REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 6, 2020 – As fixed operations continue to play a dominant role in dealership profitability, service departments must come up with innovative ways to drive owner loyalty and meet customers’ rising expectations. To help with this challenge, Xtime is showcasing a series of new products and enhancements at NADA 2020 to improve customer engagement while helping to boost service department operations and efficiency.

“The ability to offer a superior, technology-forward service lane experience allows dealerships to stand out in a crowded market and find increased revenue opportunities,” said Tracy Fred, vice president and general manager for Xtime. “Attracting customers and delivering results for your business all comes down to providing consumers with trust and transparency throughout the entire process, and Xtime offers the most fully integrated, end-to-end service experience platform to do that, period.”

These new products and enhancements demonstrate Xtime’s continued commitment to improving every touchpoint in the service experience to support dealership success, including:

- Self Check-In is a faster, more efficient way to alleviate bottlenecks in the service drive from customers waiting to check-in, boosting advisor efficiency and more potential dollars per repair order.

- Upon scheduling an appointment or check-in, Rideshare Powered by Lyft provides a premium customer experience through cost-effective, more personalized and familiar transportation options integrated into the existing appointment booking and service process to help get customers back home or to the office.

- New Xtime Mobile Application reimagines the process of performing a multi-point vehicle inspection by making the experience faster, easier and more capable on an increased number of devices.

- Service Tracker through Inspect offers customers access to real-time vehicle service status updates on repairs from the palm of their hand, resulting in decreased phone calls and improved consumer transparency.

- From any location, customers can review video via an online quote to approve recommended repairs through new Enhanced Multi-Media features, allowing technicians to attach video and photo files to several service lines on the repair order.

- FlexPay gives dealers the ability to offer customers flexible service financing options through a fully integrated system, making vehicle maintenance more affordable by spreading the cost out over time and helping drive increased dollars per repair order.

- Text Marketing with Invite helps dealers communicate targeted messaging to customers (i.e., if a customer chose not to have a repair completed) through a channel proven to drive higher engagement and more service appointments while remaining TCPA compliant.

- Robust Intra-Dealer Chat makes internal dealership communications between departments easier than ever by centralizing messaging to one platform.

To learn more about these new products and enhancements, visit Xtime at the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo, booth #2821C.

Also, please join David Foutz, vice president of sales for Xtime, for a session on “Fixed Ops Customer Experience for Growth, Retention and Profit” with Tully Williams, parts and service director for The Niello Company, during the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo on Friday, February 14, from 2:30-3:30 PM (room N228) or on Saturday, February 15, from  10:30-11:30 AM. Foutz and Williams will discuss how service departments can put customer experience at the center of every interaction.

About Xtime

Xtime increases customer retention for automotive dealer service departments by using technology to transform the ownership experience. Improving customer satisfaction and retention drives dealer revenue and profitability. Xtime is committed to delivering the experience consumers demand – an experience which emphasizes value, convenience and trust. In 2019, Xtime booked 55 million service appointments and processed more than 100 million repair orders annually. Forty-four global OEMs have chosen Xtime to drive that same type of success for their businesses, converting more than $23 billion in service revenue last year for more than 7,300 dealerships.

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

*This article originally published on Dealer Marketing Magazine.

vAuto founder Dale Pollak recently told a group of dealers: “We’re not in the car business, we’re in the business of making money.”

And he’s right.

One of the biggest influencers on new car dealers’ profitability in 2019 has been the health of their new vehicle inventory. In the latest Haig report, it was highlighted that franchise dealer expenses are growing faster than grosses, with new car holding expenses identified as the primary culprit for this trend.

It’s hard to fathom that in 2015 (per NADA Dealership Financial Profile), the average dealer booked nearly $110,000 in floorplan profit and in 2019, floorplan will be a $93,000 hit to the bottom line. That’s a $203,000 swing in the wrong direction. Using NADA’s guideline that dealers make approximately 2% net profit on every $100 worth of sales, dealers will need to find an additional $11,000,000 in sales revenue to make up that net profit difference.

Most dealers I meet with don’t have many $11,000,000 ideas lying around, so increased attention to managing new vehicle inventories has become increasingly urgent.

One of the biggest challenges in monitoring this aspect of the dealership’s operation is that the industry lacks good inventory measurement targets or benchmarks. NADA’s Dealership Performance Benchmarks Guide provides ONE recommendation for new vehicle inventory control: maintain a 45-60 days’ supply.

