TransUnion’s Drive to Digitise Auto Industry Gathers Speed
Information and insights provider TransUnion has forged partnerships with two major players in the South African automotive industry as it drives greater digital transformation and data transparency across the industry – and it says there are more to come.
The first key partnership is with Gumtree, the country’s largest online classified market, and will give users buying and selling vehicles on the platform access to TransUnion’s FirstCheck service. FirstCheck protects consumers by giving them the current market value of the vehicle, its full history and legal status, including a link into bank and SA Police Service databases to check if a vehicle is currently being financed, or is flagged as stolen.
The second partnership is with Seriti Solutions, which provides the biggest finance and insurance platform the industry. Seriti is now using TransUnion’s data sets to provide digital onboarding to the automotive industry, including verification of ID, proof of address, and proof of bank accounts, while also becoming reseller and distributor of TransUnion’s core automotive data products.
“What these partnerships have in common is that we’re building digital trust at a time when the entire industry is transforming. We’re making sure that key stakeholders have the data they need to run their businesses, while driving greater accessibility to data to enable consistency and transparency,” said Kriben Reddy, head of auto information solutions at TransUnion Africa.
Nunben Dixon, head of automotive at Gumtree, said the partnership would drive trust and safety, and enhance user experience (UX) on the Gumtree site. “We're extremely excited to partner with TransUnion and FirstCheck in driving digitisation in the industry, particularly around enabling the relationship between the consumer and dealer through the car buying and selling value chain,” he said.
Liezel Strydom, the chief operating officer at Seriti Solutions, said the partnership would foster greater collaboration and innovation, enabling the company to add additional value with a customer-first mindset.
“At our core, we believe all partnerships should be rooted in creating more value for our customers. When a strategic partnership creates a disruption in the market that surprises and delights customers, a smart partnership has been formed,” she said.
TransUnion recently announced that its iconic Auto Dealers’ Guide will only be available digitally in future, with the final printed guides expected to make their appearance in October. The guide will be replaced by the 1Check app for the vehicle trade, with consumers having access to the information they need about vehicles they are planning to buy or sell via the FirstCheck service.
The 1Check app, which has become the de facto source of information in the South African dealer automotive environment, provides an actionable, verified and robust view of current vehicle and customer data in real time, and ensures a level playing field to all stakeholders, including dealers, banks, insurers and consumers. All services available through the 1Check app are now available through Seriti.
To access the 1Check app, contact the TransUnion Auto Solutions Call Centre on 0861 504 504 or speak to a TransUnion representative.