Data indicates dealerships need to re-think their paid traffic spend.

New Orleans, LA, – January 25, 2014 – LotLinx, developers of the auto industry’s first deep- linking inventory serving platform, today released key findings at the 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association Conference from a national Dealer Tracking Study comparing Google AdWords’ campaigns against a new search strategy: Deep Linking inventory results on over 100 leading auto vertical search sites. The results of this month-long research were eye opening: while Google AdWords spend was significantly higher, driving more raw clicks per dealership (736 vs. 489), inventory syndication at shopping search sites drove double the rate of true, in-market shoppers (489 vs. 233). And Google was dramatically more expensive across all fronts, including critical metrics like Cost-per-VDP-View ($18.55 vs. $3.17) and Cost-per-Shopper ($73 vs. $3.95).

“Since Google AdWords launched in 2000, dealerships have spent literally $billions to drive direct-to-site traffic. Search engine marketing (SEM) currently represents 55% of their total digital spend[1],” said LotLinx Founder Len Short.  “But the auto Internet landscape, consumer behavior and the shopping funnel have profoundly changed over the past decade and inventory search is now the #1 online auto shopping activity.  This research takes a hard look at how that Adwords spend delivers vs. a Deep Link strategy.”

How the Test Worked: The study was conducted among 55 nationally representative dealerships in November 2013. Google Analytics data was used for monthly keyword spends, and all comparative site metrics like monthly visitors, VDP page views, etc.  Dealerships’ live inventory was syndicated[2] at 130+ popular auto search sites – these 130+ inventory-search sites reach the vast majority (85%) of auto shoppers each month and excluded classified sites like AutoTrader and Cars.com, which don’t allow shoppers to click through to dealer site VDPs.

KEY FINDINGS:

PPC vs. Search Site Inventory Syndication: Shoppers vs. Visitors (Monthly)

                                              Visitors   Shoppers   %Shoppers   %New       Monthly Cost

Inventory Syndication             489          489            100%           94%           $1,933

Google AdWords Total/Avg[3]  736          223             30%            81%           $17,444

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Inventory Syndication Drives FAR More Shoppers: This chart clearly reveals that while a hefty Google AdWords spend delivers dealerships traffic – it is inventory presence on auto search sites that delivers far more true shoppers. The average dealer reported that while AdWords delivered 50% more monthly visitors (albeit at a much higher cost-per), a deep link inventory syndication strategy drove 120% more actual shoppers a month. “Shoppers” are defined here as people that navigated to the dealership site via a specific inventory listing, or went on to search inventory at the dealer’s site, i.e. viewed a VDP (vehicle detail page).

One hundred percent of visitors delivered via inventory postings at auto vertical sites were identified as real shoppers, more than 3 times the rate of visitors from AdWords: 2 in 3 Google ad-clicks result in a “bounce”, or non-shopping activity (i.e., seeking service, contact or general info.) Worth noting is that competitive keyword campaigns (where dealers spend 2/3 of their PPC dollars, bidding competitively with OEMs, third-party sites and other dealers over key terms) represent the highest per visit cost, and yet deliver traffic with the lowest percentage of shoppers, and the lowest VDP views per visit.

This visitor/active shopper AdWords divide indicates that car shoppers tend to rely on Google at the early or “discovery” stage of their shopping journey (1-6 months out from purchase). Google’s own research[4] validates these findings: the #1 thing car shoppers use Google for is “to obtain general info,” while only 19% use it to research where to buy.
 

Inventory Syndication Drives More New-to-the-Dealership Consumers: This new dealership data indicates that the majority of site visitors (94%) generated by inventory syndication represent consumers that never visited the dealership website before – while Google AdWords’ campaigns drove a lesser, 81% new traffic. Inventory exposure across “shopping search” sites drives both more – and more new – customers for dealers.

PPC vs. Inventory Syndication: True Cost of Shoppers & VDP Views (Monthly)

   VDP Views    VDP Views/Visit    Mo. Cost     Cost/VDPView  Cost/Shopper

Inventory Syndication        609             1.08                $1,933                   $3.17             $3.95

Google Adwords Total/Avg[5]      900             1.06                   $17,444                 $18.55                 $73

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VDP Views Cost 6X More with AdWords: Research from Cobalt[6] shows that VDP views trounce all other behavioral metrics in identifying the very lowest-funnel shoppers and a looming sale. Of course, unlike AdWords traffic, all visitors generated via deep link clicks have already viewed a dealer’s VDP, and the chart above shows that they subsequently view more vehicle detail pages per visit (1.08) than visitors generated by the average AdWords campaign (1.06 views/visit).

