.

Huntington Beach, CA – September 2, 2015 -- Vboost Inc., a viral marketing company focused on the auto industry, today announced the release of new reporting enhancements for its highly successful viral marketing program that enable auto dealers to better track customer interactions and exposure to more effectively manage their viral marketing campaigns.

Vboost’s core product is a quick and easy process to capture photos at the time of vehicle delivery and immediately send these “branded” photos onto customers to share with family and friends. The captured photos are stitched into a slideshow set to music. Now the customer becomes the dealer advocate by posting and sharing the video/photo packages via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other social platforms, as well as emailing and texting them to their friends and family. 

Vboost then monitors and quantifies results from each viral marketing campaign and reports back to their dealers. The Vboost Viral Marketing Platform delivers and tracks thousands of viral messages monthly – all designed to create referral business for its dealers. Vboost dealers enjoy share rates from 60 percent to as high as 130 percent for these “Customercials.” These results go beyond simple page views -- they reflect customers that are actually clicking and watching the dealership “Customercials.”

The new reporting features provide invaluable insight into how customers are not just looking at their photos, but also clicking through to the offers and connecting to the dealer’s inventory and social sites.  “This new visibility into customer behavior allows us to clearly see that these customer photos do lead to dealership traffic and more service and sales revenue”, said Paul Moran, Vboost CEO.  

The Vboost “Customercials” can be sent to the customer with a first service offer to encourage the customer to connect with the service department and schedule their first vehicle service. Once the videos and photos are shared with a friend or associate, the offer then becomes a sales offer. Up to 25 percent of photo packages convert into online traffic for the dealership and the enhanced reporting features enable dealers to better track all these interactions.

“A 2014 CMO Council report on social analytics within the auto industry states that it’s the passion behind car buying that translates over to social networking sites. This is exactly what Vboost does. We enable the customer to share their passion for that new vehicle with their network of family and friends and the results are incredibly powerful,” Moran stated.

The CMO Council report found that 84 percent of all automotive shoppers are on Facebook and 24 percent used the networking site as a resource for purchasing their last vehicle. In addition, one out of four car buyers used social media to discuss or communicate a recent purchase experience and 38 percent of consumers report they’ll consult social media next time they purchase a vehicle.

"The most powerful form of marketing is word-of-mouth and social media is the word-of-mouth of today. Vboost is the only form of advertising that gets posted for you by your customers. This is the best way to become part of the online conversation that goes on during the buying cycle,” said Moran.

Vboost will shortly be releasing an updated version of its core viral marketing product. Currently being piloted in numerous dealerships, it offers several enhanced capabilities. The company also plans an upcoming release of another new tool for dealers for effective prospect follow up, further expanding its product line.  Dealers should look for more news about these releases later this year.

Vboost will be exhibiting at the upcoming Digital Dealer 19 Conference and Exhibition, Booth #238, October 5-7 2015, in Las Vegas Nevada. For more information, or to schedule a demo, call 800-799-3130 or visit www.vboost.com

About Vboost:

Based in Huntington Beach, CA, Vboost, Inc., is the first process to bring more referral business to dealers by creating positive viral marketing that is delivered quickly and gets shared. It involves a streamlined process via a mobile application and three unique technologies, which collect customer photos at the time of vehicle delivery, convert them to custom music videos and sends them directly to the customer. By sending these branded messages to customers during the emotional highpoint of the buying process, we have found that most buyers are compelled to upload and share these videos with family and friends via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, email and other social media platforms. Best of all, results from each viral marketing campaign are being monitored, quantified and reported back to the dealers. For more information or a demonstration call 800.799.3130 or visit www.vboost.com.

New research from DMEautomotive reveals vehicle age, and lack of awareness of manufacturer recommendations, contributing to drop in number of consumers following manufacturer recommended service intervals

Daytona Beach, FL – August 25, 2015 – New research from DMEautomotive analyzes the factors influencing the decrease in the number of consumers who adhere to manufacturer’s recommended service intervals for their vehicles. The study of over 8,000 respondents from 2011 to 2014 revealed that the number of consumers who indicate that they regularly follow manufacturers’ recommendations has dropped by 15.6%.