It’s interesting that parts managers have more inventory performance benchmarks and spend a lot more time analyzing their $400,000 parts inventory than a new car manager does for his $8,000,000 new car inventory.

If “making more money” really is the name of the game, dealers will be wealthier and wiser by managing these two critically important new vehicle inventory metrics.

% Inventory Under 90 Days

Maintaining a high % of units under 90 days is vital for three reasons: 1. Mitigates exposure to rising holding costs, because in most cases the factory floorplan credit covers the first 90-120 days. 2. Dealers with fresh inventories are typically those with higher retail sales turn, which means more trades, more recon, more F&I and more floorplan profit! 3. Grosses are BETTER! In a recent analysis Dealertrack conducted with 400,000 sales transactions, retailed units with 0-30 days in stock had an average front-end gross (transaction price vs. invoice, not including F&I, factory bonus or doc fee) of -$230, while retailed units with an age of 90-120 days in stock were -$750 and units over 365 days were -$1,690!! I don’t think many dealers realize the extent to which they pay a holding cost premium for worse grosses!!

Performance Targets:

Domestic Stores               70% under 90 days

Import/Luxury Stores     80% under 90 days

Dealer Days’ Supply by Model/Trim:

Monitoring the relationship between your dealer days’ supply and the overall market days’ supply allows managers to quickly identify model lines and trims where their pricing strategy, mix or online merchandising is off.

Most OEMs only provide the individual dealer days’ supply with no comparison to the overall market. This would be like analyzing your stock portfolio performance without having the S&P as a benchmark.

The devil is usually in the details, and this is certainly the case when it comes to the enormous complexity of most model/trim/option/color combinations. The overall dealer days’ supply at the model line level might look fine, but when you drill deeper into the trim mix, that’s where you’ll often find the problems. I recently saw a dealer with a 45 days’ supply of 2020 Camrys, but a 223 days’ supply of red Camry LEs.

The sooner dealers become aware of issues like these red Camry LEs, the sooner they can begin taking corrective actions to reduce their exposure to holding costs. This granular vision of your inventory will also highlight stocking opportunities of combinations performing well in the market, which are not currently in your stock.

Making More Money with Better Inventory Control

Making money for franchise dealers has become a lot more challenging over the last eight years, as return on sales has fallen from 2.8% in 2011 to 2.3% this year (per NADA). The major underlying cost structures are not likely to improve – rent factors/mortgages are not becoming less expensive, attracting and retaining talented employees is not getting cheaper and advertisers are not looking to charge less.

New car inventory control remains one of the single biggest opportunities for dealers to root out unnecessary expenses and drive incremental sales.

Dealers who are managing their inventories with a high % of units under 90 days and monitoring the dealer days’ supply by model/trim will be well-positioned to improve the health of their new vehicle inventories and the health of their bottom lines. Remember, “We’re not in the car business, we’re in the business of making money.”

Brian Finkelmeyer is senior director of new car business at vAuto.

BURLINGTON, February 5, 2020 – Dealer.com, a leading automotive industry end-to-end digital marketing solution, announces new enhancements to its digital storefront during the runway to the 2020 NADA Show. The company’s latest offering harnesses Cox Automotive data – the largest collection of automotive shopping behavior insights available – to ensure dealers have the tools necessary to deliver unrivaled consumer experiences, forging the shortest and most personalized path to customer engagement and dealership growth.

With brands from all categories bombarding shoppers, there has never been a more critical time for dealers to capture consumer mindshare by delivering tailored experiences that capitalize on available intelligence and technology. The industry is at an inflection point; to remain relevant and competitive, dealers must prepare themselves for the ride.

Through new leading-edge capabilities designed to bring ease and efficiency for the consumer wherever they are in the buying process, Dealer.com’s digital storefront experience tailors every interaction based on individual consumer demands. This level of personalization gives dealers the ability to build stronger customer relationships to help ensure enduring growth in a volatile consumer climate. The progressive site architecture is built for speed, security and flexibility to serve dealers today and well into the future. Beyond technology, Dealer.com’s team of experts use their years of experience to guide and develop a digital strategy that brings in buyers.