AdWords campaigns delivered more VDP views/month/dealership than an inventory syndication strategy (900 vs. 609), but at a dramatically higher cost. The real cost to drive a VDP view via AdWords was $18.55, while driving one via inventory syndication at shopping search sites was a low $3.17 – six times less expensive.

Cost-Per-Shopper 19X Lower through Inventory Syndication: And the cost differential for a dealership to generate a true shopper (i.e., one actively searching a dealer’s inventory) was even more extreme: $73 via AdWords campaigns vs. only $3.95 through broad inventory syndication. So, while dealerships have been narrowly focused on cost-per-click metrics, touting the couple of dollars it costs to drive a visitor, this new data indicates that the key, new metrics that should be added to all AdWords (and digital marketing performance) reports are Cost-per-Shopper (CPS) and Cost-per-VDP-View (CVV). In this head-to-head comparison, inventory syndication at 130+ automotive shopping-search sites drove twice as many shoppers to dealership websites – at an overall cost of 8X less a month – 6X less per VDP view - and 19X less per shopper.

“Dealerships may still be refining their AdWords strategy, but this new research clearly shows that they also need to aggressively expose their inventory outside general search, concentrating on shopping search platforms where 85% of car shoppers find the inventory that leads to a lot visit” continued Short. “This may represent their best opportunity to use technology to improve both sales volume and velocity.”

About LotLinx

LotLinx is the auto industry's first direct-linking technology platform and connects over 6.5 million consumers searching vehicle inventory online every month directly to the dealership websites where that inventory resides. Founded by a team of veteran automotive and digital innovators, the company's mission is to tear down the third-party wall between dealers and their customers, and provide a more positive and efficient experience for dealerships and consumers alike. LotLinx's patent-pending technology replaces lead forms on third-party sites with direct links that transport consumers searching for inventory directly to the dealer's Vehicle Detail Page (VDP), all at a higher conversion rate and fraction of the cost of other online options. LotLinx is based in San Francisco, CA.

Media Contacts
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, 949-307-1723 / melanie@mwebbcom.com
Cassandra Cavanah, mWEBB Communications, (818) 397-4630 / cassandra@mwebbcom.com

Robust car and truck sales driving purchasing trends: average dealership analyzed sold accessories to over 50% of customers and generated 52.4% average gross profit margin

New Orleans, LA – January 25, 2014 - AddOnAuto (AOA) today released its annual Auto Accessories Trend Report that analyzes 2013 accessories sales data from dealerships across the country. The report highlights the accessories that were most popular with dealership customers in 2013, including the categories that had the most traction across different U.S. regions and the vehicle models that attracted the highest volume of accessories sales.

“Red hot truck sales, looser consumer wallets in a still fragile economy, and an increased vehicle ownership cycle impacted accessories trends in a year that saw a significant uptick in vehicle Protection Products,” said AddOnAuto President Sidney Haider.  “Meanwhile, the humble Floor Mat achieved the number one spot in sales volume for the second year in a row, generating enough profits for dealers to put it well ahead of other high priced and more glamorous competitors on the accessories shelf.”

According to the report, convenience, utility and protecting vehicle investment were overriding trends for 2013, all of which is reflected in the top 10 ranked accessories categories by volume, revenue and dealership profit: 

“While other accessories, including electronics, scored well - from Remote Starters to Body Side Moldings - the ascendance of the Floor Mat offers a valuable lesson to those dealers who shy away from accessories sales for fear of complex next-generation gadgets,” continued Haider. “It is not electronics, but the tried and true and practical aftermarket products that are winning the accessories game at dealerships – and dealerships who are embracing an accessories strategy are dramatically increasing their profits, generating, on average, about $475 a vehicle in accessories revenue.”

Trend Report Highlights:

• Volume:  Floor Mats were the most popular accessories for consumers in 2013 -- and they were not alone.  Protection Products (protection films, sprays and coatings for interior cloth and leather, etc.) continued their five-year rise almost to the top, taking the second spot in overall volume of products sold, up from the 6^th place a year ago. Alarm and Remote Starts gained in popularity, climbing from 4^th place to 3^rd place in 2013.

• Revenue: Protection Products overtook 2012’s leader, Paint Protection, to top the list. The increase in truck sales helped propel Tonneau Covers and Bed Caps from 9^th place in 2012 to 7^th place in 2013.And, as an indication of just how powerful the humble Floor Mat is:  in spite of their relatively low price point, Floor Mats volume was so high that they ranked 5^th in total dollars.