With a 4.2 day increase in the service interval from 2013 to 2014, this data reveals a trend of Americans paying less attention to manufacturers’ service schedules and servicing their vehicles less frequently.

The DMEa “2015 Service Excellence” study pinpoints several potential contributors to this drop, including the increasing age of vehicles on the road, level of awareness of recommended oil change intervals, and consumer indifference.

“Parts and service profit represents a large piece of dealership profit. In fact, 2014 NADA data shows, on average, that it eclipses new and used vehicle sales profit. That’s why we continuously track exactly which service customers are being lost by the dealership, and why they’re straying,” said Mary Sheridan, PhD, Manager of DMEautomotive’s Research and Analytics. “This data represents yet another call to arms for dealers to communicate rigorously with their customers, rather than relying on recommended service intervals to retain their customer’s service business. A comprehensive in-store service experience that considers customers’ needs is a much better strategy for building positive, lasting and more profitable relationships with those customers.”

Key Highlights

• 23% of consumers surveyed say they are unaware of the manufacturer’s recommended oil change interval, a key target for dealership marketing: of the 77% who do know the manufacturer’s recommended oil change interval, 18% chose to ignore it, often delaying service.
• Approximately a third of consumers who do not follow manufacturer’s recommendations feel service at the recommended frequency is not necessary.

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEautomotive's mission to increase customer engagement for automotive customers is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada, and in more than 45 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Service Repair Solutions, a joint venture with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, that provides solutions for the service, maintenance and repair market; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to Solera's website at http://www.solerainc.com

Media Relations

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (949) 929-4637, crystal@mwebbcom.com

Vancouver WA—AUGUST 25, 2015 – 74 Percent of daily visitors to auto dealer websites, if given the option, would prefer to work the entire deal online, including financing, price negotiation, back office, paperwork and home delivery, according to a recent automobile survey by Accenture. To meet this growing need, DealerSuccess, an automotive industry marketing/branding company, today announced the launch of Virtual Deal, an Online Deal Creator for the consumer that uses an innovative perfect payment DMS-integrated technology. Auto dealers are currently desking 50-200 extra deals a month with VirtualDeal, at a 96 percent consumer closing ratio.

“We have been implementing web conversion tools for the better part of a decade. In that time, we have never seen a conversion tool dominate like VirtualDeal. Since inception, 37 percent of ALL our web conversions are the result of VirtualDeal. As a result, our stores are rapidly switching over to this superior way of engaging and converting car shoppers. With VirtualDeal, we are truly one step closer to true automotive e-commerce,” said Sean McKannay, CIO Dick Hannah Dealerships.

VirtualDeal is a simple plug-in to an auto dealership’s existing website and works as follows:  A customer can select a vehicle, click the VirtualDeal button and complete their entire deal from home. Customers are able to get multiple lease/payment options, trade value, financing and fees, and reserve their vehicle for up to 24 hours. VirtualDeal also creates perfect payments that both the dealer and consumer can get behind, and has an integrated customer follow-up system with full accountability reporting. DMS and CRM integration captures customer values/history and allows deal push, accurate ROI and closed RO VirtualDeal automation. DealerSuccess also guarantees a 200 percent ROI.

Quietly pilot tested, enhanced and improved over the past 8 years, VirtualDeal has been found to produce profitudying live dealerships, and with actual implementation of VirtualDeal on the Dick Hannah Honda website, I have seen firsthand that this technology produces spectacular results,” said Joe Orr, DealerSuccess CEO. “I know all of the questions. Will I lose profit on the front-end or the back-end? Can a deal really be finalized – payment perfect – online so that all that remains is the test drive? How does this benefit my dealership? Well, I’m so convinced that online deal creation is a game-changer; our industries next evolution; that I resigned from a career I loved, as a general manager at one of the greatest dealer groups in this nation, in order to take the helm at DealerSuccess and get VirtualDeal out to dealers across the nation. VirtualDeal has a 96 percent consumer closing ratio --- I have never seen any customer adoption like this in my 35- year career.”

