Dealer E–Process Website Product Overview

Why Dealer E-Process – The vendor’s top arguments to select their Websites

1. RESS Platform – Responsive with Server-Side Elements. Delivers “a graphical user experience that is optimized for any desktop or mobile device.”
2. Reporting and transparency – Seamlessly present website and analytical data views
3. Integration flexibility (CRM, third-party tools) – Strive to work with many third-party companies
4. Proprietary integrated tools – Upgrade options to enhance site such as SEM, Live Chat, trade-in tool, online credit approval and service integration.
5. Dealer Dashboard – Manage all DEP products in one place with single sign-on functionality

Product Highlights

Key Product Features

• Unique SRP design with integration of every photo of every vehicle and complete product pricing details
• 100% Responsive design, built from a mobile-first perspective
• Advanced reporting tools with third-party integration and single sign-on functionality
• Simple Drag-and-drop VDP editing tool
• Mega-Menu website content organization

Overview

Dealer e-Process was founded in 2006 and provides one of the leading Next Generation Responsive Website Platforms in the automotive market today. The platform currently supports OEM and dealership clients in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.

The retail website product provides customers with a wealth of information organized within department specific mega-menus. DEP was one of the first website providers in automotive to utilize this presentation format. It allows customers to research information in an organized format, while providing the dealer with almost limitless customization options. Providing a consistent user experience is a focus point of DEP’s ongoing site development. By incorporating proven search and navigation functionality (utilized by some of the largest websites in the world), DEP ensures customers are familiar with the sites operation.

Dealer e-Process provides strong back-end management and reporting capabilities that seamlessly integrate with optional DEP product offerings through a single sign-on logic. These tools are designed to arm dealership management with powerful data to make smart decisions and turn leads into conversions.

RESS Platform Design

Dealer e-Process designed its platform utilizing a mobile-first approach based on research, which has demonstrated that as high as 60% of dealer contacts are initiated on a mobile device. The product is fully responsive and sizes from desktop to tablet/smartphone automatically based on which device is detected. To help ensure the best user experience on each device, DEP utilizes RESS technology (Server-side responsive platform), which stores optimized images and assets for each device. This process eliminates the need for the customer’s browser to have to dither or size an image and instead delivers the correct optimized image directly based on device. This process not only provides a speedy customer interaction, but also allows mobile devices the ability to show images cleanly without any stretching or shrinking that sometimes occurs when viewing sites on mobile devices.

Additional benefits of RESS include:

• Faster page loads
• Ability to cache modules on the server
• Reduced dependency on bandwidth
• Content optimization
• Server speed image rendering
• Phone/tablet specific features
• Content is not lost when transitioning from one screen size to another or from horizontal to vertical

Website Functionality - Consumer View

Search/Navigation

DEP’s Site Search is easy to use, fast and robust in content. DEP monitors and follows “best practices” in e-commerce (automotive and elsewhere). These insights have provided the knowledge needed to understand what works well and what consumers are utilizing. The DEP site search employs a dynamic keyword functionality that not only searches inventory, but organizes relevant content from throughout the site as well. As the consumer enters the search term, the closest matches will display. Videos, testimonials, coupons and content pages will also populate, equipping the consumer with information needed to make a smart purchase choice.

Mega-Menus

The Dealer e-Process platform utilizes department specific mega-menus to organize and display relevant information to the customer. A typical New Vehicle menu will not only include vehicle selection options, but will also include the ability to display such items as:

• Trade-in tools
• Finance options
• Credit applications
• Vehicle comparison tools
• Sales team introduction
• Specials
• Video test drives
• Much more

DEP was one of the first website companies to develop the mega-menu layout; due to positive consumer feedback, other companies have followed suit and incorporated the mega-menu design.

Mega-Menu View

Additional departments within the dealership can also be supported through mega-menus. Service and Parts coupons can be directly placed in the menu (or dealership can host their own website), Parts orders can be integrated, specials can be announced, and more.

The menus are completely customizable and the dealership has full content control available with the administrative tool provided with the site. Dealership personnel can work with a DEP team member or independently to choose content and display features that work best for their customers.

