Enhancement to popular “smart” chat platform includes Google Adwords integration for better ROI optimization and an improved mobile experience

West Palm Beach, FL - April 20, 2015 – Gubagoo Inc., the fastest growing chat and website engagement provider for automotive dealerships, today announced significant upgrades to its popular “smart” chat platform interface. Key enhancements to the ChatSmart platform include advanced Google Analytics integration and a new responsive platform that supports all devices – desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, etc. The addition of SMS text-to-chat opens up direct communication on mobile devices and gives customers who are chatting with the dealership the freedom to seamlessly transition from a desktop environment to a mobile device mid-conversation.

The new chat platform’s responsive design and customizable interface means it integrates seamlessly within any website – mimicking the site’s look and feel in any environment, encouraging engagement and creating an improved customer experience. The new chat to text functionality lets consumers take their chat “on the go,” versus keeping them chained to a desktop computer, and the new mobile inventory integration lets chat operators push inventory images that match a consumer’s preference directly to a smartphone.

“These new enhancements greatly extend the benefits of ChatSmart’s ‘active engagement,’ which lets dealers talk with their customers based on preferences and history, instead of talking at customers. Because dealers get an insight into exactly what a customer is doing on their website, ChatSmart has been able to achieve as high as 77% chat-to-lead conversions,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo Inc. “This new upgrade promises to increase these results by giving website users even more flexibility and mobility when it comes to their chat interaction.”

ChatSmart’s high conversion rates can be attributed to its utilization of click activity, frequency of visits and predictive models to improve the consumer experience. It is the first chat platform to match vehicles of interest to website visitors, as well as serving up relevant incentives, offers and inventory in real time.

Key ChatSmart 2.0 Features:

Google Analytics Integration – Increased visibility for chat and lead activities directly within Google Analytics, as well as integration with Google Adwords which allows dealers to monitor and optimize keywords and campaigns as they relate to chat activities.

New User Interface – ChatSmart 2.0’s state-of-the-art, modern, flat design enhances the integration of chat into a website and dynamic customization enables an infinite number of styling and color combinations to match the native look and feel of the website.

SMS Text-to-Chat – Customers can communication however they like – whether via chat or SMS texting. Makes on-the-go conversations seamless and easy.

Mobile Inventory Integration – Pictures of vehicles can now be pushed to customers on their mobile phones.

Responsive Toolbar – ChatSmart 2.0 works with any responsive website provider platform.

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. 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. Over 1,200 websites, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups and OEM-certified programs, are powered by Gubagoo.

Media Relations:

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

ALBANY, N.Y. – April 20th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) today announced the results of an informal survey it conducted from November 2014 to April 2015. More than 100 dealership employees responded to questions about mobile usage in the dealership, and it turns out that despite the auto industry's promotion of mobile tablet software solutions, only 20 percent of auto dealerships use mobile tablets in their sales and service departments. Even fewer dealerships have adopted mobile tablets in the F&I department, with only seven percent indicating they use mobile tablets in the F&I process.

"I think we're seeing the classic bell curve in terms of dealers adopting a new technology," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "It's only been in the last year or two that we've seen many vendors make their solutions available on mobile tablets, and 20 percent of dealerships are early adopters. I anticipate this percentage will rise dramatically in the next few years as mobile tablet usage in the dealership becomes more mainstream."

Esposito cites the following reasons as the primary obstacles to widespread adoption of mobile tablets in the dealership:

1) Cost. The hardware and software costs associated with mobile tablets are not the primary cost objection. The larger issue for dealers is the cost of expanding their wi-fi infrastructure throughout the entire dealership, so mobile tablets can be used efficiently even in the furthest corners of a service bay.

2) Change. Mobile tablet usage requires a change in processes, from how customers are greeted in the service lane, to multi-point inspections, to how the salespeople interact with customers on the lot. Many dealers are resistant to change, putting off what they know will be a painful transition to completely new processes.

3) ROI is undefined. Historically dealers have not adopted new technologies until the ROI is made clear; before investing in mobile tablet usage, they want to know what the return will be.