Orr spent the last 25 years at Dick Hannah Dealerships, where he redefined the role of a General Manager in the 21^st century. He helped build the group, and its Honda dealership, into one of the largest in the North West. While working as GM, Orr served on the creative team with DealerPeak to totally re-create and re-brand their Online Deal Creation tool for his Honda store. He fell in love with the product and decided to leave automotive retail so as to further develop this tool (now VirtualDeal) for use in auto dealerships. Orr now works with his wife, Kim Orr, and her team, at DealerSuccess, to offer VirtualDeal as well as consulting and other revolutionary products that are meaningful to both dealerships and consumers.

Today’s consumer purchases almost everything online and VirtualDeal now offers that same experience for vehicles. With modern dealer websites, a consumer can choose the year, make, model and even the exact new or used vehicle they want to buy, all via the net. What has been missing is the ability for them to come to exact terms, commit to a purchase and reserve their vehicle from the comfort of their own home.

“Consumers surf through 5-8 dealer websites before driving to 1.4 dealerships – 1.4, how do they even do that? What if you had a VirtualDeal button – an Easy Button if you will -- on every piece of inventory with a fun video that explains the risk-free hassle-free benefits – do you think you would capture and engage more shoppers and desk more deals?” Orr questioned.

With VirtualDeal, customers can engage in a private message conversation with a dealership’s deal manager and it’s so mobile friendly that both the customer and the deal manager can work the entire deal from home -- risk free. Customers can receive up to 9 payment and down payment options on a buy or a lease, trade in offers, and a full disclosure. Perfect payment retail and lease proposals allow dealers to work a real deal with the customer, down to the penny. All that’s left is the test dive. Then, the customer simply completes the finance offerings and signs, greatly reducing their time at the dealership.

“VirtualDeal is an incredible value when it comes to additional sales generation – perhaps the best bang for the buck we have seen. Since so much of today’s traffic comes from our website, it’s up to us to convert that traffic into sales, which is exactly what VirtualDeal allows us to do. We would share our numbers with you, but you wouldn’t believe them anyway. Just do yourself, and your dealership a favor – sign up for VirtualDeal – you will not be sorry that you did,” said Brad Tonkin, Owner, Tonkin Auto Group.

For more information, or to schedule a demo, call: 855-568-4140 email joe@dealersuccess.net or visit: www.dealersuccess.net

About DealerSuccess:

DealerSuccess is a team of inspired and passionate automotive executives, dealership Internet directors and professional marketers that seek out, research, test and launch revolutionary automotive products that have the potential to evolve and disrupt automotive for both the consumer and DealerSuccess’ auto dealer partners.

Analysis by IHS Automotive, Commissioned by CallSource, Reveals Auto Dealers are Missing Out on Important Phone Leads

Westlake Village, CA – August 18, 2015 – Over eighty percent (84%) of a dealership’s inbound sales calls are not converted to a sale^[1] by that dealership, according to recent IHS Automotive analysis commissioned by CallSource. The performance of over 540 dealerships^[2] nationwide over a one-year period (4/14-3/15) was reviewed.

The analysis also revealed that, when managed properly, dealers are able to improve incoming call-to-sale ratios by more than 33%, based on further analysis of top-performing CallSource dealers. And, with calls currently outpacing email leads^[3] 4-1, improving incoming call-to-sales ratios could add hundreds of thousands of dollars to a dealership’s bottom line.

“Many dealers think they have a call handling process in place, yet without phone skills training and missed opportunity alerts, they lose countless sales opportunities every month,” said David Greene, VP CallSource Auto Division. “If call handlers could set just four more appointments each day and convert one of those to a sale, they would add an average of $2,200 in profit to the bottom line each day, or $66,000 per month^[4]!”