• Dealership Profits: Step Bars and Upholstery performed extremely well ranking 3^rd and 4^th for overall profits.  Body side moldings were also sold in such high numbers that they produced enough profits for the dealers to grab a position in the top 5 in profits for dealers. And the humble floor mat again did well, ranking as the 7^th most profit-making accessory category for dealers. Hitches, Dealer Packages and Window Tint retained their popularity from 2012 as they rounded out the top 10.

• Electronics: Alarms, Remote Starters & Recovery Devices outsold all other electronic products at the dealerships in 2013, with Back-up Cameras and Sensors coming in second. While Video products were less popular, compared to Backup Cameras and Sensors, they generated much higher revenue and profits for the dealerships. 

• Most Accessorized Models: Increased truck sales in 2013 had a major impact on the models that were most accessorized by consumers, the majority of which were in the light truck classification,  including the Chevrolet Equinox, Buick LaCrosse, Kia Sorrento, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler.

The 2014 AOA Auto Accessories Trend Report is based on sales data from a diverse sampling of 150 dealership who utilized AddOnAuto*. They represent 24 brands and 5 regions across 30 states. Sales by these dealerships, in aggregate, are up over 10% year over year, with more than $63 million in accessories sold during the year 2013.

To view the full report, click here: http://www.addonautos.com/homepopup/aoa-trend-report-2014.html

Visit AddOnAuto at Booth #5315 at the 2014 NADA Convention and Expo

Attend Sidney Haider’s NADA Workshop,  “Market Beyond the Ordinary with Accessories,” presented at the New Orleans, LA Convention Center. The workshop will be presented on the following dates and times:

First Session                Friday, January 24 at 2:00 pm (Room 224)

Second Session           Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 am (Room 281-282)

Third Session              Sunday, January 26 at 3:30 pm (Room 281-282)

Sponsored by NADA University, the workshop is part of the NADA Parts track. Attendees will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis, and requires no additional registration.

About AddOnAuto
AddOnAuto (AOA) is an in-store accessories sales technology that helps dealerships effortlessly sell accessories within their dealership, and streamlines what was once a cumbersome, arduous (and unprofitable) task for dealers, producing significant results for hundreds of dealers across the country over the past 3 years. AOA has demonstrated that accessories sales are an excellent source of added – and diversified – dealer income: dealers using the AOA product average $475 in accessories sales per new vehicle sold, and closed over 50% of the customers who were presented with accessories, reaping an average gross profit of 52.4%.

CONTACT: mWEBB Communications for AddOnAuto, Melanie Webber, +1-949-307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com

With Gubatel, Gubagoo becomes first intelligent chat-OR-call ‘Total Communications’ platform for dealership websites

Provides call agents with transparent window into which vehicles and/or services the caller is interested in; agents can discuss, display and email offers specific to their needs in real-time

New Orleans, LA – January 25, 2014 – At the National Automobile Dealer Association’s convention today, Gubagoo Inc. unveiled Gubatel, which adds a cutting-edge, cloud-based telephony solution to its existing analytics-based chat and engagement solutions for dealer websites.  With Gubatel, Gubagoo becomes the first dealer website solution to integrate an advanced telephony/call center solution into a dealer chat platform –both are powered by the company’s innovative analytics/tracking engine and inventory-matching platforms.

That means that, whether a dealer site visitor wants to connect on the phone or via online chat, agents no longer ‘fly blind’: they have a transparent window into the exact cars or dealer services that person was already researching as the phone rings, and can then intelligently discuss, automatically display, and send email offers/incentives on the  relevant dealer inventory on the fly. Dealerships can use Gubatel as their first-ring, 24/7 call solution or just for after-hours: either way the U.S.-based agents set sales and service appointments and, after each call, the Gubatel platform seamlessly delivers back to Internet departments (and CRM systems) these extremely hot, information-packed leads (with complete phone transcripts) for follow-up.

“Adding this critical call technology is all a part of our mission to not just be the smartest, highest-converting chat solution for dealerships, but to be much more: the first truly comprehensive, total-engagement strategy for a dealership’s website, making once-invisible visitors, ‘chatters’ and callers totally visible and actionable,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo. “Gubatel further helps us transform a dealer website from a ‘dead-zone’ into a conversation-packed, lead-generating arena. And now a visitor can engage any way they want: through chat on their computer, smartphone or tablet – or through live phone calls with information-empowered agents.”

More on How Gubatel Works:

• Before a dealer site visitor dials, Gubagoo’s Behavioral Engagement and Scoring Technology (the B.E.A.S.T.) has already relentlessly tracked that visitor’s site behavior (the exact cars they looked at, pages visited, etc.). So, no matter who takes the call, whether in-dealership staff or outsourced Gubatel call center agents, that customer’s rich profile is always right in front of them - ensuring efficient, relevant, high-converting conversations out of the gate.

