Messaging is an integral part of your omnichannel strategy. In our latest webinar, Podium presents five things you can do to improve your dealership messaging process.

LOS ANGELES (March 7, 2019) – RelayCars, the virtual reality automotive experience that puts consumers in the driver’s seat of thousands of vehicles, today announced the expansion of their VR suite of applications with the launch of the new RelayCars, now in roomscale. Roomscale allows users to move freely and naturally around the virtual showroom while customizing car options and researching their next car.

Furthering the future of vehicle research and shopping, this technology gives consumers a more efficient way to shop for cars that may not physically be on the dealer lot or even browse from the comfort of their homes. Dealers will now have the ability to instantaneously showcase a wider range of vehicles and help consumers to make informed purchasing decisions through the realistic environment. RelayCars in roomscale is available via digital distribution platform, Steam®.  

While wearing a headset, car shoppers and dealers are able to select vehicles from the expanding model selection and place them in one of three designated spaces on the showroom floor. Users can interact with the environment and the showcased vehicle models to view them from any angle, change the vehicle color, enter the interior, step back to check out the vehicle in full, or walk right up to the vehicle for a more in depth look at the design and detail.

“This is the first time we are offering our users the opportunity to walk around their customized virtual showroom to observe, compare and interact with the vehicles on another level,” stated Gina Callari, RelayCars COO,  “The technologies enabling virtual reality are evolving at such a pace that being able to provide more interactive and realistic experiences for our customers is of the utmost importance to us at RelayCars.”

RelayCars in roomscale is available on Steam supported VR headsets including Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift.

About RelayCars®

Featuring the most expansive and high-quality VR automotive library on the market, RelayCars is a virtual reality suite of apps that allow both enterprise and general consumer users to explore the interior and exterior of thousands of different vehicles via smart phone, tablet, web or VR headset. The app is available for free on iOS, Android, Oculus Go, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR and Microsoft MR. RelayCars is the sister-company of EVOX Images, a company best known for providing rapid, large-scale global image creation solutions on demand with a focus on automotive VR and 360 images.  The application is available for free now on iOS, Android, Oculus Go, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, Microsoft VR and Magic Leap. For more information on RelayCars, please visit www.relaycars.com or follow RelayCars on Instagram, Facebook orLinkedIn.

The new partnership will allow for enhanced communication between the two automotive

solutions, giving mutual clients heightened lead management capabilities.

 Dallas, Texas, and Mission, Kansas – March 7, 2019 - Car Wars and VinSolutions have announced an improved integration that brings enhanced lead management capabilities to dealers utilizing both VinSolutions Connect CRM and Car Wars. With the improved integration, the Car Wars dealership call tracking software automatically attaches a recording of every outbound sales call to an existing customer record in Connect CRM.

In addition to attaching call recordings to Connect CRM customer records, the Car Wars tool also generates and attaches written call recaps, which streamlines workflow and allows dealership staff to personalize customer interactions without listening to every call.

This automation provides lead management capabilities in VinSolutions’ platform and streamlines productivity for BDC agents, salespeople and management teams.

“Dealers today understand how critical it is to connect with customers in a personalized, relevant way. This integration enhances Connect CRM users’ ability to provide the personalized car-shopping experience their customers want,” said Lori Wittman, general manager of VinSolutions and senior vice president of Dealer Software Solutions at Cox Automotive. “This collaboration between Car Wars and VinSolutions will help dealers achieve their dual goals of better connecting with customers and improving efficiency and productivity.”

The new integration also enables pre-authenticated, direct access to Car Wars reporting and insights through Connect CRM, which is the main day-to-day activity hub for many dealership staff.

Tracking every outbound call between the systems will be easier than ever with a streamlined click-to-call workflow, which allows sales agents to work out of customer records in Connect CRM with a holistic view of each customer’s interactions and call history. This complete understanding of a customer’s interactions with a dealership enables salespeople to heighten the customer’s experience.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Cassie Broemmer, Partner and Executive Vice President of Business Development at Car Wars. “We’re excited to begin rolling out the new integration to our mutual clients. As the phone is the number one conversion channel for dealers, we understand partnership with leading CRM providers like VinSolutions is crucial to success.”

