Web Company Hopes to Connect Dealers With Younger Consumers

March 21, 2007

Email this story Printer Friendly Version

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — An auto products and services provider announced the launch of a Web-based forum to educate credit union members in their early 20s about the intricacies of purchasing a vehicle, and could also serve to enhance auto professionals' connection with this younger generation.

Officials from GrooveCar.com have created a blog that's specifically geared toward "Generation Y," which they defined as individuals born after 1980.

"We wanted to target the younger generation and be a real consumer advocate for them," explained Jon Pei, the director of member relations for GrooveCar.com.

"The people in my department enjoy helping people out and find it a rewarding experience. Since we already have set up the program with the dealerships, we felt that the younger generation can also use it to help them get a good deal on their own vehicle. And, from our experiences in speaking with customers, we know that many first-time buyers or inexperienced car shoppers haven't a clue about buying a vehicle and as a result frequently get taken advantage of by the dealerships," Pei continued.

"It's really a ‘win-win' situation for all. The dealers benefit by gaining a larger percent of the younger market segment, and the credit unions gain from the additional exposure to the younger generation since we will be educating them on credit unions," Pei added.

The blog is associated with the Web site, MySpace.com, which according to GrooveCar.com officials, is the world's sixth most-popular social networking site.

GrooveCar.com officials went on to explain more of their goals for the blog and how it could eventually help dealers work with younger consumers.

"To help relieve intimidation and the difficulty in negotiating the best price for a vehicle, the blog touches on sage tips to get the best discounts, discusses first-time buyer programs, frequently asked questions, dealing with creditworthiness, warranty issues, getting low credit union interest rates and achieving discounts on parts, labor and accessories," GrooveCar.com officials noted.

"It also encourages chatting and feedback from the growing number of readers," they added.

GrooveCar.com officials added that MySpace.com also attracts many of the same credit unions the company currently serves, enhancing what they see as the blog's potential success.

The blog can be found at www.myspace.com/groovecarhome.

Internet Services