• Gubatel also identifies if incoming calls are for sales or service and can screen callers to transfer to the right department. Additionally, all dealership info is baked right into the platform: hours, location/directions, etc.

• Because Gubatel integrates Gubagoo’s patent-pending Inventory Control and Vehicle Matching platforms, which predictively match the right in-stock dealer inventory to that customer, dealer salespeople and call center agents can discuss and share live, relevant inventory feeds/views (with pictures and vehicle details) all married to the right offers/incentives. This vehicle-matching technology also helps dealers move the oldest inventory, because it puts the relevant, aged vehicles first in line. In general, because agents are informed and can be instantly responsive to consumer questions, the likelihood of gathering contact info, and setting test drive and showroom visits, rises dramatically.

• During or after the call Gubatel’s system allows agents to send emails displaying relevant inventory, with the right incentives/offers, with just a click – again, spotlighting the aged inventory first.

• After every call, the dealership is sent all these highly motivated leads, with the caller’s contact info, the vehicles they’re interested in, and a complete transcript of the call. The Gubatel platform seamlessly inserts all this data into a dealer’s CRM system to make following up on these sales opportunities easy.

• Dealers have total flexibility: they can choose to use the Gubatel call center for all incoming calls – turn it on for just after-hours – or have it take every showroom and service department call after the fourth ring, to protect against missed opportunities and frustrated customers.

• Every Gubatel agent is U.S.-based, and for both of Gubagoo’s telephony and chat channels, operators that speak numerous languages are available.

“We invented behavior-based smart chat for dealership websites,” said Title. “And now we’re extending the power of our website analytics engine, and Vehicle Matching and Inventory Control platforms, to the phone. No matter how your dealership’s customers choose to engage at your website, Gubagoo and Gubatel guarantee they will be ENGAGED – and served up the right, relevant conversations, cars and offers that will move them so much closer to a sale.”

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 700 dealerships, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups, as well as OEM-certified programs, already have adopted Gubagoo-powered websites.

Gubagoo Media Relations: 

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

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

First technology to bring real, approved financing terms to the FRONT of the sales process, whether consumers are shopping at auto websites or in-dealership

Creates dramatic dealership efficiencies by cutting the transaction process from hours to minutes; a turn-key solution that ensures dealerships would be in total compliance with proposed CFPB regulations

New Orleans, LA - January 25, 2014 – E-LEND Solutions™ today announced that, after three years of research and development, its next-generation, patented auto finance platform will be unveiled to dealerships Q1 2014.  E-LEND is designed to positively transform the way auto financing “gets done,” and to help dealers sell and finance more cars with more speed, transparency and profitability than ever before.  

E-LEND’s loan decisioning engine is the first to:

• Display real, approved financing terms from dealership lenders at the very front of the shopping process to consumers - whether they’re researching at a dealership, OEM or auto portal website.
• Enable dealerships to cut the inefficient 3-4 hour sales and financing process to minutes, resulting in huge time and cost savings – and much improved customer satisfaction.
• Eliminate the guesswork and human error in determining loan terms (which often leads to costly loan rewrites and deal unwinds) - by aggregating lenders’ complex pricing and loan rules data inside the decision engine.
• Ensure ironclad dealer compliance if proposed CFPB regulations come to pass, by providing transparency, consistently applied underwriting criteria and detailed reporting on every step of the finance decision.

“The way cars have been financed at dealerships hasn’t really changed in a century – the only thing new is that instead of using the phone or fax machine to exchange credit apps and make decisions, dealers now do the same old thing electronically via loan aggregators,” said Pete MacInnis, CEO of E-LEND.  “It’s a process that is time-consuming, completely inefficient and rife with errors.  We created E-LEND to solve these age old problems and offer our industry a much-needed ‘next generation’ of auto finance.”

In addition to streamlining the process, E-LEND delivers a solution that meets new challenges faced by dealer F&I departments: today’s savvy consumers are demanding the same transparency in financing (upfront terms online) that they expect with vehicle pricing – and they are increasingly bypassing the dealership to get it.  Additionally, there is a real threat of government legislation to mandate transparency into how loan terms get set.  E-LEND is the first solution that tackles all these issues.

A Broken Dealership Financing Process: Most sales and financing departments are set up as independent “silos,” which prevent the flow of customer info, and result in today’s long, multi-stage purchasing process. Dealership sales managers eyeball the customer’s credit history to negotiate car price and finance terms without the involvement of any lenders (and without the ability to master the intense complexities of multiple lenders’ loan parameters and rules). Dealership sales managers use educated guesswork to set the financing rate with the consumer. Following that, F&I departments then “spray and pray” these terms to multiple lenders, hoping that the lender’s “black box” returns a matching decision.  All of which leads to an inefficient process and frequent loan rewrites.