In addition to strengthening the integration between the two platforms, VinSolutions will also be implementing Car Wars’ new comprehensive communication dashboard, Call Box, at its Contact Center. The new system will allow users to click directly into a customer record in VinSolutions Connect CRM while on a live call, as well as utilize click to call. Call Box allows unprecedented real-time insight into calls before and as they’re happening, providing the perfect hub for call center activity.

To learn more about VinSolutions’ suite of dealership software solutions, please visit vinsolutions.com. For more information on Car Wars, please click here.

About Car Wars

Car Wars leverages human reviews, artificial intelligence and CRISP metrics to equip Sales and Service departments with everything they need to Own The Phone. By listening to and categorizing every inbound and outbound call at a dealership, Car Wars provides managers with insight into how every call is handled, alerts them when an opportunity needs attention, and actively improves phone performance in both sales and service.

Car Wars uses competition and transparent accountability alongside live call insight to create a high-powered phone culture that helps more callers faster and, ultimately, converts more phone calls into booked appointments.

 About VinSolutions

As the provider of Connect CRM, a leading dealership customer relationship management system, VinSolutions helps more than 5,000 dealers make every connection count. VinSolutions products integrate dealership systems, processes and tools to deliver a single view of the customer across the business – so dealers can focus on building relationships throughout the sales cycle. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Mission, Kansas, VinSolutions fosters dealership success by providing a fully customizable suite of solutions, including equity mining, market pricing and desking tools, combined with the continuous, personal support of a designated Performance Manager. VinSolutions is OEM certified by every major manufacturer and is Autosoft, CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds and Dealertrack DMS certified. VinSolutions is a Cox Automotive™ brand.

Media Contacts:

Lisa Aloisio

VinSolutions

Lisa.aloisio@coxautoinc.com

m. 404-725-0651

Mike Haeg

Car Wars

mike@carwars.com

m. 214-613-1170

Feature Tour™ Enables Auto Dealers to Protect Margins by Showcasing Value-Added Vehicle Features to Online Car Shoppers

SYRACUSE, NY – March 7, 2019 – SpinCar, the global leader in digital automotive merchandising software, announced today the launch of Feature Tour – designed specifically to help auto dealers and OEMs increase gross margins by showcasing the key features and options included on their vehicles. SpinCar’s newest product offering replaces static VDP feature lists with customizable multimedia experiences based on a consumer’s self-identified interests. By highlighting the most relevant features and options of a particular vehicle, dealers are able to help shoppers understand the inherent value of that vehicle. Feature Tour helps consumers make more accurate product comparisons while also providing tangible justification for a dealer’s published price. Feature Tour content is currently available for more than 450 features across 18 OEMs.

Why it Matters: Today’s vehicles are equipped with complex features and capabilities that are difficult to explain. Lengthy lists and descriptions included on traditional VDPs do little to inform and educate online shoppers, especially in a mobile-first world. As a result, many consumers are forced to leave a dealer’s website to conduct additional research. Others disregard features altogether and use price as the primary decision driver when comparing vehicles from various retailers. These factors have contributed to eroding gross margins for dealers. Feature Tour addresses these challenges by bringing curated videos, images and explainer content directly to consumers while they explore the vehicles on a dealer’s website. SpinCar’s proprietary multimedia personalization engine educates consumers by showcasing the unique and valuable features of each vehicle that are most relevant to each individual shopper.

“While OEMs continue to enhance vehicles with a broad assortment of sophisticated, technology-enabled features, dealers are finding it harder and harder to communicate the value of these new capabilities to online car shoppers,” said Devin Daly, SpinCar Co-Founder and CEO. “Feature Tour provides auto retailers with a fundamentally new way to tell the unique story of each vehicle in their inventory. It’s yet another way that SpinCar is helping dealers harness the power of digital merchandising technology to deliver a better experience while maximizing the value of every shopper visit.”