While not every incoming call can result in an appointment (e.g. caller not yet ready to buy, dealer lacking appropriate inventory), this analysis indicates that dealers have a significant opportunity to improve call handlers’ performance and convert more inbound calls into appointments.

According to CallSource, some of the most common reasons call handlers fail to convert inbound prospect calls to appointments are:

• Rude/unprofessional exchange

• Call handler’s lack of inventory knowledge

• No ‘needs analysis,’ so no alternative vehicle offered

• Call handler fails to ask for appointment

• Call handler asks the prospect to call back

• Salesperson unavailable

About CallSource

CallSource invented call tracking as a service and has tracked more than one billion calls since 1991. For over 25 years, CallSource’s award-winning solutions have helped businesses track, analyze and improve incoming call performance. In addition to tracking over one billion calls since inception, CallSource delivers marketing insight, including cost-per-lead analysis and sales conversion percentages, training and coaching solutions to improve phone skills, and tools that enable businesses to recapture mishandled opportunities. Based in Westlake Village, Calif., CallSource recently received a patent for its Sales Performance Management (SPM) system, which combines the actionable data of its call analytics, performance analysis, advisory services, and online and phone training/coaching from seasoned sales professionals. CallSource serves multiple industries including automotive, home services and healthcare, as well as numerous franchise businesses. Visit callsource.com.

Media Relations: 

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com 

Cassandra Cavanah, mWEBB Communications, (818) 397-4630, cassandra@mwebbcom.com

Bockius’ presentation “Big Data Strategies to Capitalize on Your Used Car Marketing” will be co-presented by Tom White, Jr. from Subaru of Wichita; Bockius and White were selected to speak by auto dealers in a highly competitive process; joining an agenda with four award-wining authors and other industry experts

Austin, Texas – August 17, 2015 – Chad Bockius, Chief Marketing Officer of CarStory, and Tom White Jr. from Subaru of Wichita have been selected to present at the seventh annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the largest gathering of progressive dealer executives other than the NADA conference. The presentation, Big Data Strategies to Capitalize on Your Used Car Marketing, was selected by a panel of dealers in a highly competitive process, just 1 in 3 applications were accepted.  Bockius and White join an agenda that includes seven keynotes from a Harvard Business School faculty member, leading search marketing and content marketing strategists, branding experts and technology visionaries, several of which are award-winning authors.

The DSES has sold out every year since inception and hosted over 1,000 attendees last year. It is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda. This year’s summit will be held Sunday, October 18 through Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at the Bellagio Las Vegas. 

“Tom White, Jr. and I are thrilled to be delivering this seminar on how big data can help dealerships sell more used cars and capture more online leads. Dealers will be able to walk out of our session with actionable items they can take back to their dealership to start driving up their used car conversions,” said Chad Bockius, Chief Marketing Officer of CarStory.

The two analytical minds of Chad Bockius and Tom White Jr. will be sharing eye-opening, and potentially controversial data, as to the online discovery process exhibited by today’s used car shoppers. Attendees of DSES will see industry-first data regarding the change in consumer shopping behavior on used car marketplaces and dealer websites.

“CarStory’s presentation was chosen from a competitive group of applicants comprising some of the industry’s most innovative dealer executives and thought leaders.   Clearly “Big Data Strategies to Capitalize on Your Used Car Marketing” resonated with our dealer panel because it offers the kind of ahead-of-the-curve insights, actionable information, and profit-building practices that our attendees can take home and immediately implement in their dealerships,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton.  “We are very proud to add both Chad Bockius of CarStory and Tom White Jr. from Subaru of Wichita to our 2015 agenda.”

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and to register before the event sells out, go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact events@drivingsales.com.   Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES15 as preparations continue throughout the year. 