A summary of the key takeaways from the mobile usage in the dealership survey results includes:

1) Mobile tablets appear to be used most often in the sales process:

• 21% use them to search for dealership inventory
• 20% use them to scan VINs
• 15.5% use them to demonstrate features for customers
• 80% of dealerships don't use mobile tablets in the sales process, but 15% would like to try

2) The second place mobile tablets are most often used in the dealership is in the fixed ops department:

• 12% use them to take photos of vehicles to safeguard against false claims
• 8.5% use them to enter VIN and vehicle information
• 8.5% use them to perform multi-point vehicle inspections
• 78% don't use mobile tablets in the fixed ops process, but 20% would like to try

3) The third ranked usage of mobile tablets in the dealership is in the F&I department:

• 7% use them for signing and e-delivery of documents
• 6% use them to present pricing and payment options
• 5% use them for menu presentation
• 93% don't use mobile tablets in the F&I process but 15% would like to try

4) Mobile tablets are used the least by executives and managers to review financial information:

• 6% use them to track KPI's
• 5% use them to view Daily DOCs
• 5% use them to drill down into dashboard and metrics
• Nearly 95% don't use mobile tablets to review financial information, but 11% would like to try

5) What do you believe are the greatest benefits to using mobile tablets in the dealership? Responses are ranked in order:

• Improves dealership efficiency/workflow/consistency in process (29%)
• Speeds up processes (25%)
• Makes dealership personnel jobs easier (19%)
• Increases customer satisfaction (14%)
• Reduces paperwork (7%)
• Increases revenue (6%)

6) What mobile tablet platform does your dealership use? Responses are ranked in order:

• Apple iOS (37%)
• Windows (9%)
• Android (7%)
• Blackberry (1%)
• Don't Know (13%)

Esposito said the biggest surprise from the survey was the response to question number five, where respondents ranked benefits of using mobile tablets. "The biggest benefit of using mobile tablets is the increase in customer satisfaction, as it ultimately has the biggest impact on a dealer's bottom line," said Esposito.

Esposito also encourages dealers to be more thorough in their vetting process for mobile tablet platforms. "Most dealerships use iPads because of the brand name and general popularity of that product," said Esposito, "but if your dealership is running its DMS and other software programs on a Windows platform, it might make more sense to use a Microsoft Surface Pro so all data exchanges are instant and seamless."

For dealerships that are considering adopting mobile tablets, Esposito recommends starting in the fixed ops department. "Service is clearly the department that stands to benefit the most from mobile tablet adoption; from greeting customers in the service lane, opening RO's, conducting multi-point inspections, viewing recalls and recommended maintenances to pave the way to a better upsell process, the revenue potential in service is the greatest."

With costs coming down and the growing awareness of the benefits of mobile tablet usage, Esposito predicts a huge spike in dealership adoption rates over the next few years. "The sooner dealers create and embrace new processes for mobile tablets, the sooner they will benefit."

For more information about Auto/Mate Dealership Systems, visit www.automate.com.

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships. Its Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate received the “Highest Rated DMS of 2012" and the "Highest Rated DMS of 2013" awards in the annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 850 years of combined experience working in auto dealerships – the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. For more information visit our website and follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS

Offered as part of TCi’s T3 Prime program, Service Connect’s award-winning customizable mobile technology helps Aftermarket retailers retain and engage with today’s “always-on” consumer

Daytona Beach, FL – April 20, 2015 – DMEautomotive today announced that TCi, Tire Centers LLC, one of America’s premier tire distributors, has selected Service Connect, DMEa’s groundbreaking aftermarket-branded mobile app, to help its retailers increase sales, loyalty and retention among today’s “always-on” consumers.  TCi has thousands of customers across the US and services all 50 states.

TCi will offer Service Connect to its independent tire dealer customers nationwide as part of its T3 Prime^TM program, which offers internet marketing and other services. The technology behind Service Connect is proven to increase sales and retention and drive customer loyalty, especially among mobile-hungry Millennials who prefer to do almost everything through the convenience of a smartphone.

 “We are pleased to be one of the first to make the power of mobile marketing completely turnkey for the aftermarket industry,” said Mike Walther, Chief Executive Officer for DMEautomotive.  “TCi has a passion for service excellence and creating customer loyalty which makes Service Connect a perfect fit. Service Connect takes that passion and puts it in the hands of the millions of consumers who are increasingly turning to their smartphones and apps for their vehicle needs.”