How it works: Using SpinCar’s cloud-based software platform and database of OEM-endorsed content, dealers are able to automatically add a Feature Tour to any vehicle detail page. Online shoppers who visit those VDPs are then able to access a guided, virtual walk-through of the vehicle’s key features and options. Users can review all of a vehicle’s key features, or they can customize their Feature Tour based on self-identified areas of interest: safety, performance, technology or convenience. Valuable information regarding the shopper’s preferences and interests is then captured and used to suggest other vehicles with similar features, as well as facilitate more personalized follow-up communication from the dealer.

“SpinCar’s digital merchandising platform has already made a measurable impact on our business by bringing shoppers to our website and keeping those shoppers engaged longer,” said Gary Pretzfeld, Dealer Principal, AutoTrust USA. “Feature Tour provides another powerful capability that will enable us to develop even stronger emotional connections with consumers before they ever set foot in our physical showrooms. By making shoppers more aware and knowledgeable of the specifics of each vehicle, they’ll be able to make faster and more confident buying decisions.”

About SpinCar
SpinCar offers automotive dealers, OEMs and online marketplaces the industry’s most advanced platform for digital automotive merchandising. The company’s 360° WalkAround® technology builds trust between buyers and sellers by bringing the physical showroom experience to car shoppers wherever and whenever they want. SpinCar’s proprietary shopper behavioral data and VINtelligent® Retargeting solution enable dealers to deliver hyperpersonalized interactions across the entire car shopping journey. To date, more than 200 million virtual WalkArounds have been experienced by car shoppers across 15 countries. To learn more about SpinCar, visit SpinCar.com.

In the latest DrivingSales Webinar, Maddy Pisto, Director, SEM Sales and Account Management presents tactics to improve your Search Engine Marketing. 

Note: apologies for the introduction echo.  

• Concierge specialists provide full-service experience and expert guidance in listing and pricing vehicles through Manheim Express mobile app
• New Seller Desktop experience fuels quick, easy consultations before listings go live

ATLANTA – Manheim is taking client service to another level with the national launch of Manheim Express Concierge, a service that provides dealers with a dedicated expert to help them sell vehicles through the digital wholesale marketplace. This new service ensures dealers are able to have their vehicles listed with the latest digital tools, maximizing profits and quickly turning inventory all from their dealership lots. Manheim Express Concierge saves dealers time, as specialists offer end-to-end service, from doing all the legwork on listing vehicles to consulting with clients on their wholesale strategies.

Dealers across the U.S. can now have a Manheim Express specialist visit their dealership to capture inventory they want to wholesale. Using the Manheim Express mobile app, the specialist will record key details, including VINs, extensive vehicle condition and photos using revolutionary 360-degree imaging technology. The Manheim Express specialist then works with the dealer to finalize listings with additional disclosures or announcements and provides recommendations on pricing and channel options for maximum success based on each client’s goals.

“We know the digital marketplace can offer tremendous benefits for dealers to more efficiently run their businesses, but we also know dealers are already strapped for time,” said Derek Hansen, vice president, Offsite Solutions at Manheim. “Our specialists literally meet dealers where they are and offer expert assistance on dealers’ overall wholesale strategies, from listings to financing and, when needed, transportation. It’s all part of the full-service consultation our experts are uniquely equipped to provide our clients.”

Launched in select markets last fall, Manheim Express Concierge was rolled out on a national scale in the first quarter of 2019 and now has coverage from coast to coast in all major markets across the US. The service requires no upfront cost by dealers.

In addition to the new Concierge service, Manheim launched a Seller Desktop experience, designed to help dealers make faster, smarter decisions about their inventory. Used in consultations with a Manheim Express specialist before their listings go live, the enhancements also give sellers a snapshot of overall inventory and offerings, grouped by key statuses and actions needed to help streamline the decision and next steps. The seller dashboard inventory homepage and search results pages will also have a Manheim Express “mini-dashboard” with a quick list of inventory and actions.