"The combination of Dealer.com’s new end-to-end technologies and services powered by Cox Automotive data insights are invaluable resources for dealers, providing car buyers with the most dynamic, efficient and personalized online shopping experience available,” said Wayne Pastore, vice president and general manager of Dealer.com. “With our new technology as the industry benchmark for dealership website experiences, dealers can meet the evolving high demands and shopping preferences of their customers, ultimately taking their sales success to new heights.”

Dealer.com enhancements for 2020 include:

- Reputation Management offers coordinated consumer review and response management, including Google My Business review optimization, that reinforces a dealer’s customer service commitment online, strengthens local SEO, and turns every customer interaction into a selling tool. Auto dealership reviews influence more than half of consumers[1]. The Reputation Management solution allows dealers to proactively monitor and respond to all ratings and reviews – increasing review volume – to drive higher Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores, increased consumer engagement and shopper loyalty. 

- Turnkey Video Advertising provides scalable, dynamic video content that leverages Cox Automotive’s unique audience and householding data for dealers looking to promote their inventory on high-engagement social channels like Facebook and YouTube. With nearly four million automotive videos viewed on YouTube each day[2] and many consumers abandoning cable TV, video consumption among automotive shoppers is growing rapidly. Dealers that may lack resources or expertise now can enjoy barrier-free access to high-quality video assets and advertising content. Tailored video solutions are also available, leveraging OEM and dealership footage to develop creative that brings customer engagement to the next level.

- Dynamic Inventory Search experience delivers the crucial inventory information consumers need to advance their shopping journey. A brand new UX-driven Search Result Page experience (SRP) appeals to a modern, mobile-reliant consumer, offering larger vehicle images, a multi-photo carousel, tabbed content and customizable page design to fit individual dealer needs.

- Free-Form Search is all-new, full-site, and now includes predictive recommendations and intelligence to handle misspellings, ensuring consumers will find what they’re looking for.

- Fixed Operations Advertising, Managed Services and Website Personalization highlights a dealer’s service department utilizing Cox Automotive data to deliver service-related specials and coupons to vehicle owners identified as in-market for local service. Additionally, thanks to a new integration between Dealer.com and Xtime, dealers automatically can target shoppers looking for local service with relevant fixed ops advertising content.

In addition to these product enhancements, Dealer.com continues to invest heavily in a Performance Management model that helps reach more relevant shoppers by properly leveraging all of the digital marketing tools within the Dealer.com suite to help dealers achieve their business goals in the most efficient manner possible. The client service team dominates with excellence by listening, learning and making continuous progress on solutions to deliver enduring value to dealers. As consumer buying expectations and shopping behaviors shift, dealers need to invest in digital solutions that bring delight to consumers. Dealer.com combines these innovations with extensive consumer intelligence to bring dealers the tools to build their best digital storefront.

To learn more about Dealer.com’s 2020 NADA product announcements, visit Booth #2629C or book a demo at https://www.dealer.com/demo.

About Dealer.com

Dealer.com is the premier digital marketing solution for the automotive industry. Providing an integrated platform of Websites, Advertising, Digital Retailing and Managed Services, Dealer.com allows OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology, data and insights to deliver the shortest, fastest and most personalized path to customer engagement. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of progress, with a focus on community, health, and wellness. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

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

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Mission, Kansas, February 5, 2020 – VinSolutions is introducing new personalization capabilities at NADA 2020 that will help dealers unlock data potential to help win customers and drive brand loyalty like never before. As technology adoption increases across industries and generations, consumers have developed a taste for personalization. The car buying journey is no exception, and with much of it being spent online, dealers are presented with an opportunity to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to make valuable connections through a personalized experience. At NADA, VinSolutions will debut its Automated Offer capabilities and showcase new enhancements to Connect Automotive Intelligence, including a robust manager dashboard and a preview of upcoming Customer Enrichment features.

“Our research continues to show customers expect their dealer to have an understanding of their needs well before entering the dealership,” says Lori Wittman, senior vice president of Dealer Software Solutions at Cox Automotive. “By taking advantage of AI and automation for personalization, dealers can create an early and lasting advantage over their competition by recommending inventory and options that improve the car shopping experience.”

Connect Automotive Intelligence Buying Signals are now easier to work into the CRM workflow.  Salespeople and managers can more quickly create new sales opportunities based on the AI predictions and put those leads into their normal and custom follow-up processes. Additionally, the enhanced manager dashboard in Connect Automotive Intelligence helps create more senior level visibility of customer buying signals and the customer journey to improve employee engagement and sales opportunities. The enhanced benefits of this product include:

- Higher Customer Awareness is just clicks away with buying signals generated by a combination of Cox Automotive in-store and online data that can help determine how ready a customer is to buy as well as predict information like price range, preferred make, model and body style.