How E-LEND Works (to Fix It): E-LEND’s platform allows auto lenders (whether OEM captives, banks, credit unions or specialty finance) to configure their exact credit programs, and build loan rules as complex as they require, through easy-to-use modules on the E-LEND dashboard.

When a consumer submits a credit application online or at a dealership computer, E-LEND’s smart technology instantly authenticates their identity, pulls their credit file, matches it to a chosen vehicle/price, and then “crunches” all that data against rate and rule data from the universe of lenders aggregated within the engine.

The result: real, final, approved loan terms from multiple lenders (including APR, monthly payment and length of loan) available to the dealer, in seconds.

More Benefits for Dealers AND Lenders:

• E-LEND functions for the auto finance supply chain as “Intel Inside” did for computers in the 90s. That means that “E-LEND Inside” is industry neutral and doesn’t compete with other dealer product/service providers, whether OEM websites, auto portals, dealer sites, inventory management providers, chat tools, CRM/desk tools, credit repositories, loan aggregators, loan origination systems, lenders or dealer management systems (DMS).

• Both dealerships and lenders are facing possible new CFPB regulations that would require that consumer loan rates are “discrimination-free.” Because E-LEND’s decision engine is 100% rules-based and objective, it makes any accusation of discriminatory lending “virtually” impossible. And with detailed audit trails tracking why every loan application was approved at that exact rate, it provides real protection for dealers and lenders against CFPB scrutiny and threats.

Unique Dealer Benefits – Ready-to-Buy customers, compatibility and efficiency:

• Because E-LEND allows profitable deals to get structured online or during test-drives, it gives finance managers more time to sell backend products.

• Unlike low closing “leads,” online-generated E-LEND loan applications represent the readiest-to-buy customers possible for dealers. And because the decision engine determines the overall amount a consumer can afford, the monthly payment, and down payment required, dealerships can put customers in the right vehicle and structure a profitable deal in minutes.

• Regardless of which desk tool they use, dealers can structure a purchase transaction, click on the embedded E-LEND button, and see a waterfall of lender programs that that customer qualifies for: from basic credit filtering to fully automated decisions with “Fund it Now!” messaging.

• Dealers can rely on E-LEND loan decisions as final terms of approval, but still retain the ability to forward applications to traditional electronic loan aggregators.

Unique Lender Benefits:

• E-LEND’s decision engine precisely matches credit apps to a lender’s pre-set, proprietary loan rules. So, unlike the current system where lenders are forced to process all apps, when only a few ultimately qualify for funding, E-LEND only delivers customers that a lender is likely to fund. This means deals are financed faster, with lower origination costs.

“The current outdated, low-tech financing process is costing dealers much more time and money than they realize – and seriously alienating their customers,” said MacInnis. “We know that bringing financing decisions to the front of the sales process is a dramatically new concept. So we invite all dealers and lenders to demo E-LEND, and fully understand how this new platform can make dealership financing radically more efficient, and even more profitable.”

About E-LEND Solutions:

E-LEND Solutions was founded in 2003 as DealerCentric, whose “Get Pre-Approved in Seconds” solution represents the auto industry’s leading online credit application product. The company has since expanded its mission by developing a comprehensive, next-generation consumer finance management system that will benefit dealers, lenders and consumers. E-LEND Solutions technology platform will bring financing to the front of the sales process, and put the customer in the right vehicle and loan, at the point of sale, reducing the dealership financing process from hours to minutes.  E-LEND Solutions is headed by Pete MacInnis, who leads a management team with over 250 years of automotive, finance and technology experience.  

Media Relations Contact: 

mWEBB Communications
Melanie Webber, (949) 307-1723 / melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Cassandra Cavanah, (818) 397-4630 / cassandra@mwebbcom.com

VinSolutions, the marketplace leader and developer of Internet-based customer relationship management (CRM) and internet lead management (ILM) for the automotive industry, and Xtime, the leading retention solution for automotive manufacturers and service departments, today announced a new partnership. This partnership will enable dealers to have an enhanced service CRM experience by utilizing both the VinSolutions CRM platform and the Xtime retention solution to enable call centers, service advisors and even salespeople to meet any customer's service needs from any part of the dealership.

