacs’ e-procurement platform, Leaselink, which Vanarama also uses. Combining the two platforms provides users with the ability to have all vehicle orders in a single place, avoiding the need for duplication.

Michael Terry (pictured at the top), head of commercial for Ebbon-Dacs, added: “Vanarama played a big part in helping us develop the product and we believe the new platform will now pave the way for other lease companies and vehicle manufacturers to become involved in its use and development.”

Leaselink deployed for EVs

Alongside the news of Vanarama’s implementation of the Stockviewer platform, independent Swedish EV manufacturer, Polestar, has signed a three-year deal with Ebbon-Dacs to deploy its Leaselink platform.

Under the arrangement, leasing companies will use a new order in/order out module within Leaselink to send orders directly to Polestar for fulfilment.

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Justine Hawkins, chief commercial officer of Ebbon-Dacs, said: “The partnership with Polestar has revolutionised the way Leaselink can be utilised by manufacturers or retailers. The order in/order out module processes order data from the manufacturer or retailer to update key vehicle data, delivery dates and status directly into the leasing company’s back office.

“This provides our leasing community with accurate, real time updates and information which eradicates errors and improves order communications for end user customers.”

Initially, this is expected to ease the processing new car orders for a “major international leasing company” in the UK. A similar pilot scheme is running in the Netherlands. The solution will then be rolled out to leasing companies in both countries who are users of the Leaselink platform.

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Kay Saunders, head of fleet operations, who is responsible for the project for Polestar, said: “Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in electric cars has accelerated. While there has been a slowdown in retail orders due to various lockdowns, fleet has been different as it has given companies time to re-evaluate their fleet policies and introduce a wider range of electric vehicles for drivers to choose from. So, the timing of this new partnership with Ebbon-Dacs and Leaselink is ideal for us.”