Recent studies show that smartphone usage is skyrocketing, which can in turn drive sales and service revenue through the roof:

• By 2020, there will be an estimated 245,000,000 smartphone users in the US. (Statista, 2015)
• In 2014 there was a 38% increase in use of consumer reviews, 89% growth in smartphone usage, 190% growth in interest in online purchases. (Google Analytics, 2015)
• Consumers using a mobile app will make 25% more service appointments, and their service visit frequency grows 3.7 times faster than customers without the app (DMEautomotive, 2014)

By putting an entire store right on a consumer’s smartphone, Service Connect makes it easy for consumers to understand their vehicle service needs and, with the tap of a finger, even call their tire dealer to make an appointment  – all while making communication and relationship-building easier and more direct between the dealers and their customer base. 

“We chose DMEautomotive for their marketing excellence and industry leading programs,” said Vickie Johnson, TCi’s Director of Retail Marketing.  “Service Connect will help our dealers engage with customers on their terms, more quickly, and with greater efficiency than ever before. It is a simple equation: stronger customer relationships means better, happier service customers in the long run.”

Available now to TCi dealers, Service Connect has been built from the ground up by DMEautomotive. Service Connect’s foundational technology has won multiple awards, most recently including the 2015 Digital Edge Award from IDG, and the 2015 and 2014 AWA award for mobile apps.

Service Connect is tailored for the specific needs of the aftermarket industry, bringing aftermarket providers the customer engagement and retention services they need with the customization they crave. Service Connect features include:

• Mobile Wallet so customers can store coupons and promotion
• Multi-location geo-fencing support for mobile wallet, coupons, and promotions
• Keep track of important vehicle information, including tire size, all in one place
• Service history tracking
• Service appointment setting
• Loyalty status and point/balance history
• Recall notifications
• Kelly Blue Book car valuation
• Tire & Service offers and promotions
• Reporting through Red Rocket Technology

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa) 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.

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! 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 TCi
Headquartered in Duncan, S.C., Tire Centers, LLC (TCi) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michelin North America, Inc., and comprises two divisions – distribution and commercial. The distribution division serves passenger and light truck retailers with 86 distribution centers across the country. With 67 commercial centers, TCi supports its commercial division’s truck and earthmover customers throughout the United States. The company also operates nine state-of-the-art Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) plants nationwide. For more information on TCi, visit www.tirecenters.com.

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com
Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (949) 929-4637, crystal@mwebbcom.com

TCi Media Relations:

Stephanie Tarbet, Michelin North America, 864.458.4548, stephanie.tarbet@us.micheiln.com

CarStory Market Reports named highest rated in Mobile Solutions category

Austin, Texas – April 13, 2015 – CarStory, the industry’s largest provider of crowdsourced data and analytics on used vehicles, announced today that it is the winner of a Dealer Marketing Magazine’s 2015 Technology Leadership Awards in the Mobile Solutions category.

“We’re so pleased our dealer customers nominated us and we thank Dealer Marketing Magazine for the opportunity – it’s an honor to have been awarded the highest rating for the mobile application of our CarStory Market Reports,” said Chad Bockius, CMO of CarStory. “This is particularly rewarding because the review panel is made up of people with a great understanding of automotive retailing and they have recognized our Market Reports’ role in accelerating the sales process by giving sales consultants everything they need to know about a vehicle – especially when it comes to the unfamiliar, off-brand, used vehicles that end up on their lots.”

CarStory Market Reports are a free merchandising tool and lead source that are easily accessible on dealer websites, as well as on the lot via smart phones and tablets. The CarStory companion app, available for purchase by dealers, was awarded the same Technology Leadership distinction in 2014.

The reports’ unique market insights enhance Vehicle Detail Pages (VDP) by highlighting the vehicle’s most valuable features, including condition and pricing, as compared to similar vehicles in the local market. In addition, the reports recommend “Smart Alternatives” from the dealership’s inventory, such as vehicles with lower mileage, a lower price and/or a different color. These Smart Alternatives keep customers shopping on the dealer’s lot and help accelerate the purchase decision.

An eleven-member DealerKnows’ Vendor Review Dealer Panel, including moderators Joe Webb and Bill Playford, selected a total of nine award recipients across various categories.

Dealer Marketing Magazine’s Technology Leadership Awards’ selection process is designed to ensure objectivity. Nominations are open to all vendors that have developed the most innovative products, tools, or services that benefit auto dealers across the country. A full list of award results is available online at dealermarketing.com.

“CarStory Market Reports provides the right type of vehicle analytics for consumers to educate themselves on the perfect vehicle earlier in the purchasing process,” said Michael Ashton, Senior Manager of CPO and Used Car Operations at Volkswagen.