- Shorter Sales Cycles are created thanks to the power of machine learning and AI, which can help dealers anticipate customer questions and concerns to more effectively sell to a customer through personalization.

- Actionable Insights and data mining opportunities are more easily identifiable from a single view display for managers.

- Attribution for AI opportunities is more visible with side-by-side comparisons of close ratios and profit between AI leads and non-AI leads.

In addition to the manager dashboard, Connect Automotive Intelligence is offering demos of its upcoming Customer Intelligence functionality at NADA which further personalizes the customer experience and maximizes deal-making. Customer Intelligence connects shoppers with the right inventory for them by integrating data from thousands of different data sources such as public information and specialty data providers.

- Precise Vehicle Matching powered by demographic and psychographic data, the tool analyzes lifestyle indicators that correlate with vehicle preferences to help salespeople recommend highly relevant inventory.

- Meaningful Upsell Opportunities can be better identified and executed thanks to a more acute awareness of customer lifestyle and vehicle needs.

- Potentially Close Deals Faster with more specific data about customer financials, attitude and lifestyle.

Moreover, at NADA dealers will be able to demo Automated Offers predicted by customer data that can drastically reduce the time it takes to manually create multiple offers per segment. This capability also helps dealers meet the customer expectation that an offer will realistically meet their needs, making it even more likely a deal will close.

“VinSolutions Connect CRM combined with Connect Automotive Intelligence helps us make our customers' experience better and more memorable,” said Scott Risley, Digital Marketing Manager, Mohawk Honda. “You can put the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that a salesperson, manager and BDC rep can all look at without needing to know how to use a specific tool. It is all right there in layman's terms.”

The 2020 NADA Show will be held Feb. 14-17, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. To learn more about these new enhancements, visit VinSolutions at the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo, booth #2837C.

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. www.vinsolutions.com

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.

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IRVINE, Calif., February 5, 2020 – While many shoppers think negotiating a good deal up front is the best way to save money when buying a new vehicle, choosing a car with low ownership costs can create even greater savings over time.  Purchase price is only one of the many costs associated with vehicle ownership. Once shoppers consider the ongoing costs of fuel, maintenance, insurance and more, the overall financial picture can change significantly from model to model. To help in-market shoppers buy smart and save money, Kelley Blue Book’s experts today name the 2020 model-year brand and category winners of the ninth annual 5-Year Cost to Own Awards. These awards recognize new vehicles with the lowest projected ownership costs over the initial five-year ownership period. 

“Our 5-Year Cost to Own information breaks down typical ownership costs to help shoppers evaluate the impactful out-of-pocket expenses they will incur over time beyond the initial price paid,” said Eric Ibara, director of 5-Year Cost to Own for Kelley Blue Book. “Subaru claims the top brand position for the second year in a row, right on the heels of winning a Kelley Blue Book award for Best Resale Value Brand of 2020. Accordingly, Subaru’s key advantage in claiming the top brand ownership cost award is its high residual value, which lowers depreciation costs. In addition, Acura claims the top luxury brand prize with several key models in its lineup performing well above the segment average in many vehicle ownership cost categories.”

Available on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com for new models, 5-Year Cost to Own information takes into consideration depreciation, expected fuel costs, finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state fees. This data allows consumers to see the big picture of what a new vehicle will cost them over time, helping shoppers save money by choosing a vehicle that best meets their needs and their long-term budget.

2020 Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own Award Winners

2020 KELLEY BLUE BOOK 5-YEAR COST TO OWN AWARD: BRAND

SUBARU

2020 KELLEY BLUE BOOK 5-YEAR COST TO OWN AWARD: LUXURY BRAND

ACURA  

2020 KELLEY BLUE BOOK 5-YEAR COST TO OWN AWARDS: BY VEHICLE CATEGORY

COMPACT CAR:  Hyundai Elantra

MID-SIZE SUV – 3-ROW:  Mitsubishi Outlander

MID-SIZE CAR:  Honda Accord

FULL-SIZE SUV:  Chevrolet Tahoe

FULL-SIZE CAR:  Chevrolet Impala

LUXURY SUBCOMPACT SUV:  Lexus UX

ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY CAR:  Acura ILX

LUXURY COMPACT SUV:  Lexus NX

LUXURY CAR:  Volvo V90

LUXURY MID-SIZE SUV – 2-ROW:  Lexus RX

SPORTS CAR:  Fiat 124 Spider

LUXURY MID-SIZE SUV – 3-ROW:  Acura MDX

HYBRID/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CAR:  Toyota Corolla Hybrid