Manheim Express Concierge and the seller enhancements are part of a $100 million investment Manheim is making through 2019 to expand its digital marketplace. They provide another boost to a Manheim Digital Marketplace that fueled more than 2 million vehicle sales to digital buyers in 2018.

“Manheim continues to invest in new ways that make it as easy as possible for dealers tap into the wholesale digital marketplace to cut costs, save time and focus on growing their business,” Hansen added.

For more information about the Manheim Express Concierge national launch, visit ManheimExpress.com.

About Manheim (www.manheim.com)

Manheim® is North America's leading provider of end-to-end wholesale solutions that help dealer and commercial clients increase profits in their used vehicle operations. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for inventory management, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. With its omni-channel approach, Manheim Marketplace enables wholesale vehicle clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Approximately 18,000 team members help Manheim offer 8 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $58 billion in value. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.

Partnership Reflects Commitment to Ensuring Accessible Digital Content for All

  TUCSON, Ariz. – February 20, 2019— AudioEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEYE), a leader in cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) digital accessibility technology solutions that expands website access for individuals with disabilities while maintaining conformance with ADA-related requirements, today announced its partnership with Dealer.com, the premier digital marketing solution and partner for auto dealerships.

With this partnership, Dealer.com websites will now have the option to include the AudioEye Ally Managed Service Solution, a technology solution that identifies and resolves issues of digital accessibility, to ensure all site visitors experience barrier-free access with an optimal user experience.

Digital inclusion and ensuring a barrier-free user experience for car shoppers, is a top priority for Dealer.com. With AudioEye, Dealer.com can offer clients a holistic approach that audits, monitors and eliminates issues of accessibility. Dealer.com is offering the AudioEye Ally Managed Service Solution to all dealers and dealer groups within its portfolio, to ensure equal access for all and mitigate legal compliance risk. There has been a steady rise in lawsuits filed against businesses by plaintiffs claiming ADA Title III violations. Partnering with AudioEye ensures speed to compliance with applicable ADA-related laws and regulations, as well as conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1.

Until now, dealer marketers have had limited options to resolve issues of web accessibility; issues that can be time consuming and cost-prohibitive to remediate and that may require in-house subject matter expertise.

“Simply put, AudioEye is helping make accessibility accessible,” stated Todd Bankofier, chief executive officer, AudioEye. “From day one, our remediation technology begins resolving common issues of accessibility, and our team of experts provides ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance. We do the heavy lifting, freeing our clients to focus on what they do best. Further, accessible platforms, like those supported by our strategic partner, Dealer.com, provide efficiencies that yield economies of scale, allowing AudioEye to offer practical, no-brainer pricing for the thousands of clients supported across the single platform.”

“AudioEye’s mission and approach to driving website accessibility was the perfect complement to the highly-flexible, market-leading Dealer.com website platform,” added Bob George, associate vice president Products for Dealer.com. “As dealer websites transition more and more to become digital storefronts of the physical dealership, it’s critical that all consumers have access to that storefront – in a way personalized to them individually.”

 About AudioEye, Inc.
AudioEye is a technology company serving businesses committed to providing equal access to their digital content. Through patented technology, subject matter expertise and proprietary processes, AudioEye is transforming how the world experiences digital content. Leading with technology, AudioEye identifies and resolves issues of accessibility and enhances the user experience, making digital content more accessible and more usable for more people.

AudioEye’s common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AEYE.”  The Company maintains offices in Tucson, Scottsdale, Atlanta and Washington D.C. For more information about AudioEye and its online accessibility solutions, please visit www.audioeye.com.