About CarStory

CarStory is the industry’s largest provider of crowdsourced data and analytics on used vehicle pricing and preferences. CarStory Market Reports synthesize over four million real-time used vehicle listings with crowdsourced 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. Learn more at CarStory.com

About Vast

Vast is the premier provider of big data solutions for life’s biggest purchases. Vast’s industry-leading big data platform and applications are currently in use at many of the largest automotive, real estate and travel businesses in the world. Vast serves Global 1,000 companies, including AOL and Southwest Airlines. Learn more at Vast.com.

Media Relations:

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

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

"The Importance of Quality Response," presented by SCI MarketView,

named 2015’s Most Valuable Insight at third annual DrivingSales Presidents Club

Salt Lake City, UT– April 8, 2015 – DrivingSales today announced that "The Importance of Quality Response," presented by SCI MarketView, has been named the 2015 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight.  SCI MarketView received the award from DrivingSales CEO Jared Hamilton at the sold-out Presidents Club event in New York City on April 1st. The Most Valuable Insight competition, which was judged exclusively by dealer executives, was created by DrivingSales to foster the spirit of progress and thought leadership in the auto industry.

“This year’s Most Valuable Insight competition was a very tight race between five truly exceptional and actionable insights, illustrating once again that this is one of the most inspirational and exciting segments of the Presidents Club,” said DrivingSales CEO Jared Hamilton.  “We are proud to congratulate our 2015 Most Valuable Insight award winner, SCI MarketView, for a smart insight that our attendees can take home and immediately implement in their dealership; and thank you to all MVI finalists for ideas that will help move our industry forward.”

For their insight, SCI MarketView analyzed two thousand auto shopper responses to demonstrate how dealers can quadruple their chances of bringing shoppers into the showroom and close deals. The presentation illustrated that it is not just the speed of the initial response that determines effectiveness, but also quality: responses that contain personalized elements, with a high correlation to the consumer’s initial interest, increase the chances of success.

As the winner of the Most Valuable Insight competition, SCI MarketView will have the opportunity to present the data in much greater detail on the main stage at the 2015 DrivingSales Executive Summit in October in Las Vegas.  The Most Valuable Insight runners-up are (alphabetically by company) "Fine Tune Your Fixed Ops Phone Skills: Inbound call handling secrets revealed," presented by CallSource, "The Next Chapter of Car Buying: Consumer preference will drive radical change in dealership process," presented by Cox Automotive, "How Pricing Drives New Vehicle Buyer Preference And Profitability," presented by vAuto

 For the DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight competition, industry professionals are asked to provide an insight, founded on original research, which can provide significant value to dealership executives.  A panel of top Dealer Principals/Owners and General Managers from innovative dealerships across the US chose five finalists from online applications.  The submissions were evaluated entirely on their merits, without identifying the submitter. The finalists presented their insights onstage, in nine minutes each, at the Presidents Club event, with the winner selected by a dealer panel.

The Most Valuable Insight Competition was part of a high-level line-up at the DrivingSales Presidents Club that included the former leader of Navy SEAL Team Six, Sonic Automotive’s VP and CMO Rachel Richards, and the release of The DrivingSales Consumer Experience Study based on a 16 month-long ethnographic and quantitative research initiative with over 1,300 shopper and buyers. The study looks at the rational and emotional factors that cause modern automotive shoppers to connect, or disconnect, with automotive dealers in the buying process.  Interested parties can keep connected with these findings at http://www.drivingsales.com/trust.

For more information about the DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Competition, go to http://www.drivingsalespresidentsclub.com/competition/.

Check out today’s blog on DrivingSales at: http://www.drivingsales.com/blogs/DrivingSales/2015/04/08/sci-marketview-wins-presidents-club-most-valuable-insight-competition

About The DrivingSales Presidents Club

Held annually on the east coast, The DrivingSales Presidents Club offers dealer principals a place where they can access the right, relevant information to lead their dealerships – profit-building information filtered through those who understand it best: innovative leaders from inside and outside the industry who have built great business strategies; progressive dealerships who are making a difference on the ground, and the forward-thinking general managers and dealership principals who not only know what information matters, but how it matters. The event, which is dealer-designed to cover the topics most relevant to the challenges of dealership leadership today, also emphasizes peer interaction and idea-sharing forums. Discussions and presentations focus on the three foundational assets of successful dealership operations, Capital, Brand and People and the event includes The Most Valuable Insight competition.