LUXURY FULL-SIZE SUV:  Infiniti QX80

ELECTRIC VEHICLE:  Nissan LEAF

OFF-ROAD SUV:  Jeep Wrangler

SUBCOMPACT SUV:  Hyundai Venue

MID-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK:  Toyota Tacoma

COMPACT SUV:  Subaru Forester

FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK:  Chevrolet Silverado 1500 

MID-SIZE SUV – 2-ROW:  Hyundai Santa Fe

MINIVAN:  Chrysler Voyager

(2020 model-year vehicles’ projected ownership costs are based on the average Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own data for the initial five-year ownership period).

Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own information is developed using Kelley Blue Book® Residual Values to calculate depreciation costs. Kelley Blue Book calculates total ownership costs for new vehicles by applying a sophisticated valuation methodology along with critical financial data from third-party providers.  

For more information about the 2020 5-Year Cost to Own Award winners, please visit https://www.kbb.com/articles/best-cars/lowest-5-year-cost-to-own-cars-trucks-suvs/.

To discuss this topic, or any other automotive-related information, with a Kelley Blue Book analyst on-camera via the company’s on-site studio, please contact a member of the Public Relations team to schedule an interview.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kbb_com/ (or @kbb_com). 

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides market-reflective values on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Kelley Blue Book® Price Advisor tool, which provides a range for what consumers can reasonably expect to pay for a vehicle in their area. Car owners looking to sell immediately can also get a redeemable, transaction-ready offer with Kelley Blue BookSM Instant Cash Offer. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book is a Cox Automotive brand.

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. coxautoinc.com

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ATLANTA, February 4, 2020 – With the NADA Show 2020 on the horizon, Autotrader is taking the lead with bold new solutions to improve consumers’ online car-shopping experiences and increase a dealer’s return on investment. As a digital retailing pioneer and one of the most-used third-party car listing sites, Autotrader drives into the new decade prioritizing product innovation and introducing enhancements that make the consumer experience seamless and personalized, ultimately delivering more quality leads and higher profits to dealers.

Autotrader’s newest enhancements focus on providing a more relevant and engaging online experience for car shoppers, while helping dealers take a data-driven, personalized approach toward accomplishing their goals. From implementing a search fueled by a proprietary and data-driven relevancy algorithm, to reducing page load time and improving site navigation, to introducing more helpful tools, content and personalized inventory listings, now shoppers can view the most relevant dealer inventory at a faster, more engaging rate on Autotrader, and dealers can better connect with in-market shoppers both on and off the site.

“I talk with dealers every day about how the car-shopping process is changing as consumers demand a more personalized shopping experience, so for dealers to really be successful in 2020 and beyond, they should adopt a consumer-centric approach,” said Jessica Stafford, senior vice president and general manager, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. “To help in this process, Autotrader is taking the lead to ensure dealers are equipped to deliver on these evolving consumer expectations. And we are committed to more bold innovation moving forward, reducing friction from the car buying experience and continuing to bridge the gap between consumer and dealer to ensure a transparent, flexible and seamless experience for both sides of the transaction.”

Over the last year, Autotrader has gone through an aggressive transformation to improve its website and products, building a stellar consumer experience and delivering more value for its dealer clients with new advanced solutions. There is a focus on gathering quality, vetted leads to real potential customers, driving higher profits and close rates than Autotrader’s top competitors - an average 71% increase in gross profits per lead than the closest competitor[1]. 

Some Autotrader enhancements slated for 2020 include:

- Innovative Display Solutions:

Increase Offsite Exposure with Advanced Ads – Advanced Ads give dealers additional exposure for their inventory with offsite retargeting display ads served to consumers based on their Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book shopping history, also leveraging these trusted brands in partnership with the dealer’s brand to provide shopper confidence. Shoppers see relevant inventory in these offsite ads that drive additional activity to vehicle detail pages and dealer websites, increasing repeat exposure with highly qualified audiences off the Autotrader website. Available as an add-on to any paid listing package, Advanced Ads offer a lower-cost and targeted offsite media display option, allowing dealers to be in control by setting their spend and targeting, as well as prioritizing which inventory to display.