 About Dealer.com
Dealer.com provides an integrated platform of Advertising, Website and Managed Services products which allow OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology and data to better engage and connect with their customers. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of innovation, with a focus on health and wellness, making it one of the most desirable places to work, and a valuable partner for automotive retailers. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

• Disclosed VC funding to automotive start-ups hits $8 billion

• Electrification, connectivity, autonomy and mobility are driving investments and deals in a race for market leadership

London, UK – 20 February 2019. The latest Automotive Technology M&A Market Report from international technology mergers and acquisitions advisor, Hampleton Partners, reveals that disclosed Venture Capital funding to automotive start-ups totalled $8 billion in 2018.

In parallel, almost 100 M&A deals were inked, including Renault, Ford and Volkswagen’s autotech acquisitions in the second half of 2018; however, total disclosed M&A transaction value reached $3.9 billion in the time period, the lowest in over five years.

The report also shows the growing role of Private Equity (PE) in the autotech M&A market, accounting for almost one quarter of all transactions in 2018. The largest PE acquisition was Gores Group’s buyout of Verra Mobility for $1.3 billion, at an attractive 17x EV/EBITDA multiple.

Jo Goodson, managing director, Hampleton Partners, said:

“Although we are currently seeing more venture capital investment than M&A transaction value in autotech, all players in the sector continue to push to be the market leader within the new world of electrification, connectivity, autonomy and mobility. Start-ups with innovative ideas are pursuing funding, and global giants from all sectors, including financial, are continuing to invest, fund and acquire.”

Key trends in autotech

• Connected car technology is widely hailed as the precursor for autonomous vehicles, providing passengers with features like internet, next-generation infotainment and enhanced safety features.

Examples of deals in this sub-sector included Volkswagen’s purchase of WirelessCar for almost three times its revenue; Aptiv’s acquisition of Chinese advanced interconnect specialist KUM in a landmark $500 million deal; and Zurich Insurance’s acquisition of Bright Box in a move to bring the insurer into the vehicle and closer to the data it generates. 

• Vehicle manufacturers are diversifying from pure passenger car production to protect themselves against an uncertain future where personal vehicle ownership is no longer the norm.

Early in 2018 Daimler led a $175 million equity round in Taxify, Estonia’s response to Uber. BMW took over Parkmobile to become the largest provider of mobile parking in the United States and in November Ford bought Spin, an electric scooter sharing platform, in an effort to expand its micro-mobility offering.

• Internet commerce and content is growing in importance, with prospective vehicle owners now spending around 60 per cent of their time searching online.1

KAR Auction Services, which signed five deals over the past 30 months, purchased B2B car auction website, CarsOnTheWeb, for just over $100 million. Meanwhile, in November 2018 Renault bought Carizy, a used vehicle marketplace. Renault hopes to capitalise on the fast-growing used vehicle industry between private individuals, opening another lucrative revenue stream for the French automaker.

• The digital transformation of dealerships: in a two-way street of deal-making, dealerships are incorporating enterprise software and CRM solutions to build better informed relationships with their prospective and current customers and ease the marketing and sale of vehicles, whilst online vehicle marketplaces are getting closer to the dealers.

Two US-listed online vehicle marketplaces made acquisitions in 2018: Cars.com made a $165 million acquisition of DealerInspire, a provider of automotive advertising SaaS and service. TrueCar’s picked-up DealerScience, a dealership retail software provider, for $27 million.

Automotive technology M&A in 2019

Jo Goodson concluded:

“We believe 2019 and 2020 will remain very strong for both acquisitions and funding in the autotech sector, despite the storm clouds on the horizon which may provoke a reduction in vehicle sales’ volume overall.

“Our rationale is that spending in the sector will not be impacted by short-term market turbulence. Autotech is a truly transformational sector and we’re only at the beginning of a very long journey. In summary, we foresee a strong autotech M&A market over the next 24 months, with stable Enterprise Value multiples and a sharply growing capital raise market with increasing valuations.”

ENDS

Media enquiries, photography or interview requests, please contact:

Jane Henry

Email: jane@marylebonemarketing.com

Mob: +44 789 666 8155

1. Source: Cox Automotive

About Hampleton Partners

 Hampleton Partners is at the forefront of international mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance advisory for companies with technology at their core. Hampleton’s experienced deal makers have built, bought and sold over 100 fast-growing tech businesses and provide hands-on expertise and unrivalled advice to tech entrepreneurs and companies which are looking to accelerate growth and maximise value.