About DrivingSales   
DrivingSales provides automotive dealership professionals with actionable insight and solutions to implement strategic change that advance their careers and grow their businesses amidst the disruptions of today's market.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by over 60% of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance.  DrivingSales operates three business units geared at delivering actionable insight to dealers:  DrivingSales Media, which comprises the DrivingSales.com dealer community, DrivingSales News, Dealer Executive Magazine, and multiple industry conferences. DrivingSales University, the leading provider of automotive retail education content and certification programs, and DrivingSales Data, the industry’s largest cross-channel data analytics platform.

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

DrivingSales Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340

Crystal Hartwell (crystal@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.987.1016

CallSource manages over 8 million calls to dealerships every month and analyzed nearly 2,500 calls to determine how auto dealers can convert more service calls into appointments

Westlake Village, CA – April 7, 2015 - CallSource, the U.S. leader in call management, tracking, and training, conducted research into best practices for successful service appointment setting, winning the company one of four finalist slots at DrivingSales Presidents Club’s Most Valuable Insight competition.

The research, presented last week at the New York event, analyzed data across 2,464 phone calls and identified six key behaviors that, when successfully performed, were crucial in increasing service call-to-appointment ratios. The study also examined the frequency with which call handlers performed these six key behaviors.

Six of the surprisingly simple steps to increase appointments for Fixed Ops include:

1. Asking caller “How May I Help You?” – An essential element of an effective greeting, but was only asked 64% of the time on the analyzed calls.
2. Establishing if caller is a prior customer – Recognizing valuable repeat customers is good for business and saves time on the call yet this only occurred 62% of the time.
3. Identifying vehicle that needs service – Crucial in maintaining control of the call and guiding it toward an appointment yet only 69% of the time did call handlers do this.
4. Obtaining caller’s full name – Getting the customer’s first name helps build rapport while the last name is important for accurate record keeping but this only happened on 66% of calls studied.
5. Asking about additional questions/concerns – Not only does this show the caller that the call handler cares, it’s an effective way to identify potential upsell opportunities, but only 6% of the calls studied included this critical step.
6. Determine caller’s timeframe for service needs – This is the best way to get callers to commit to an appointment but only 65% of call handlers did this on calls analyzed.

“We were surprised that in nearly 30% of the calls, these key, obvious actions were not implemented by service department call handlers,” said Andrew Price, President of CallSource Automotive. This study is a wakeup call for dealers into the state of automotive service department call handling and we hope this insight will be used by dealers to immediately improve their call-to-appointment ratios.”

CallSource invented call tracking and has tracked more than one billion calls to date. Today, with state-of-the-art call management innovations, the company qualifies incoming leads for dealers, works to improve phone skills and, crucially, helps them recover and reduce missed opportunities. According to research^[1], on average, 20% of incoming service calls are mishandled at the dealership, usually resulting in the customer taking their business to a competing store. CallSource provides dealerships with the tools they need to retain that business.

About CallSource

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 calls. Based in Westlake Village, Calif., CallSource recently received a patent for its Sales Profit Management (SPM) system, which combines the actionable data of its call analytics, performance analysis, advisory services, and online 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

Award-winning customizable mobile technology helps Aftermarket retailers retain and engage with today’s “always-on” consumer

Daytona Beach, FL – April 7, 2015 – DMEautomotive today announced the launch of Service Connect, a new mobile app built for the unique needs of the Aftermarket service provider. The technology upon which Service Connect is built is proven to increase service revenue, customer retention, and drive increased customer loyalty for retailers, especially among mobile-hungry Millennials who prefer to do almost everything through the screen of a smartphone.

“We know that a mobile app can provide a competitive edge for service retailers who, each and every day, are fighting for business in an increasingly crowded market. Our research shows that mobile apps can drive more service appointments, and increase service visit frequency,” said Mike Martinez, Chief Marketing Officer for DMEautomotive. “That’s why we are proud to be at the forefront of transforming the power of mobile marketing into a turnkey solution for the Aftermarket industry with Service Connect.”

Recent studies show that smartphone usage is skyrocketing.

