NORFOLK, Va., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Equipment Trader, the leading online marketplace connecting buyers, sellers and renters of heavy equipment in the construction, farming, lifting and trailer industries, today announced the addition of an SMS text messaging feature enabling buyers to initiate text conversations about vehicles of interest directly from the relevant listing. The new option increases sales opportunities for dealers who advertise inventory on this marketplace by providing an important new channel for communicating with customers.

“81% of adults use text messaging, 98% of texts are read within four to six minutes of delivery, and 97% are opened compared to just 22% of emails. That makes texting a powerful sales tool that most marketplaces in our space don’t offer,” said Amanda Ayala, Vice President, Commercial Brands, for Trader Interactive. “It’s a way for dealers to expand their reach without expanding their sales team, capture customers who might not bother to contact them any other way, and keep an open line of communication that can help close sales.”

When a potential buyer texts a dealer from a special button on an Equipment Trader listing, that message now displays in real time within the Dealer Center, the dealer-facing backend application. The service automatically responds to the consumer’s inquiry with the appropriate vehicle link to maintain customer interest until the dealer is able to answer, and returns all dealer responses in seconds to keep communication flowing.

Buyers can also click on any listing to instantly connect with dealers by phone, email or chat as well as access dealership location maps, creating multiple points of contact to help move users through the sales funnel.

The Dealer Center tracks each connection while also providing an extensive suite of reporting tools to help dealerships optimize their sales strategy. Those tools range from detailed search metrics on the dealer’s inventory to comparative market data such as rankings of the top-performing vehicles in local and national markets, the number of listings currently available for each model, and other filters for more complex competitive market analyses.

The new text messaging feature is available to dealers as an optional listing add-on at no additional cost. It is part of a series of enhancements for both dealers and consumers that will be introduced across the Trader Interactive portfolio over the next year.

About Equipment Trader
Equipment Trader is the industry leader serving sellers of construction, earthmoving, agricultural, lifting, forestry, mining, and industrial equipment and trailers. With over 800,000 monthly unique visitors, the main purpose is to bring equipment buyers and sellers together. Additionally, Equipment Trader is committed to providing innovative products to ensure that manufacturers and dealers generate connections, drive sales, and maximize profits. For more information, visit www.EquipmentTrader.com.

About Trader Interactive
Trader Interactive connects buyers and sellers in the powersports, recreational vehicle, aircraft, commercial truck, and equipment industries through a broad portfolio of marketplaces that reach 9 million unique monthly visitors. Leveraging artificial intelligence on an innovative cloud platform, the company’s innovative digital solutions improve the lifestyles and livelihoods of consumers, customers and employees around the world by intuitively and seamlessly connecting people to vehicles for work and play. Trader Interactive powers lifestyle vehicle marketplaces Cycle Trader, RV Trader, ATV Trader, PWC Trader, Snowmobile Trader and Aero Trader as well as commercial equipment segments Commercial Truck Trader and Equipment Trader. In addition, the company powers thousands of dealership websites through Commercial Web Services and RV Web Services, and offers unique data insights and technology that assist dealers in more effectively running and marketing their dealerships as well as better serving their customers.  The company has more than 350 employees and is based in Norfolk, VA. For more information, visit www.traderinteractive.com.

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SOURCE Equipment Trader