Target Shoppers Throughout Their Journey with eLot – eLot is a new inventory carousel display unit that features a dealer’s most relevant inventory with exclusive placements on the homepage and other pages within the experience of both Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. Targeting real-time shoppers during their valuation process, eLot increases impact and exposure by displaying the most relevant inventory available to the right consumers throughout their shopping journey.

- Optimize Relevant Inventory Display in Real-Time with Adaptive Analytics – The nVision dashboard is an industry-leading tool that uses aggregated proprietary Cox Automotive data to empower dealers with actionable insights to maximize their Autotrader investments. nVision helps dealers improve their business by driving more relevant leads and conversions with detailed insights into important factors like inventory age, pricing, penetration and likelihood to sell. Real-time inventory data drives insights to allow dealers to go beyond just reporting on their past digital investments, helping them to make optimizations to drive the best results.

- Cutting-Edge Listing Enhancements That Deliver Results

Never Miss a Lead with Managed Chat and Text: With managed chat and optimized text capabilities on Autotrader, dealers can ensure they never miss a lead and engage with consumers in the way they want with seamless integration. Shoppers are looking to quickly get the answers they need to help make informed decisions. Adding mobile messaging can increase consumer engagement up to 40%[2]. New features allow consumers to contact dealers directly on Autotrader, around-the-clock, seven days a week, for ultimate flexibility and convenience. The service provides a response with professionally trained agents, including after-hours or when dealers otherwise would be unavailable. Leads are then delivered directly to a dealer’s CRM for easy follow-up. Anticipate the types of information car shoppers want and send it to them on the channel they prefer with this leading improvement in proactive customer service.

Search Listings On Command: Listings on Autotrader are now available through a new voice app for Google Assistant and Alexa to aid shoppers in finding the right vehicle on devices they already are using. More than 111 million people in the U.S. use a voice assistant at least monthly[3]. This is another way Autotrader is giving dealers opportunities to extend the reach of listings, by getting in front of more consumers in more places.

Embrace High-Performance Digital Retailing with Accelerate: Autotrader’s Accelerate My Deal provides the faster digital buying experience consumers want with the control and profitability that dealers need. With Accelerate, dealers can start to pencil deals right from their Autotrader listings online with the flexibility they need to complement their existing dealership process. Seven in 10 consumers say they are more likely to buy from a dealership if they could start the process online[4]. Consumers are happier to begin the process online and reduce the time spent in dealership, and dealers gain a new way to connect with in-market shoppers and ultimately sell more cars.

The 2020 NADA Show will be held February 14-17, 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To learn more about these new products and enhancements, visit Autotrader at the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo, booth # 2536 Central Hall.

For more information and news from Autotrader, visit press.autotrader.com, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Autotrader_com (or @Autotrader_com), Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/autotrader_com/ (or @autotrader_com), like our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autotrader/, and add us on Snapchat (@Autotrader_com).

About Autotrader

Autotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive™ brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.

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. coxautoinc.com

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New integrations give dealers the connectivity and efficiency necessary to optimize operations

Draper, UT – January 31, 2020 – Dealertrack DMS, a leading provider of cloud-based technology solutions for car dealerships, will unveil a series of new, fully integrated and user-friendly technology solutions and services at the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 14-17.

As thousands of dealers assemble for the show, they each share a common goal – to gain new perspectives for cutting complexity across their business and learn about best practices in creating operational excellence to win at retail – and Dealertrack DMS is delivering an answer. Building on its longstanding commitment to put dealers at the center of every business decision and innovation, Dealertrack DMS’ new solutions have been crafted to streamline and centralize some of the most vital and time-intensive aspects of a dealership’s day-to-day operation, from payroll and human resources (HR) to reporting and managed network services.

“While dealers today have access to more information and technology than ever before, the need to toggle between multiple, stand-alone solutions has made obtaining the insight they need to manage and grow their business a significant challenge,” said Mandi Fang, vice president and general manager of Dealertrack DMS. “By bringing more capabilities and processes under one ‘roof,’ Dealertrack DMS gives dealers the integration and simplicity they need to turn data into a competitive advantage in today’s ever-changing automotive retail environment.”

