NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -

Wheel’s Automotive Dealer Supplies is set to unveil a line of CPO-specific visual marketing solutions during Used Car Week in November.

Wheel’s president Richard Ashworth and other members of the Wheel’s team will discuss certified pre-owned merchandising, marketing strategies and product solutions in Booth 210 during the conference, which is set for Nov. 14-18 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas.

“CPO inventory is not used cars,” Ashworth said, “so dealers who use the right visual cues, attention-getters and marketing products create a crucial and vital distinction in buyers’ minds. Active CPO merchandising is much more than lipstick.” 

Wheel’s CPO-centric merchandising solutions can deliver OEM-quality presentations of CPO inventory that can give it the new-car/high-value perception dealers want to convey to their markets.

“To be successful in this evolving CPO market, dealers are encouraged to adopt new tactics on how they merchandise and market today’s certified pre-owned inventory,” Ashworth said.

The tools are designed and printed on demand specifically for OEM and third-party certified vehicle programs. Wheel’s is partnered with 17 OEMs’ CPO programs.

CPO selling dynamics have evolved, said Ed French of AutoProfit Automotive Consulting, which is why custom-designed CPO-related signage and merchandising is key.

“It used to be any-old CPO sign on a car was enough to get eyeballs on it, but not today. CPO now has to stand on its own, with its unique identity and category between used and new cars, and must be marked and merchandised accordingly,” said the former Buick dealer and current member of the board of directors at TruWorth Auto, a used car superstore in Indianapolis. 

Wheel’s CPO-defined merchandising products visually resemble OEM new-car signage, banners, point-of-sales showroom displays, lot flags and more. By duplicating this look to CPO inventory, dealers help customers connect with CPOs’ unique quality and value.

Several OEMs require that their dealers use branded CPO-differentiated signage, point-of-sale displays, banners and windshield stickers. Their contracts with Wheel’s enable dealers of these OEMs to order CPO merchandising materials directly.

“Given the unique status that CPO vehicles fall under today — thanks to a great extent to OEM advertising — signage and point-of-sale materials for these vehicles need to be more polished and restrained,” said Ashworth. “This is the image our unique line of CPO-specific merchandising products conveys.”

For more information on maximizing used vehicle and certified pre-owned profits, check out the CPO Forum during Used Car Week.