By providing information in an organized and focused manner, the mega-menus make site navigation and content lookup easy for the consumer, while giving the individual departments the ability to standout. Equally important, Google assigns more authority (SEO value) to content when it is linked directly from the main menu bar.

SRP (Search Results Page) / VDP (Vehicle Display Page)

Dealer e-Process’s SRP pages incorporate a unique approach to displaying search results. The SRP page provides the user with an abbreviated VDP for every vehicle displayed in the results. Features include full access to the vehicle’s image gallery, pricing highlights, test drive scheduling, pre-approval capabilities, and more. Additionally, the SRP provides the ability to display multiple makes and/or models in the same filtered set. This feature is particularly valuable to group/enterprise websites that may display multiple brands. DEP’s internal research has found that up to 60% of website conversions are happening from the SRP pages. Providing information that is relevant to the consumer on these pages saves time and drives engagement.

As mobile usage continues to grow, DEP’s SRP layout has proven advantageous as it allows comparison on the SRP view without having to navigate to the VDP, further reducing clicks on mobile devices.

SRP View

The VDP expands upon the details provided in the SRP and brings the focus to the consumer’s specific vehicle of interest. Image galleries of both the exterior and interior are present along with a detailed listing of the vehicles features and specifications. Optional equipment is separated from the standard specifications to make comparison easier. Vehicle specification and options (including factory option codes) can be configured to automatically load into the website from the store’s DMS or third-party inventory provider.

VDP View

The VDP provides the dealership with numerous pricing capabilities and display options. Discounts, manufacturer rebates and incentives, along with Internet special pricing functionality is all available to the dealer and customized in the admin section of the site. Rebates and manufacturer incentives can be configured by model/ trim level and can provide detailed information on qualifications, inclusion and exclusion parameters and expiration dates. Incentive data is provided by AIS, ensuring accurate application.

Price Drop Alerts are available to shoppers on vehicles that they have viewed or saved on the VDP pages. These alerts not only inform consumers of new pricing, but also allow dealers the ability to actively merchandise aging inventory.

Additional VDP features:

• Vehicle Awards
• Crash-test ratings
• Vehicle Green Score
• Suggested alternative vehicles
• Customer testimonials
• Vehicle owners manuals
• Vehicle brochures
• Large vehicle photo
• Multiple call to action options (to contact the dealer or schedule a test drive)

SRP and VDP views are completely customizable. Colors, pricing, banner, third party integration (such as live chat) can all be set based on dealership preferences. Should a dealership need to follow manufacturer compliance guidelines (i.e. BMW’s requirement of using gray scale plus brand-specific blue), DEP has guidelines for nearly all manufacturers and will follow all branding requirements.

OEM Certifications

Dealer e-Process is currently OEM certified with the following manufacturers in the United States and Canada:

USA:

• BMW
• KIA
• Toyota

Canada:

• Nissan
• Infiniti

Third-Party Integration

Dealer e-Process strives to integrate with as many third-party companies as possible. Sample plug-ins include trade-in tools, Live Chat and video integration capabilities. Many of DEP’s standard modules integrate with third-party companies to enhance functionality. For examples, DEP’s signature website automatically includes a dealer-managed live chat with options to integrate with Gubagoo and Contact At Once!. If a dealer is using the services, information can be imported into the dashboard for reporting and conversion analysis. Other integration capabilities include DMS, CRM and published API’s.

Optional Components

CAROI – This tool links web traffic from multiple sources to actual car sales. CAROI links the DEP website and tracking platform directly to a dealer’s DMS. This link allows DEP to identify which channel (organic, paid or direct inquiry), what lead form, if any, was submitted and determine if the customer actually purchased a vehicle. The site matches DMS and lead tracking data to identify the sales lead source and front and back-end gross.

New Vehicle Configurator – Similar to an OEM vehicle configurator, the build-a-car feature provides a 100% responsive design that functions on any device and allows the customer to configure vehicles with full 360 views and properly defined option packages. This feature allows the dealer to interact with customers higher in the purchase funnel and receive inquiries directly from the configurator tool.

e-Auto Payments – This tool allows dealerships to deliver side-by-side payment and lease calculations based on tangible finance program data. Actual APR, residuals and incentives for VIN-specific new/used vehicles are presented while also taking into consideration the consumer’s credit score. Monthly payments will account for reserve and rate mark-ups in addition to the consumer’s down payment amount, term and trade value.