About CarStory

CarStory is the industry’s largest provider of search and inventory data and analytics on used vehicle pricing and preferences. CarStory Market Reports are powered by Vast and synthesize over four million real-time used vehicle listings with data from over eight million searches a week to produce unique insights that help move consumers from online shoppers to on-the-lot buyers. By uncovering facts, features and competitive differentiators that make each vehicle unique in any given market, CarStory offers dealers and consumers the confidence they need to condense the sales process and walk away happy. A merchandising tool and lead source for websites, CarStory Market Reports are free to auto dealers. Learn more at www.carstory.com.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is the industry’s leading resource for automotive dealership professionals to obtain actionable insight, education and connections to advance their careers and grow their businesses in a time of unprecedented market change.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. 

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesNews.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

CarStory Contact:

Cassandra Cavanah

Cassandra@mwebbcom.com

mWEBB Communications

818.397.4630

DrivingSales Executive Summit Contact:
Christina DeVore
christina.devore@drivingsales.com
DrivingSales
866.943.8371x124

Gross Revenue Optimization (GRO) to be presented to automotive dealers at four key conferences: DealerSocket User Summit; Digital Dealer Conference & Expo; DrivingSales Executive Summit and Fixed Ops Conference & Expo

Daytona Beach, FL – August 13, 2015 – DMEautomotive (DMEa) today announced that Gross Revenue Optimization (GRO), its groundbreaking methodology built upon a foundation of statistical analysis and direct research for forecasting dealer fixed ops revenue and retention rates, has been selected as a presentation topic by DealerSocket.

Mary Sheridan, Manager of Research & Analytics at DMEautomotive, will present GRO at the upcoming 2015 DealerSocket User Summit on August 18-20 in San Diego, CA. Located at the Modern Bayfront Hilton in Downtown San Diego, the DealerSocket User Summit is an event filled with interactive classes, OEM Integrations, dealer showcases, and best practices of DealerSocket’s CRM Suite and latest products. Attendees come from dealerships across the U.S. to gain the knowledge they need to succeed and thrive covering each area of the dealership: sales, service, Internet, BDC, reputation, data mining, marketing, and reporting.

By addressing long-standing issues with traditional service retention metrics, GRO’s design helps dealers increase their customers’ lifetime spends in the dealership service lane and keep those customers coming back for their next vehicle purchases.

“Traditional fixed ops metrics have been the gold standard in the industry for years, representing the percent of dealership customers who come back for service within 12-18 months. But these metrics leave out vital customer behavioral data that causes dealers to make misguided investments and send the wrong messages to the wrong customers at the wrong times, wasting marketing dollars and their efforts,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director of DMEautomotive. “GRO takes this data into account, provides dealers with a clear picture of their customers, and helps them put plans in place to increase revenue and retention. We’re gratified that this topic has resonated so much with our clients, and we’re excited to present our proven metric to some of the top minds in the automotive industry at these prestigious events.”

In a study of GRO’s effect, DMEautomotive found the 4-year repurchase rate for the targeted range of dealers (with an average GRO score twice that of the majority of dealers) saw 75 more units sold than the majority of dealers by increasing the percent of captured customer lifetime value as measured by GRO.

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEa's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada and in more than 60 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Identifix, providing solutions for the service, maintenance and repair ("SMR") market; AutoPoint and DMEautomotive, providing data-driven tools to enhance SMR experiences and facilitate customer retention and marketing solutions for the retail automotive industry; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to the Solera's website at www.solerainc.com. - See more at: http://ir.solerainc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=210437&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2075383#sthash.QNLUPKmj.dpuf

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (949) 929-4637, crystal@mwebbcom.com

Company named preferred chat and telephony partner for Zimmerman’s retail automotive division

West Palm Beach, FL - August 12, 2015 – Gubagoo Inc., the fastest growing chat and website engagement provider for automotive dealerships, today announced a strategic partnership with Zimmerman Advertising. Gubagoo’s high-converting “smart” chat and telephony products, ChatSmart and TalkSmart, have been named the preferred chat and telephony services for the company’s retail automotive division.