• By 2020, there will be an estimated 245,000,000 smartphone users in the US. (Statista, 2015)
• In 2014 there was a 38% increase in use of consumer reviews, 89% growth in smartphone usage, 190% growth in interest in online purchases. (Google Analytics, 2015)
• Customers using an app make 25% more service appointments, and their service visit frequency grows 3.7 times faster than customers without the app. (DMEautomotive, 2014)

By putting an entire store right on a consumer’s smartphone, Service Connect makes it easy for consumers to understand their vehicle service needs and, at the tap of a finger, make an appointment with their service provider  – all while making communication and relationship-building easier and more direct between the retailer and their customer base. Additionally, Service Connect is integrated with DMEa Journey AMX, allowing retailers to send customers targeted lifecycle marketing messages and offers to ensure customer response.

Available to Aftermarket service providers immediately, Service Connect has been built from the ground up by DMEa. Service Connect’s foundational technology has won multiple awards, most recently including the 2015 Digital Edge Award from IDG, and the 2015 and 2014 AWA award recognizing innovative mobile apps.

Service Connect features include:

• Easy service appointment setting
• Service history tracking
• Mobile wallet enabled special offers
• Useful vehicle information for the customer’s vehicle or family fleet
• Targeted service reminders and coupons
• Loyalty points balance
• Recall notifications
• Customizable Parts & Service section for retailer promotions
• Special tools like flashlight, Find My Car, Digital Parking Meter and more

Service Connect is powered by the Red Rocket Technology Platform, allowing aftermarket providers to track and monitor app performance, 24/7. Through the centralized reporting platform, they can track service appointments, downloads, user accounts, app traffic, and activity trends online, as well as subscribe to the Mobile App Report Card to keep up to date on their most impactful mobile metrics.

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa) 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.

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! 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.

Media Relations

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com
Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, (949) 929-4637, crystal@mwebbcom.com

ALBANY, N.Y. – April 6th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced the release of a free eBook titled "The Auto Dealer's Ten Step Guide to Creating Customer Loyalty: No Customer Loyalty Program Needed!" The eBook shares management and leadership principles proven to increase customer loyalty and generate higher profits, such as focusing on employee happiness and company culture.

"True customer loyalty can't be purchased with a program because it's about the relationships your customers have with your employees," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "I firmly believe that how happy your employees are directly impacts how loyal your customers are and ultimately how successful your company can be."

The eBook walks dealers through the ten steps needed to improve company culture by focusing on employees first and customers second:

1) Know the difference: loyalty vs. satisfaction

2) Make customer loyalty a priority

3) Define why you are in business

4) Establish your company's core values

5) Inform, empower and reward your employees

6) Become a great place to work

7) Hire the right people

8) Become a leader, not a manager

9) Make decisions for the long term

10) Track and record results

"I've always wondered why there aren't more dealerships listed in local 'best place to work' award programs that are sponsored by Business Journals and by Workplace Dynamics," said Esposito. "Being listed as a great place to work gives companies a natural competitive advantage in terms of how that company is perceived by its customers as well as attracting and retaining top talent."

As an industry-leading DMS provider, Auto/Mate has no customer loyalty programs or products for sale and the free eBook focuses solely on leadership practices. Esposito is passionate about sharing the principles he has learned and implemented as President and CEO of Auto/Mate. Esposito has grown Auto/Mate from a small company with a few dozen employees and 250 dealership clients, to an enterprise with more than 150 employees and 1,100 dealership clients including 187 dealer groups. Nationwide there are over 30,000 users of Auto/Mate's DMS.

Auto/Mate has been recognized as a "Best Places to Work" by the Albany Business Review five years in a row, as a "Top Workplace" by the Albany Times-Union four years in a row, and is the industry's leading DMS vendor in customer satisfaction with a 99.7 percent customer retention rate.

For more information or to download the free eBook "The Auto Dealer's Ten Step Guide to Creating Customer Loyalty: No Customer Loyalty Program Needed!" visit: http://www.automate.com/resources/ebooks/

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships. Its Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate received the “Highest Rated DMS of 2012" and the "Highest Rated DMS of 2013" awards in the annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 850 years of combined experience working in auto dealerships – the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. For more information visit our website, follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at http://blog.automate.com

Urbandale, IA--April 6th, 2015--Flick Fusion (www.flickfusion.com), the industry's leading video marketing provider, announced today that Tim James, Vice President of Sales with Flick Fusion, will present a "Step-by-Step Guide To Successful Video Marketing: How to Implement and Maintain a Scalable Video Marketing Strategy and Start Dominating Your Competition!" at the 18th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Tampa, FL.