CreditMiner – DEP’s consumer credit pre-approval tool provides access to leading bureau data such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion without requiring the consumer’s social security number or date of birth. The tool can provide dealers with valuable information such as previous auto loans, loan balances, and real-time soft pull credit report. The application provides a virtual assistant to help guide the customer through the process.

Virtual Service Consultant - This feature walks consumers through the appointment scheduling process utilizing one of 4 virtual service consultants. The tool can be configured to provide online scheduling utilizing dealership menus, OEM specific pricing or additional configurable display option. DEP has found a 40% increase in conversion with this feature (compared to a regular lead/scheduling form).

Virtual Service Consultant

eAutoAppraise – This integrated tool creates engagement with the consumer by allowing him/her to upload pictures and condition information on the trade vehicle. Not only does this help eliminate guesswork for the dealership when appraising the vehicle, but it also suggests the consumer may be a strong lead since those potential buyers who take the time to enter this information are usually further down the purchase funnel. The plug-in is powered by NADA Guides in the United States and Canadian Black Book in Canada. The dealer can control the price range as a percent of the guidance value. The tool provides the ability to structure a potential deal with a suggested replacement vehicle (from dealer inventory) based on consumer interests.

iSPY – iSPY works in conjunction with the dealership CRM tool and can send alerts to staff when a customer is actively reengaging with the dealership’s website. Information on what the customer has viewed across all website sessions can be immediately viewed. Utilizing iSPY, Dealer e-Process can personalize a user’s experience by specifically tailoring website content to the vehicle of interest.

Management Tools

Vehicle Pricing

The pricing manager tool provides the dealership with the flexibility to configure multiple pricing scenarios/rules for vehicle inventory. The tool allows the user to lock specific pricing configuration by stock number to ensure nightly automated inventory feeds do not overwrite newly configured price details. Dealership managers are able to set specific pricing rules for specials or general inventory. Pricing Rule categories include:

• One-off automatic special rules
• Specific vehicle rules – i.e. certain package codes, models or trims
• Multi-vehicle rules – i.e. Black Friday sale
• Master Rules – i.e. dealership web discount applied to all models
• Disclaimers – appropriate disclaimers allow dealers to meet legal requirements in all 50 states

Pricing Example

Pricing rules are created in the system with an easy to navigate setup tool that utilizes 4 steps when defining a pricing rule.

1. Rules Settings: Define a name for the rule and a start and end date.
2. Vehicle Criteria: Select from year, make, trim, days in stock, price, etc. and define any rule priorities.
3. Field Manager: Creation of pricing structure. This section allows the user to create the pricing matrix that is displayed along with the vehicle, MSRP, store discounts, incentives and much more. The tool performs checks on any calculations needed to display the price and will not allow the setup to be saved if errors are discovered. Pricing rules can be defined and saved for future use, such as Black Friday, 4th of July Specials and so on.
4. Master Price: Search/sortable price.

Website VDP & Page Creation

Customizing VDPs with DEP’s platform is straightforward. Using a drag-and-drop interface, users can effortlessly move individual items or groups of elements. Dealership employees can explore different design configurations within the tool, and when ready, users can either publish the page or do a custom reset (returning to the previous published configuration) or a master reset (returning to the default layout). Third-party plug-ins can be incorporated for an even deeper user experience from within the VDP editor.

VDP Editor

The dealership can create new website pages on the fly through the dashboard. By using the Site Editor, the page designer can choose custom layouts, predetermined templates designs (predetermined and pre-linked with content), mobile page layouts or pop-up page templates. Every page is instantly responsive with no coding required. The site editor itself and preview functionality are also responsive, eliminating any surprises about how the page will look across devices.

A widget system allows users to customize the appearance of the page without difficulty. Editing, deleting and moving information is simple. When a dealership’s information requires updating, a menu of widgets is available. Widgets with videos, forms, coupons, hours, ads, staff, etc., can all be uploaded in the dashboard -- the user just needs to choose what s/he wants and place the widget in the desired location.