"Lifecycle management is becoming evermore important for today's dealerships, and by integrating VinSolutions' CRM platform with Xtime's leading retention solution, we are helping to fill an unmet need in the industry," said Brian Skutta, vice president and general manager of VinSolutions. "For our dealer customers, this new partnership will enable them to have an end-to-end view of their customers, which will help them provide a best-in-class experience each and every time consumers engage with the dealership."

Benefits of this integration for our joint customers include:

Digital Accessories Platform Delivers Complete, End-to-End Solution for Dealerships to Market and Sell Vehicle Accessories

DAYTON, Ohio – Jan. 24, 2014 – Reynolds and Reynolds, a leading provider of automotive dealership software and services, announced today that the company has acquired Add.On.Auto (AOA), the leading digital platform for marketing and selling vehicle accessories. AOA is a web-enabled technology platform that streamlines accessory marketing and sales, providing a convenient, engaging way for consumers to learn about vehicle accessories and personalization at the time they purchase a vehicle. The automotive accessories marketplace is estimated at more than $32 billion in annual sales.

“Ninety percent of car buyers purchase vehicle accessories, and the majority of consumers would prefer to purchase accessories from the dealership. Yet, fewer than ten percent do,” said Robert Burnett, senior vice president of Corporate Development for Reynolds. “That’s a significant, untapped profit pool for dealers to go after if they have the right technology and processes to match consumers and accessories in the dealership. That’s what Add.On.Auto does – and what Reynolds can now deliver.”

Add.On.Auto already has been successfully implemented in hundreds of dealerships with measurable results in increasing per-vehicle accessory revenue.

Burnett also indicated that most dealerships today lack the tools and technologies to efficiently and profitably incorporate accessory sales into their showrooms or online. “With AOA’s technology platform, a consumer can add or remove accessories and instantly view them on the vehicle of choice – similar to other online retail experiences,” Burnett said. “It’s a powerful visual tool that makes the path to purchasing accessories clearer and more comfortable for the consumer.”

Highlights of Add.On.Auto’s technology include:

• Offering product animations for customers’ vehicles presented in a visually engaging way.
• Replacing traditional product catalogs with a technology platform that enables accessory information to be engaging and up-to-date so that pricing and availability are known and accurate.
• Efficiently managing the workflow and resources associated with accessory installation by coordinating and streamlining installation across the dealership and supplier network and minimizing accessory inventory requirements.
• Providing management tools to measure which accessories are selling, on which vehicles, and sold by which salesperson.

“Add.On.Auto’s technology has redefined electronic shopping for vehicle accessories,” said Sidney Haider, the company’s founder. “With Reynolds’ dealership footprint, its sales and service network, and its software development resources, this is a perfect fit to grow this business.”

Haider will continue to lead Add.On.Auto as part of Reynolds and Reynolds.

Burnett concluded: “We know that personalization is a one of the megatrends that’s putting more demands on retailers to change their operation to meet customer expectations, and a dealership’s customers are no different. The acquisition of AOA is one more step in our continued expansion of the Reynolds Retail Management System to target those areas that will help dealers become more profitable and improve the customer experience in the dealership.”

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio. (www.reyrey.com)

About Add.On.Auto

Add.On.Auto (AOA) is an accessories technology platform that is redefining electronic shopping for the vehicle personalization and accessories marketplace by helping auto retailers efficiently and profitably sell accessories and streamline what was once a cumbersome and inefficient task. AOA’s Digital Supplier Network brings customers, retailers, suppliers, distributors and manufacturers together on one platform. Add.On.Auto already has been successfully implemented in hundreds of dealerships, delivering measurable results in per-vehicle accessory revenue for dealerships and accessories sales for suppliers. (www.addonautos.com)

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Ranked No. 1 in Dealer Satisfaction in Chat Products Category for Fourth Straight Year

Contact At Once!, leading provider of automotive chat, has received the “Highest Rated” Chat Products Award in the fifth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards, presented at a special event today in conjunction with the 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Expo. Contact At Once! received the highest dealer satisfaction ranking in the Chat Products category, as determined by the thousands of auto dealers who are part of the DrivingSales.com community.

“This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve been honored by our customers with this prestigious industry award, and we sincerely thank all of them—it’s much more than a trophy to us,” says John Hanger, Contact At Once! chief executive officer. “We review ratings and comments carefully and are committed to continually using customer feedback from the DrivingSales community to improve our product and our users’ experience.”

Contact At Once! provides the industry’s leading integrated chat and text platform for automotive dealers, OEMs, third-party sites and technology partners. The company pioneered the use of chat and text in online advertising and oversees a managed network that facilitates millions of such digital conversations each year among online car shoppers, dealers and manufacturers. A recent automotive chat study showed that live chat users are much more engaged automotive shoppers who perform three times as many inventory searches, are three times more likely to request store-specific information and view vehicle detail pages at twice the rate.