Helping provide dealers with the information and processes paramount to competing today, Dealertrack DMS enhancements include:

- DMS Critical Analytics: As the amount of data across software tools continues to increase, managing a dealership is only becoming more challenging and competitive. However, dealership reporting tools, instead of helping, have often created a bigger burden for dealers, requiring significant time, money and customization to implement and maintain on a daily basis. To address these pain points, Dealertrack DMS is slated to feature a brand-new reporting solution at NADA this year – Critical Analytics.

Eliminating unnecessary complexity and custom report building, the flexible, performance-based tool is integrated directly into Dealertrack DMS and helps managers stay focused on the data that is most important to their position.

With detailed dashboards and reporting modules organized by dealership position and department, dealers can easily filter and group information, track progress against prior-year performance, and prioritize activities that drive the most valuable KPI’s. Additionally, dealers can now automate general ledger account mapping and report information across multiple departments and stores, erasing the need to manually aggregate data through spreadsheets or leverage an additional third-party provider.

- Integrated Payroll and HR Solution: Dealertrack DMS and Hireology are joining forces through an exclusive new partnership to bring dealers a new payroll and HR solution unlike any other in the market today. The new platform, powered by Netchex, is fully integrated with Dealertrack DMS, and enables dealers to streamline their payroll processing, while also now managing all of their HR functions, from employee paid time off to benefits administration and talent management, in one place.

While processing payroll has traditionally been handled through the DMS, dealers have often been required to manage all other HR functions either manually or through separate, non-integrated solutions, resulting in redundant and inefficient processes that can cost time and money and frustrate staff.  As employee turnover continues to be a significant pain point for dealerships – 20% of dealership staff are likely to look for another job in the next six months, according to Cox Automotive’s 2019 Dealership Staffing Study – having one integrated HR system of record will be critical to solving for the extraneous and error-prone processes that have been holding dealers back and taking attention away from engaging the people who make the business run every day.

- Dealertrack DMS Managed Network Services Powered by Proton: It is essential in today’s business world that dealers have a fast and reliable network setup that is both secure and robust enough to handle the substantial technology demands of a dealership, including the DMS. Dealertrack DMS Managed Network Services powered by Proton provides dealers with unlimited 24/7 access to support and expertise in complex IT solutions and cyber security with all the capabilities of an in-house IT department at a fraction of the cost.

For more information about Dealertrack DMS and to schedule a demo at NADA 2020, visit DMSDealertrack.com/DTDMS or visit us at the conference at Booth #2336C.

About Dealertrack

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships, lenders, and partners the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful easy-to-use products and services helps dealerships and their lending partners grow by increasing efficiency and improving decision-making. Dealertrack is part of the Cox Automotive family, a company that is transforming the way the world buys, sells, owns and uses cars. Dealertrack—along with its unmatched network of dealership and lending partners—is improving the car buying experience by embracing the technologies that will shape the future of automotive retail. For more information about Dealertrack, visit www.dealertrack.com.

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

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ATLANTA, January 30, 2020 – Winter weather is in full swing from coast to coast, with wet, snowy and icy roads challenging drivers across the nation. To help shoppers find cars that are both fun and safe to drive during the winter months, the experts at Autotrader named the 10 Coolest Cars for Winter 2020.

“While there’s no substitute for cautious driving and common sense when it comes to inclement weather, choosing a vehicle with four-wheel or all-wheel drive can also make a world of difference in both safety and performance,” said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. “If you live in a place where winter regularly wreaks havoc on the roads, it’s definitely worth considering all-wheel drive in your next new-car choice for that reassuring extra traction.”

The Autotrader editors recently compiled a list of some of the most-searched cars, trucks and SUVs available with four- or all-wheel drive, and then used their collective wisdom and expert opinions to narrow down the decidedly subjective determination of which are the coolest. Whether drivers are going on an off-road winter excursion or just interested in a safer commute, below are Autotrader’s 10 Coolest Cars for Winter 2020 (listed in alphabetical order).

Autotrader’s 10 Coolest Cars for Winter 2020

For more details and information about Autotrader’s 10 Coolest Cars for Winter 2020, visit https://www.autotrader.com/best-cars/10-coolest-cars-winter-2020-281474979988546.