Once a page is created, it can be easily edited as needed. Meta data such as keywords, SEO footer text, title, description, etc., can be entered in the Page Settings section. Google AdWords conversion tracking codes and remarketing codes can also be included for new and existing vehicles. This functionality is extremely useful for dealership advertising companies as they don’t need to call into support and can update as frequently as the wish.

Managing media content can be done through the Ad Manager, Image Manager, Video Manager and Coupon Manager.

Dealer e-Process provides tools to ensure that changes made to the platform are optimized to perform at the highest level. A dealer grading system is included in the dashboard that provides a daily performance grade based on site data. Tips for improving performance along with the daily performance scores are available within the tool. All changes made to the system are stored (activity logs) and a user can revert to a previous configuration from within the dashboard.

Website Grading Tool

As mentioned earlier, the RESS platform that Dealer E-Process utilizes is unique and it simplifies the support and design of pages for multiple devices. Once the user uploads an image to DEP’s system, it will automatically store optimized images for the correct devices. Unlike other systems that require storing images and using the browser to resize the images, it’s automatically done with this platform. This saves time for the dealership, as they don’t have to send multiple versions of an image, while also keeping the site speed at an optimal rate.

Reporting

Leads are easily measured and tracked within the DEP’s reporting tools. Lead performance statistics are updated in real-time on the dashboard. A variety of category breakdowns are available to track lead source information, such as Sales, Service, Parts and total leads. Drill-down capabilities are provided to understand more information on a particular category of leads; items such as contact method (i.e. chat, phone or form submission) and device type (mobile or desktop) are included.

DEP uses Google Analytics to augment lead data, allowing the user to get views by dealership location or website, which is particularly handy to Enterprise operations to track location-specific metrics.

Management can break data down into many different telling views to provide insight into how different lead sources are performing. This information is particularly relevant when measuring paid-search products and their conversion percentages. DEP displays information for not only their own paid search products, but incorporates leading third-party products from Google and others to provide a clear understanding when analyzing spend patterns and deciding on marketing budget decisions. Click path reporting is available on each lead to understand what a consumer was researching and where the lead originated.

Reporting Dashboard

The dashboard is designed to be the central hub for digital marketing efforts. The tool integrates data from multiple sources and functions with a single sign-on structure for easy system management.

SEO

DEP provides dedicated SEO teams that can help dealerships navigate through the SEO features that are included in the platform such as:

• Indexed pages
• URL-platform structure
• Inventory SEO
• Mega Menus
• Schema
• Article system
• XML site map
• Place page management
• Custom pages
• Webmaster tools

To enhance SEO performance, DEP offers an optional service dedicated to creating original content to differentiate the site from competitors. The Content Team will develop a plan to laser-focus SEO goals to maximize spend. Dealership-specific articles, content and location strategy are a few of the items the team will help create.

Optional SEM/PPC Component

Digital AMMP is DEP’s optional SEM/PPC solution. The tool supports the creation of inventory specific ads. In addition, targeted campaigns designed to attack specific geographic locations, customer types, and conquest opportunities are available. Further, in-depth marketing reports will provide data on advertising overviews (spend, device), full transparency of channel/SEM data (spend, keyword, conversion, etc.), and Google Analytics numbers. Remarketing, YouTube pre-roll and automated Craigslist postings are also included with this tool.

Installation/Support

Dealer e-Process’s primary domestic data center is located in Chicago, while the primary international data center is hosted in UK (for European customers). A fail-over data center is located in Dallas, TX. The combination of these centers allow for a 99.1% uptime.

Typically, it will take about 30 business days for installation. Live, remote and recorded training are included. DEP strongly believes in providing on-going support and will assign a dedicated Performance Manager to the team (response time is usually under 15 minutes). Specialized support teams in SEO, Digital Marketing and other focused areas are available.

Optional consulting services are available, along with optional marketing support to help create brand-specific content, articles and blogs. The optional marketing services also provide guidance with such topics as digital advertising, custom content creation, digital banners and much more.

Contracts

12-month contract is the typical DEP term. The set-up fee is waived when entering into a 12-month term.

Company Profile

• Type - Private Company
• Number of Customers - 1,000+ customers
• Employees - 100+ employees
• Founded - 2006
• Lactation - Downers Grove, IL