“This strategic partnership with Gubagoo is a key capability to our retail automotive division’s exclusive integrated media messaging strategy,” said Rick Friedman, EVP Automotive at Zimmerman Advertising. “Gubagoo’s desktop and mobile chat management solutions allow us to deliver offers, real-time inventory, and other value-building media elements into an on-page slide-out window that keeps a consumer’s chat attention and click activity focused on our dealer’s website.” 

“In addition, the search activity tracking and scoring mechanisms in Gubagoo allow us to present the right offer to the right customer at the right time. Since combining Gubagoo’s chat and on-page promotional messages with our Zimmerman mobile and desktop website designs, we’re seeing record-level lead conversions on both platforms,” said Friedman.

“Partnering with such a leader in online retail marketing is a fantastic endorsement of how well our ‘smart’ chat and telephony solutions work,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo Inc. “We look forward to continuing to deliver chat and telephony solutions that let dealers talk with their customers based on preferences and history, instead of talking at customers.”

Gubagoo’s responsive design and customizable interface enables it to integrate seamlessly within any website – mimicking the site’s native look and feel, encouraging engagement and creating an improved customer experience. Gubagoo’s new SMS texting functionality lets consumers take their chat “on the go” rather than keeping them chained to a desktop computer, and the new mobile inventory integration enables Gubagoo’s chat professionals to push inventory images that match a consumer’s preference directly to a customer’s smartphone.

ChatSmart’s unique functionality has been able to achieve as high as 77% chat-to-lead conversions – the high conversion rates can be attributed to its utilization of click activity, frequency of visits and predictive models to improve the consumer experience.

About Gubagoo

Based in West Palm Beach, Florida and staffed by a team of veteran technologists and innovators in lead conversion, Gubagoo offers revolutionary behavioral engagement and scoring technologies for automotive websites as well as next generation telephony overflow services. With a mission to provide a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to the old lead generation model, Gubagoo is the first dealership website solution that successfully makes anonymous traffic identifiable and converts the 95% of dealer site traffic that traditionally defects. Incorporating smart predictive matching and the best chat technology available - and powered by its proprietary behavioral engagement and scoring engine, ‘B.E.A.S.T.’ - Gubagoo engages new and repeat dealer site visitors with unprecedented relevance. In addition, Gubagoo’s new 24/7 TalkSmart service is the first telephony overflow service with dynamic scripting and inventory integration, saving thousands of missed calls/leads for Gubagoo customers every month. Over 1,500 websites, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups and OEM-certified programs, are powered by Gubagoo. For more information on Gubagoo, visit http://www.gubagoo.com.

About Zimmerman Advertising

Zimmerman Advertising, an Omnicom Group company, is the leading integrated, retail agency in the country. Zimmerman’s clients represent some of the most prominent retail brands in the country, including hhgregg, Nissan, Party City, Dunkin’ Donuts, Chico’s, Tire Kingdom, AutoNation, Firehouse Subs, Boston Market, The Fresh Market and Michaels. Headquartered in South Florida, the agency has retail service offices throughout the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Nashville. For information on the agency, visit http://www.zadv.com.

Media Relations:

Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

New “PreQual” feature revolutionizes online dealership financing; makes it easy for consumers to prequalify for financing without impacting their credit score

Mission Viejo, CA – August 12, 2015 – eLEND Solutions™ today announced the addition of “Get Prequalified in Seconds” to CreditPlus™, giving automotive dealers the first-ever online, instant prequalification lending solution and elevating the online automotive retail financing process from basic prescreening to full prequalification. The new CreditPlus features bring a revolutionary instant prequalification program to retail automotive for the first time through Credit Bureau Connection, the exclusive credit reseller for eLEND Solutions™. 

Until now, dealers only had access to prescreening products which offered limited credit information and were initiated without consumer consent, or hard inquiry credit report products that impact consumers’ credit scores and have the burden and costs of additional compliance requirements.