“We congratulate Contact At Once! on receiving the ‘Highest Rated’ Chat Products Award, an accolade we consider to be one of our industry’s most important because it comes directly from dealers,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “In our fifth year of presenting these awards, we feel especially proud that DrivingSales Vendor Ratings continues to help dealers make smart and informed decisions through thousands of peer reviews that lead them to outstanding service providers such as Contact At Once! live chat. We congratulate Contact At Once! on being recognized as one of the best-of-the-best by the people to whom their services count the most: the dealer community.”

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendor products and services, and are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January – December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings. DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry’s only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and it provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2014 issue of the “DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide” which, in addition to being distributed at the 2014 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships. For more information on the “Dealership Innovation Guide,” please visit: http://drivingsalesinnovationguide.com/.

ABOUT CONTACT AT ONCE! Contact At Once! software boosts engagement by making it easy for consumers to connect with auto dealers and ask questions at the moment their interest is piqued. More engagement can translate into more sales, and that’s why 13,000 dealers, the world’s busiest automotive classified sites and many automotive manufacturers rely on Contact At Once! to build relationships with online shoppers. For more information, visit www.autodealerchat.com.

ABOUT DRIVINGSALES DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships. DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success. Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50 percent of new car dealerships in the U.S. and is active in several other countries around the globe. To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics, visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

For Immediate Release

Visit us at Booth # 3253 at NADA Convention & Expo

NEW ORLEANS, LA – January 24th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) has received the “Highest Rated” dealership management system (DMS) award in the fifth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards, presented at a special event today in conjunction with the 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo. Auto/Mate received the highest dealer satisfaction ranking in the DMS category, as determined by the thousands of auto dealers who are part of the DrivingSales.com community.

"We're thrilled to be chosen as the highest rated DMS for the second year in a row," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "If you read the recommendations on the DrivingSales vendor ratings website, it's clear that dealers appreciate the customer service we provide as well as our user-friendly and full-featured software."

Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) DMS is currently in use at more than 1,000 auto retailers nationwide. The system is designed "By Car People For Car People^TM," has an open API for third-party vendor integration, is flexible to dealerships' needs and is available in both web-based and in-house server solutions.

“We congratulate Auto/Mate on receiving the ‘Highest Rated’ DMS award, an accolade we consider to be one of our industry’s most important because it comes directly from dealers,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “In our fifth year of presenting these awards, we feel especially proud that DrivingSales Vendor Ratings continues to help dealers make smart and informed decisions through thousands of peer reviews that lead them to outstanding service providers such as Auto/Mate.  We congratulate Auto/Mate on being recognized as one of the best-of-the-best by the people to whom their services count the most: the dealer community.”

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendor products and services, and are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January – December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings.  DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry’s only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2014 issue of the DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2014 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships. For more information on the Dealership Innovation Guide, please visit: http://drivingsalesinnovationguide.com/.

Auto/Mate's DMS is scalable to suit any size dealership or dealer group.

For more information call Auto/Mate at 877-340-2677 or schedule an appointment to see a demo at Booth # 3253 at NADA: http://www.automate.com/NADA.php

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 1,000 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate received the 2012 “Highest Rated” DMS award in the fourth 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

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

Auto/Mate Media Relations:
Holly Forsberg (holly.forsberg@yahoo.com), Carter West Public Relations

602-680-8960

DrivingSales Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

DealerOn receives a “Top Rated” Award for Dealer Satisfaction in the Websites Category

Derwood, MD– January 24, 2014 – DealerOn is the recipient of a “Top Rated” Website award in the fifth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards, presented at a special event today in conjunction with the 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo.

“DealerOn works every day to be a true partner to our dealership customers, and winning this award three years in a row confirms that our customers agree that we are delivering on our goal”, said Ali Amirrezvani, CEO and Co-Founder of DealerOn. “Because this recognition is based completely on the reviews and ratings from DealerOn customers, we take extra pride in bringing the Top-Rated Website Provider Award home.  In 2014 we are even more committed to providing exceptional customer service, working closely with our dealers to help them sell more cars, and making sure every one of our customers has a remarkable customer experience.”

DealerOn has become noted for delivering (as documented through Google Analytics and 3^rd party CRM reports) an average increase of over 200% in website leads for their dealers.  They proudly offer their new customers a Lead Volume Increase, Money-back GUARANTEE.  DealerOn has just released their responsive website platform and remains the sole dealer website provider to utilize an A/B Split Testing platform for dealership customers.

