A Dorset car trader which admits to being “quite a traditional company” has driven off with a top national digital award.

Norman Motors, which has showrooms in Bournemouth and Poole, won the Digital Excellence Award at the 2019 Auto Trader Retailer Awards.

The category is designed to celebrate the industry’s best digital forecourts.

Now in their 12^th year, the awards recognise the ‘creme de la creme’ in automotive retailing including digital excellence and a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Norman Motors was among 18 winners across seven categories at the awards ceremony, held at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London,

Proprietor David Norman said: “We are quite a traditional company in as much as it is a family business that has been established for more than 65 years.

“The car trade is a changing industry, and today a high percentage of our sales start with online searches. With some of our national customers, the entire transaction takes place online.

“We know it is an integral part to moving our business forward and to win an award for our digital presence against such fierce competition is a real accolade and one we are immensely proud of.”

The winners of the Auto Trader Retailer Awards were subject to a comprehensive judging process by a panel of experts including senior executives from Google, KPMG, and Comparethemarket.com as well as the opinions of thousands of car buyers, an in-depth analysis of millions of data points from across Auto Trader’s market place and the largest mystery shop among auto retailers in the UK.

Darren Moon, Auto Trader UK Group Sales Director, who presented Norman Motors with the award, said: “There’s an incredibly rigorous process that retailers have to go through to even be shortlisted for a Retailer Award, so to have been crowned winner really does demonstrate best-of-the-best in the industry.”