Driving the dealer marketplace

With a family connection to dealerships that goes back generations and a love for cars that courses through his veins, Saxon Odgers was destined to make his mark within the automotive industry. Now, as the Head of Dealer Marketplace for Gumtree CarsGuide Autotrader, Saxon sat down with CarsGuide Deputy Editor James Cleary, to discuss his vast experience, strategic goals, and how he lets off steam.

JC: Welcome Saxon. Give us some detail on your background. I believe working with cars is no coincidence? SO: No, no coincidence. The automotive industry goes deep within my family, which has owned and operated various brands and dealerships in Australia for 102 years. Coming out of school, and having a passion for cars growing up, it made sense for me to go into the industry. I spent my childhood days around Rockdale Nissan, which was a dealership my family owned. I fell in love with cars and the industry. Then, when I completed Year 12, I got an opportunity to run the online department for one of Australia’s largest Toyota dealerships, Sydney City Toyota and Lexus in Waterloo, where I gained a lot of experience. I was working pretty hard; an eleven-day fortnight 8 am to 6:30 pm, which built the foundations of a good work ethic. It also enabled me to learn the ins and outs of the dealership from a marketing, operational, and sales perspective, and that gave me the passion and experience to continue with a career in the industry. I was there at the cusp of digital adoption and online integration within car dealerships. Using computers, handling online inquiries, and having a digital presence was all quite new back in 2009.

Having this experience furthered my interest in the digital and online components of car sales. I earned an opportunity to join Carsales at a young age, where I spent nine years in various roles, from account management, sales management, Head of Sales for NSW and ACT, as well as media implementation and management within the business. This all led me to take up this opportunity at Gumtree CarsGuide Autotrader. JC: What attracted you to Gumtree Cars Guide Autotrader? SO: The three verticals - CarsGuide, Gumtree Cars, and Autotrader - coming together to form one offering for our dealership partners; there’s a lot of power in that, and it led me to making the jump. I haven’t looked back since. Autotrader Group provides the Australian car dealer network with a unique advertising platform, where they can generate exposure for their inventory, as well as market their dealerships to consumers throughout all stages of the digital journey. There is an opportunity for a stronger competitor in the market. The three brands align to form one offering which ties in all audiences from editorial, dealer and private inventory, and dealership branding, and is a force to be reckoned with. I was aligned to Autotrader Group’s business goals, Motors growth strategy, and key objectives. From a sales strategy, dealer relationship, and automotive marketing perspective, my experience was a natural fit for Autotrader Group. JC: As you mentioned, you’re Head of Dealer Marketplace. What’s your primary focus day-to-day? SO: My focus is to ensure my team is supported, to ensure our strategy is strong, and that our go-to-market collateral is in line with our customers’ expectations. But, most importantly, to make sure our dealers feel supported, engaged and are getting a return on their investment . It is imperative that we drive consistency when it comes to visitation and articulating our value, while also providing exceptional customer service from our team, whether that be over the phone or in person. I also strive to maintain the core elements of my experience and get out to visit as many customers as possible, whether they’re here in New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria,

South Australia, Queensland, or down in Tassie. It’s important that I’m visible nationally. We are currently in the final stages of migrating existing customers onto the Autotrader Group platform, which is continuing to build momentum. We hope to have this completed by the end of the year. JC: You touched on the regional teams. How does that work for Autotrader Group clients? SO: We have personnel represented in each market across Australia. They have clear objectives and responsibilities on ensuring the serviceability of our customers. We just hit a 12-month milestone since the launch of Autotrader Group, which is fantastic. The combined offering launched in May 2021. Our goal is to ensure our dealers are getting return on their investment. We pride ourselves on driving performance through conversation and reporting. As a collective, we take a partnership approach to our customers and dealers. Having strong relationships is an important part to our strategy, and all our staff have extensive experience within the automotive industry in Australia - there is a genuine love for the industry nationally. Furthermore, we ensure our new customers are receiving a first-class experience. We’ve got a lot of new customers to get on board in the next twelve months and we feel that we will have a strong position in the market to become the number one automotive classified business in Australia.

JC: Further to that, what are your strategic goals? Is there anything you can share on future products or initiatives? SO: I won’t give too much away, but our strategic objectives, from a sales and operation perspective, as I mentioned, is to become the number one automotive classified player in Australia.

Having CarsGuide, Autotrader, and Gumtree at our disposal creates a powerful offering. We are looking at areas where we can further develop that, and it comes down to value alignment in terms of product, and getting consumers in touch with dealers.

We’re looking to innovate in various areas. Dealer finance is something we are looking into, as well as how we can provide dealers with stock, and how we can provide them with a competitive edge in the marketplace. JC: What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities in automotive retail and for dealers over the next decade?

SO: The automotive industry in Australia is volatile. It’s constantly evolving, it’s constantly changing. We have to pivot and ensure that we are keeping up with the latest trends.

As far as challenges and opportunities are concerned, the OEMs are starting to adopt the agency model, which is certainly a challenge for the industry, dealers, and advertising alike. It will have an impact on how dealers operate, and for Autotrader Group, used cars will become an even more important part to our strategy on supporting dealers. New car sales and the marketing strategy behind it will be more controlled by the OEMs as they strive for a more consistent approach to their dealership network to ensure the brand and pricing is protected. The market and dealership operating changes present dealers with an opportunity to control their destiny from a profitability, inventory, and market share perspective. Buy online and Digital retailing initiatives are making a lot of noise in the Australian market and it’s something Autotrader Group will evolve and adapt to, within the next three to five years. EV model availability and adoption is another area of change. Electric vehicles are seeing a 200 percent growth in Australia, and it’s something we, as a business, have to ensure we stay close to.

With challenge comes opportunity, and as long as we adapt and adopt these new initiatives, while also building our business around supporting dealerships with the changes in the market we will remain a strong advertising proposition for dealers and a competitive alternative. JC: Enough about the marketplace. Tell us about some of the cars that have found a place in your driveway. SO: My first car wasn’t that desirable. It was a Nissan Pulsar, which was a trade-in at the dealership. It was just given to me and I was always taught that I had to earn a nice car. Over the years I saved hard and bought my first - what I thought was a nice car - a Lexus IS300.

It was a great little car that I owned for a few years and it led me to purchase one of my dream cars, a BMW M340i, which I absolutely love. It’s black with black rims, so you won’t miss it on the road, but I’m very chuffed every morning I jump in it, to head into the office.

JC: What about downtime away from work, with family and friends? Do you have time for hobbies? SO: The gym, boxing, and spending time with my partner and dog. I love eating out in nice restaurants and heading to a bar or nightclub every now and then. I am also a big fan of UFC which I enjoy watching on a Sunday. My family also has a holiday house on the New South Wales south coast at Mollymook Beach, where I head every couple of months for a weekend, to switch off and enjoy the beach and surf. JC: How about hidden talents people may not be expecting? SO: Not sure if it’s a hidden talent, but I’ve never shied away from an opportunity to talk in front of a crowd. Public speaking at weddings, birthdays, conferences, etc. I love the opportunity to speak.