“We congratulate DealerOn on winning a ‘Top Rated’ Website Award and for being recognized by its dealer customers for high levels of excellence and customer satisfaction,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “In our fifth year of presenting these awards, we feel especially proud that DrivingSales Vendor Ratings continues to help dealers make smart and informed decisions through thousands of peer reviews that lead them to service providers such as DealerOn.  We congratulate DealerOn on being recognized for top notch performance by the people to whom their services count the most: the dealer community.”

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendor products and services, and are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January – December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings.  DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry’s only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2014 issue of the DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2014 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships. For more information on the Dealership Innovation Guide, please visit: http://drivingsalesinnovationguide.com/.

About DealerOn

DealerOn is an award-winning website company & digital agency best-known for our Search Engine Optimization, Customer Service & award-winning Websites. The company documents a staggering increase of 200%+ in lead volume for dealership clients & are the only company in the industry offering a money-back Lead Guarantee Program. With 100% customer recommendation rating & awards too numerous to mention, DealerOn is the undisputed leader in online marketing in the automotive industry.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

DealerOn Media Relations:
Chris Deringer (chris@dealeron.com), Chief Marketing Officer, 877.543.4200

DrivingSales Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

Awards recognize dealer satisfaction with products / services in 14 categories; presented at special ceremony in conjunction with the 2014 NADA Convention  

New Orleans, LA – January 24th, 2014 – The fifth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards were presented at a special ceremony today in conjunction with the 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo in New Orleans. The awards measure dealer satisfaction with products and services provided by vendors in 2013 in 14 categories, including Chat Products, CRM, New Car Leads, Reputation Management, SEO, Used Car Advertising, Websites, SEO and more. Vendors who achieved the highest dealer satisfaction rankings received “Highest Rated” or “Top Rated” awards.

“This year we mark the fifth anniversary of the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. Back when we launched the awards, our industry was challenged by a deep recession and we were very proud to play a role in helping dealerships make smart vendor decisions with neutral, comprehensive vendor rating from their peers,” said Jared Hamilton, DrivingSales CEO and founder. “Today, with a more robust industry and a continuing digital revolution, dealers are faced with ever more complex vendor decisions just as critical to the bottom line as they were five years ago. We are proud to continue to help dealers help their peers through our Vendor Ratings -- and prouder still to recognize the 33 companies that, in 2013, consistently ranked at the highest levels with the dealerships that use them. Congratulations to our 2013 Dealer Satisfaction award recipients on being recognized as the best-of-the-best by the dealer community.”

The 2013 DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award Recipients* are (by category):
 

 Call Management

o CAR-Research XRM – Highest Rated
o CallSource – Top Rated

Chat Products
o Contact At Once! – Highest Rated
o ActivEngage – Top Rated
o CarChat24 – Top Rated

CRM - Sales Department

o DealerSocket– Highest Rated
o Dominion Dealer Solutions – Top Rated
o ELEAD1ONE – Top Rated

DMS
o Auto/Mate Dealership Systems – Highest Rated
o Dealertrack Technologies – Top Rated

ILM
o Dominion Dealer Solutions – Highest Rated
o DealerSocket– Top Rated
o ELEAD1ONE – Top Rated
 

Inventory Pricing
o vAuto – Highest Rated

New Car Leads
o Dealix – Highest Rated
o Autobytel – Top Rated
o AutoTrader – Top Rated

Owner Marketing
o J&L Marketing, Inc – Highest Rated
o CIMA Systems – Top Rated
o ELEAD1ONE – Top Rated

Reputation Management
o Dealer Rater – Highest Rated
o eXtéresAUTO– Top Rated
o eSlipstream Creative – Top Rated

Sales & Service Events

o J&L Marketing, Inc – Highest Rated

SEM - PPC

o Local Search Group – Highest Rated
o Dealer e Process – Top Rated
 

SEO
o eXtéresAUTO – Highest Rated
o L2TMedia – Top Rated

Used Car Advertising

o Dealix – Highest Rated
o Cars.com – Top Rated
 

Websites
o Dominion Dealer Solutions – Highest Rated
o Dealer e Process – Top Rated
o DealerOn – Top Rated

 

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January – December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings.  DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry’s only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2014 issue of the DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2014 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships. For more information on the Dealership Innovation Guide, please visit: http://drivingsalesinnovationguide.com/.

*The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards recognize those solutions with the highest vendor ratings for which there was a sufficient sample size / number of ratings. For each category that had a sufficient sample size / number of ratings, there are a total of up to three possible winners: a “Highest Rated” winner, and up to two “Top Rated” winners.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

DrivingSales Media Relations:

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