CINCINNATI -

Text messaging: a tool to finalize plans, say a quick hello, or locate your teenager, among various other daily tasks. But buying a car using this quick form of communication still seems a bit far fetched. That said, data from Swapalease.com released Tuesday tells a very different story.

The company contends that text messaging may be transforming not only the way we communicate, but also the way we negotiate a car transaction.

Officials say an increasing number of customers have begun using text messaging as a way to communicate and negotiate during a transaction on the online leasing marketplace.

In fact, the company says as many as 25 percent of all transactions on the site involve communications and negotiation via text, jumping significantly from 5 percent in 2010.

That means these car shoppers on Swapalease.com are communicating with people interested in transferring out of their car lease through a communication tool as simple as texting.

“Swapalease.com is a primary example of how the web changed the way people shop for cars,” said Scot Hall, the company’s executive vice president. “As such, it comes as no surprise that today’s mobile devices would provide an additional example of how many people adjust and adapt their car shopping experience.”

Apparently, shoppers on Swapalease.com are using the tool because it is convenient, but also because “it takes all the emotion out of the process.”

So, if negotiating a lease transfer is possible via text, what’s next? Auto Remarketing asked Hall how far car deals and financing can go simply through text messages:

“The process of communicating and negotiating a lease deal or lease transfer can be done all by text messaging as long as all pertinent legal docs have been signed,” he said. “If you look at the popularity of online banking, it is very realistic to think that at some point in the next five to 10 years, car shoppers will finance a vehicle via text.”

If mobile technology advancements such as this are possible in the near future, the question remains, how did we get here — evolving from visiting dealers and picking up classifieds in the paper, to sending a quick message through our phones? 

“We believe text messaging as a means to communicate and negotiate for a car lease started to take shape in 2010 when we experienced an explosion of smartphone devices,” Hall said, stressing that the switch from simple flip phones to Web-driven complex devices such as the iPhone has pushed the possibilities of mobile technology to the forefront.  

Sarah Rubenoff can be reached at srubenoff@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.