"What we hear from many dealers is that they know they need video marketing but they're not sure where to begin," said James. "Video marketing does not need to be complicated or time consuming. In my session I am going to break it down into a simple, step-by-step strategy that will be easy to implement, easy to scale, and will have a significant impact on the dealership’s most critical digital marketing metrics: lead rates, appointment rates, and show rates."

In his presentation, James will review the different types of videos to include in a scalable video marketing strategy and how to leverage your video data to improve your communication with your shoppers throughout the entire buying cycle and across multiple touch-points. James will also share the elements to include in videos that are proven to convert website visitors into leads, as well as how to create videos that generate emotional excitement and how to capitalize on that increased engagement in a timely manner.

Session attendees will take away actionable strategies to increase SEO rankings, website traffic, sales and profits. In addition, they will learn how to:

● Identify video marketing strategies that will have the biggest impact on conversion rates
● Identify video marketing strategies that will have the biggest impact on your lead/appointment rates
● Identify video marketing strategies that will have the biggest impact on appointment/show rates

James's presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22nd at 1:30 p.m. at the Tampa Convention Center.  For more information, call Flick Fusion at 515-333-4337 or click here to see James's video presentation.

About Flick Fusion

Flick Fusion specializes in creating, managing, and distributing dynamic and cost-effective online and mobile video products. Each video is designed to help dealerships reach and engage with customers, delivering rich content that results in increased sales and ROI. Flick Fusion produces video content for more than 3,000 dealerships and more than a dozen reseller partners. For more information, visit www.flickfusion.com.

New York, NY— April 6, 2015 – HookLogic, the global leader in commerce search advertising and premium provider of lead-generating incentive solutions for automotive dealers, today announced the release of a new eBook, Marketing Attribution: The Auto Dealer's Digital Roadmap from Awareness to Sale. The eBook reveals the latest best practices, strategies and tools being used by auto dealerships to track and improve performance of all their marketing channels.

“Today's customer journey from awareness to sale happens across numerous touch points. A consumer may conduct research on one web site, then move from a search engine to a blog to a review site, then click on an ad, all over the course of weeks or months. Your dealership brand may appear to a customer multiple times along their shopping journey, so how do you know what specific marketing effort leads to the sale?” said David Metter, president of automotive for HookLogic. “Marketing attribution is your roadmap to success – It gives insight into your customers' shopping behavior.”

More than 90 percent of customers begin their shopping process on the Internet. The ability to track IP address activity, interpret behavioral data and draw meaningful conclusions from that data is transforming the marketing landscape. Attribution is the digital roadmap that helps dealerships successfully navigate this new environment. Marketing Attribution: The Auto Dealer’s Digital Roadmap from Awareness to Sale covers how, when armed with accurate attribution data, dealerships can confidently try new strategies and tools to improve marketing performance.

The AutoHook suite of products by HookLogic provides one of the most powerful attribution models available. It gives auto dealers incredible insights to consumer behavior so they know which marketing channels, campaigns and efforts are influencing customers at critical junctures during their decision-making process.

Marketing Attribution: The Auto Dealer’s Digital Roadmap from Awareness to Sale shares how dealers are using innovative applications of AutoHook's incentive marketing tools and direct attribution models to increase leads, sales and marketing investment ROI.

To download a free copy of Marketing Attribution: The Auto Dealer’s Digital Roadmap from Awareness to Sale, visit: http://eepurl.com/biJNc5. To schedule a demonstration any of the AutoHook Suite of Solutions, visit: http://www6.hooklogic.com/autodemo, or call, 855-lead-2-show (855-532-3274).

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About HookLogic:

HookLogic, the global leader in commerce search advertising, partners with the world’s leading retailers, online travel agencies, and automotive companies to provide marketers unprecedented access to active category shoppers and a clear view into resulting sales attribution. The company’s high-performance vertical marketing programs accelerate sales for product brands, marketplace sellers, hoteliers, and automotive marketers. Network partners and advertisers including Walmart, Target, Intel, Asda, L’Oreal, Expedia, Priceline, General Motors, and Chrysler use HookLogic to increase sales and monetize site traffic. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Intel Capital, HookLogic is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Ann Arbor, Santa Monica, Atlanta, and London, UK.