With offices in London, Frankfurt and San Francisco, Hampleton offers a global perspective with sector expertise in: Automotive Technology, AI, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Healthtech, Hi-Tech Industrials & Industry 4.0, IoT, VR/AR, Digital Marketing, Enterprise Software, SaaS & Cloud and eCommerce.

Follow Hampleton on LinkedIn and Twitter.

For more information visit https://www.hampletonpartners.com

How can you preach less and train more? In this video, we discuss some steps you can take to facilitate. When I learned the skill of facilitation, it had a dramatic impact on the training I was doing in a group. Bottom line? Let your staff train each other.

How are you working to provide more engaged training meetings?

Inconsistencies and Lack of Transparency Around Consumer Incentives Leave Extra Profit on the Table for Dealers

ATLANTA – Feb. 15, 2019 – With vehicle prices and interest rates rising and consumer affordability declining, dealers can’t allow any details to slip through the cracks. However, a new whitepaper released by Cox Automotive’s Rates & Incentives group (CAR&I), “Optimizing Rebates & Incentives for Consumer Digital Retailing Experience,” pinpoints a lack of transparency and accuracy in the pricing and payment negotiation process as a main cause of friction between dealers and consumers that can derail a deal.

According to the 2018 KBB.com Incentives Survey, only 24 percent of shoppers are fully aware and researched all incentives.1 Historically, transparency into consumer incentives has varied. Changing customer expectations and shopping behaviors now make full transparency required.

Today, more automotive dealer service providers (DSPs) are moving the process of applying incentives from a dealer practice to a consumer-centric experience through digital retailing tools. With these new tools, customers can confidently research and price a specific vehicle with the incentives and conditional offers applied — all without entering a dealership. The success of the deal, however, relies on the accuracy of a dealer’s data within the DSP application.

Utilizing a methodology developed by CAR&I, this new whitepaper analyzes the accuracy of the data used to calculate pricing and payment information presented through DSP tools. In the study, CAR&I compared APRs, cash and conditional incentives through these various tools for seven new vehicles in the East Coast and West Coast markets. The analysis looked at data from three competitive incentive providers, including CAR&I.

The study found significant variations across the three providers, ranging from $0 to $6,750 in pricing for the same vehicle, resulting in monthly payment fluctuations up to $122 per month for 60 months. The analysis also showed that both unnamed vendors incorrectly applied incentives for two vehicles, resulting in $500 to $750 in overstated incentives applied incorrectly costing dealers valuable margin.

These disparities have wide-ranging consequences for dealers, including a loss of credibility in pricing as well as a loss on deals and profit. It’s not just that consumers might walk away from one purchase. It can affect repeat purchases and referrals too. Pricing information must be perfect for digital retailing to build trust and transparency, and to improve the customer experience. This also means making accurate pricing available online.

“If DSP application incentive tools aren’t spot-on, the pricing information given to consumers is also inaccurate. If incentive and rebate data isn’t accurate, the whole deal can be sunk,” said Brad Korner, general manager for CAR&I. “Dealers in this hyper-competitive auto retail landscape can’t afford to have less-than-perfect pricing data. That can result in unhappy consumers and lost business.”

Rebates and incentives also continue to play a major role in generating demand and sales for many brands. Approximately 94 percent of new vehicles sold have a financial incentive applied to the transaction (purchase, finance or lease) which requires accuracy for dealers presenting pricing and payments to their online shoppers. Sharing full coverage of all OEM incentives, and allowing consumers to see what they qualify for, builds trust in the process. It also provides necessary information to inform the buying journey.

The full whitepaper on “Optimizing Rebates & Incentives for Consumer Digital Retailing Experience” is available here. 

1 Source: KBB.com Incentives Survey, November 2017. N=2508

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using cars easier for everyone. The global company’s 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com