For more information and news from Autotrader, visit press.autotrader.com, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Autotrader_com (or @Autotrader_com), Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/autotrader_com/ (or @autotrader_com), like our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autotrader/, and add us on Snapchat (@Autotrader_com).

About Autotrader
Autotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com. 

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. coxautoinc.com

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Industry-leading solution powered by Netchex with superior functionality and end-to-end integration addresses dealers' hiring, payroll and compliance pain points

CHICAGO and DRAPER, Utah, Jan. 23, 2020 -- Hireology, the leading recruitment CRM for multi-location, decentralized enterprises, and Dealertrack, the leading provider of integrated dealership technologies, announced a new partnership that provides automotive dealers a fully-featured, integrated payroll and human resource solution.

The exclusive partnership will help mitigate the redundant, and error prone processes that often come when dealers use multiple disconnected and stand-alone solutions that, over time, create frustration and inefficiency for auto dealership staff.

"As dealers face more challenges to finding top talent, it will be even more important to have technology in place to keep new employees engaged and serve as one central point of record for their journey throughout the company," said Adam Robinson, CEO of Hireology. "By partnering with Dealertrack, Hireology furthers our commitment to making the day-to-day hiring, payroll and HR administration processes for auto dealers more streamlined and accurate, while also making more time for HR staff to focus on what matters the most—their people."

Key features of the systems integration include:

- Automatic transfer of new hire data, kicking off onboarding and payroll processes

- Management of paid time off requests and accruals, performance reviews, job summaries and more, eliminating the need to track these manually or in separate systems

- One payroll system of record for all HR information and real-time automatic posting to the DMS General Ledger

- Sales commissions, tech time and employee receivables integration

"Together, Hireology and Dealertrack DMS combine all a dealer's HR needs including hiring, time and attendance, payroll processing and reporting, benefits administration, and talent management into one platform," added Mandi Fang, vice president and general manager of Dealertrack DMS. "The integrated solution is easy to implement and significantly reduces the ongoing administrative effort of managing multiple third-party providers."

Hireology and Dealertrack will preview the integrated payroll solution powered by Netchex at NADA 2020, in Las Vegas, February 14-17, 2020.

About Dealertrack

Dealertrack is the leading provider of integrated dealership technologies. From best-in-class Sales and F&I software that improves the customer experience to a Dealer Management System that boosts employee productivity, Dealertrack is committed to the growth and success of your business. Our products empower dealerships to make better choices about how to run their businesses and promote better customer vision, giving dealerships a cross-product view of each customer. With more freedom and better vision, our dealerships can provide a better buying, borrowing, and service experience within a changing automotive world. For more information, visit us.dealertrack.com.

About Hireology

Hireology's recruitment CRM empowers multi-location, decentralized enterprises and independently owned businesses to build their best teams with confidence. The company equips HR and business leaders with the skills and technology needed to manage the full employee lifecycle – from hire to retire – in one seamless platform. With focused expertise across several industries – including retail automotive, healthcare and professional and consumer services – more than 7,500 businesses today trust Hireology to help build great teams, lift customer service and drive profitability. For more information, visit www.hireology.com.

ATLANTA (January 23, 2020) – Manheim rang in the New Year with two new general manager selections in the East and West Regions. Tom Rastelli has been named general manager of Manheim Albany, and John Duplanty takes over leadership of Manheim Portland. Both leaders will be responsible for driving future region growth, building strong client relationships and enhancing operational efficiencies.

Rastelli joined the company in 1999 as a condition report writer. Since then, he has held numerous leadership positions, including dealer services manager, assistant general manager, and most recently, general manager of Manheim Portland. He is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Ashford University.

Duplanty began his career with Manheim in 2004 as an intern while attending Arizona State University. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Duplanty entered the company’s management training program at Manheim Tampa. Over the years, he has held various roles with increasing responsibilities in Florida, New York and Arizona. Most recently, he was general manager of Manheim Tucson. Going forward, Manheim Tucson will be a part of the Manheim Arizona Market Center, reporting to Manheim Phoenix General Manager JD Daniels.

“Tom and John exemplify Manheim’s commitment to a culture that encourages learning and development to drive better results for the business and clients,” said Manheim Division Vice President Alan Lang. “Tom and John have each served in roles of increasing responsibility over the years, developing the skills needed to navigate successfully in our dynamic industry.” 

About Manheim

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 17,000 team members help Manheim offer 7 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $61 billion in value. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.

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