CreditPlus “Get Prequalified in Seconds” delivers a full credit report and exact real-time credit score, and, importantly, is consumer-initiated so it greatly reduces compliance costs by eliminating the requirement for a firm offer of credit and the risk-based pricing notice. Now dealerships can prequalify consumers with a soft pull credit report in real time, instantly delivering a variety of finance options, driving up qualified leads and enabling them to match consumers with the right lending options early in the buying process.

“There is a huge difference between prequalification and prescreening or traditional hard inquiry credit reports. We are thrilled to offer CreditPlus users this game changing prequalification product and to have worked with our credit reseller partner Credit Bureau Connection to insure we have delivered a secure and 100% compliant process to our dealers,” said Pete MacInnis, CEO of eLEND Solutions. “The addition of prequalification to our suite of products enhances our mission of creating a connected car buying experience that seamlessly transitions online car shoppers to in-store buyers.”

“With the addition of PreQual to CreditPlus, eLEND Solutions is enabling the auto dealer to take a huge step forward in providing instant, real-time automotive financing options,” said Mike Green, CEO of Credit Bureau Connection.

CreditPlus instantly prequalifies customers based on dealer-defined credit criteria, giving car buyers direct, upfront access to dealership financing sources and real near-final terms from multiple lenders, all of which are controlled by the auto dealer. With CreditPlus, for the first time, dealers are able to match a buyer with the right car and the right lender program before the customer has even started the test drive. This facilitates a more equal exchange of information between consumer and dealer and the structuring of a more profitable deal.

About eLEND Solutions:

eLEND Solutions is a privately held technology company whose patented platform offers integrated credit, identification and finance solutions that enable a connected buying experience for consumers and a streamlined sales and finance workflow for dealers and lenders that reduces the time to complete a vehicle purchase transaction from hours to minutes.

Contact: 
Media Relations 
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, Melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (714) 987-1016, crystal@mwebbcom.com

Certification means safer, more reliable data exchange between the Reynolds and Reynolds ERA^®system and DMEautomotive’s award-winning suite of omni-channel customer retention and loyalty marketing products, from Journey NXT to Driver Connect

Daytona Beach, FL – August 11, 2015 – DMEautomotive (DMEa) today announced that it has completed the certification process in the Reynolds Certified Interface (RCI) Program for the Reynolds ERA^® dealership management system (DMS). This certification enables safer, more secure and reliable data exchange from the Reynolds ERA DMS to DMEa’s suite of omni-channel customer retention, loyalty and acquisition products, from its retention-driving powerhouse, Journey NXT to the industry-leading, award-winning mobile app, Driver Connect.

“We are proud to be an RCI-certified vendor,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director of DMEautomotive. “As a company powered by data and cutting-edge marketing science, we understand that the foundation of effective customer acquisition and retention marketing is access to that data, ensuring the right message reaches the right customer at the right time. Our mission is to take the data and turn it into marketing gold for our customers through products like Journey NXT, and our Mobile Complete product suite. Now, as an RCI vendor, we will be able to safely and securely mine even more of that customer data gold for our Reynolds ERA dealer customers.”

Certified data exchanges between DMEa products and the Reynolds ERA DMS are effective immediately; while certification with the Reynolds POWER DMS is in process.

DMEautomotive offers dealers, aftermarket providers and OEMs a top-to-bottom solution for increasing sales and service revenue & retention, building loyalty, and engaging customers:

• Journey NXT- Complete with customer segmentation and a defection-defense model, this retention marketing product keeps customers loyal throughout the vehicle lifecycle and beyond.
• OnDemand- Through an easy-to-access web portal, DMEa clients can create and send custom communications to customers quickly and with ultimate ease.
• Loyalty NXT- This program targets the most loyal customers with special offers at the right time to retain the most dealership revenue.
• Mobile Complete – DMEautomotive’s comprehensive mobile marketing suite designed to keep dealers ahead of the technological curve.
  • Driver Connect- Dealer-branded mobile app strengthens customer-to-dealer relationship while building loyalty, and increasing sales and service revenue & retention.
  • Digital Couponing- Mobile app functionality that targets customers with sales & special offers, instantly sending them the best “get-them-spending” deals a dealership has to offer to the palms of their hands!
  • Mobile Loyalty- Optimizing all the best loyalty-driving features of a traditional loyalty program without the pesky punch card.
  • Smart Spot- Through cutting-edge beacon technology, this product offers dealers the opportunity to capitalize on hyper-targeted marketing strategies that drive sales.
  • Dealer Pay- Through a smartphone push notification alert, Dealer Pay allows customers to view their invoice and tap to pay their RO, from anywhere, 24/7.
• MasterCall- As a complete set of compliant inbound and outbound customer contact management solutions, MasterCall is a flexible, scalable and affordable set of solutions that provides DMEa clients with the service they need to succeed.
• InSights- Easy-to-use analytics calculated at lightning speed, helps providers spot issues, identify trends and highlight opportunities for improvement relating to key loyalty and retention metrics through actionable and detailed business performance reports.
• Journey AMX- This complete, fully engaged customer-lifecycle retention program is designed to hook aftermarket customers and keep them coming back to the aftermarket provider for more service.
  • Tire TRX- This product enables providers to promote tire services and sales to customers who only come in for service, as well as existing customers who have never purchased tires.
• Service Connect- Aftermarket-branded mobile app utilizes all the best mobile marketing capabilities to engage customers in every aspect of the aftermarket service experience.

For more information about the RCI program, go to http://www.reyrey.com/solutions/data_management/rci.asp

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEautomotive's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada, and in more than 45 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Service Repair Solutions, a joint venture with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, that provides solutions for the service, maintenance and repair market; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to Solera's website at http://www.solerainc.com

DMEautomotive Media Relations:

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com
Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (714) 987-1016, crystal@mwebbcom.com

ALBANY, N.Y. – August 10th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today the release of a new corporate video that reflects its new marketing initiative, "We Do Business Differently." The goal of the initiative is to raise awareness among auto dealers that Auto/Mate's consistent focus on employee happiness results in a better customer experience for its dealership clients.

"Everyone talks about customer loyalty, and I have found the best way to accomplish that is by focusing on employee loyalty, because when you have happy employees you will always have happy customers," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "In the same way everyone talks about the importance of customer service; and the way we accomplish that is by pledging to always do the right thing."

Auto/Mate's "We Do Business Differently" initiative reflects its core values:

• Be passionate & enjoy what you do: Designed by Car People, for Car People^TM
• Customer centricity: it's the customer who pays the wages.
• Honesty & integrity: always follow the golden rule.
• Humility: humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
• Family: we've got your back.
• Loyalty & Commitment: you leave the dance with the girl you brought to the dance.

Another differentiator that Auto/Mate's customers can count on is that a real human being answers every phone call, and the majority of customer support issues are resolved immediately. To expedite the process, Auto/Mate hires only customer service and technical support people with previous dealership work experience.

"A lot of software companies hire kids right out of college to work in technical support; and although they can learn the software, they are not familiar with dealership processes and what their customers are trying to accomplish," said Esposito. "When our customers tell us we're trying to get this number to balance or that report to show something, our support people know exactly what they're trying to do so they can help them through it."

In 2015 Auto/Mate won a "Top Workplaces" award, ranking first among 20 of its peers in the mid-sized business category in the New York capital region. Mike Esposito was also singled out for a special leadership award in the mid-sized business category. It was the fourth consecutive year that Auto/Mate received a "Top Workplaces" award from the Times-Union and WorkplaceDynamics. Auto/Mate has also been voted a "Best Place to Work" five years in a row by the Albany Business Review.

To watch Auto/Mate's "We Do Business Differently" video, click here.

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships, typically saving dealers thousands of dollars per month from their current provider. Our Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 940 years of combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning its customers’ business each and every month with no long-term contracts and free software upgrades. For more information follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS