Pearl Technology Holdings reported on Wednesday it has recently combined its equity calculator, VehicleXchange with its “buy direct from consumer” platform, Trade In Concierge.
The unification of the two programs allows dealers to search vehicles they wish to buy directly from consumers by year, make, model and trim.
“Buying inventory directly from consumers is the ultimate way to stock a dealer’s lot,” said Pearl chief executive officer and founder Bruce Thompson in a news release. “By integrating elements of two of our subsidiary companies we can create a fabulous automated stream of consumer vehicle sell requests. Dealers tell us what they want to buy and the system does the rest. Not only can dealers stock their lots without paying all the fees associated with auctions; but most of these customers will buy a replacement.”
Pearl’s VehicleXchange equity engine regularly searches for consumers in the service drive, dealer database, or market, who own the vehicles dealer clients desire.
Information procured from the engine is pre-populated into the Trade In Concierge platform which sends vehicle owners an automatic email inquiring about verifying the condition of the vehicle so that a dealer can make an offer.
Dealers can purchase the full suite of VehicleXchange tools and add Trade-In Concierge as well as buy Trade-In Concierge separately, which comes with the new VehicleXchange filter and marketing functions.
VehicleXchange started as service drive equity tool but has developed into a full-service marketing platform.
According to Pearl, the platform performs more than 75,000 Experian pre-screen marketing campaigns per day.
Dominion Dealer Solutions announced on Tuesday that its website ShopMyWay, which gives dealers information they need to assist online shoppers, will now include deeper reporting metrics and increased transparency.
The company said the move improves shopper engagement by allowing auto dealers to provide their online shoppers with vital information during the car buying process.
“The best way to increase business today is to build trust with online shoppers. Dominion's ShopMyWay experience enables automotive dealers to strengthen the relationship with their online shoppers without having to depend on third-party leads," said Dominion website product manager Sean Stansell in a news release.
ShopMyWay’s enhancements incorporate integrating with other Dominion Digital Solutions such as Prime Response and VinVelocity.
Prime Response provides dealers with access to ROI reports on all MyPayment leads and VinVelocity helps dealer identify the quality of traffic sources from a variety of third-party channels.
Additionally, dealers now have integrated website and conversion tools such as My Payment, My Car, and My Trade.
“MyPayment, our shop-by-payment solution, has generated an average increase of 77% more highly qualified leads from our dealers’ websites,” said Dominion digital marketing general manager Nicole Case.
According to Dominion, dealers using ShopMyWay have 123 percent higher organic traffic, 54 percent higher page views and 63 percent more VDP views than dealers using other websites for automotive dealers.
On Monday, KosLo announced it enhanced its website by integrating NADAguides year, make, and model data — creating a more customized experience for car shoppers and a new way for dealers to reach them nationwide.
“With the integration of NADAguides data into our system we know we will be able to make the car buying process better for both the dealership and consumer,” said KosLo chief executive officer Devin Koskan in a news release. “Our NADAguides partnership as well as our recent Dealertrack partnership should tell the industry that KosLo is here to revolutionize the car buying experience by putting the dealership first so the customer can have the best experience possible.”
The new interface allows shoppers to fill in the desired features of a car and KosLo connects them to dealerships across the country and generates a list of the top five dealership offers.
Additionally, the NADAguides data feature provides a preview of the manufacturer’s stock image of the make, model and trim level of vehicles.
Dealers can also show customers the history of the car by submitting photos, condition reports and the VIN numbers of vehicles.
NIADA Member Services announced on Friday that it launched the National Affinity Partner Program (NAPP), a new partnership program, which gives NIADA member dealers increased access to partner providers’ products and services they use daily.
“This new affinity partnership initiative focuses on firms that serve certain segments of the insurance/financial services markets as well as new leading-edge entrepreneurial firms entering our market,” said NIADA senior vice president of member services Scott Lilja in a news release. “We are excited to kick off 2017 with this innovative and powerful new member services initiative.”
NAPP partners are highly vetted to ensure they offer members innovative and impactful solutions, according to NIADA.
The partner providers experience an evaluation process similar to that of NIADA’s existing partnership programs, the National Corporate Partner and National Member Benefit programs.
The group of NAPP members include: AutoPoint, Berkshire Risk Services LLC, DealerRater, Frazer Computing, High Tech Locksmiths, Keystone Automotive Operations, Northland Used Car Leasing and Daily Rentals and Reynolds and Reynolds Document Services.
Dominion Dealer Solutions announced on Tuesday that its full-featured dealer management system, Dominion ACCESS has integrated with FCA USA’s wiADVISOR, a device powered by Dealer-FX.
“We are pleased to be the pilot DMS for Dealer-FX’s new API. It will give our Chrysler dealers the service write-up tools they need to maximize every opportunity on the drive,” Van Koppersmith, president of Dominion DMS for Dominion Dealer Solutions, said in a news release. “This real-time interface is another technology Dominion has invested in as a commitment to support our valued customers.”
wiADVISOR, a small wireless device, can instantly supply vehicle service history, customer profile information and factory-required maintenance information for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and SRT vehicles, according to Dominion Dealer Solutions.
The technology eliminates the need for customers to fill out forms or remember license plate numbers when taking in their vehicles for service.
Service advisors can plug wiADVISOR into a vehicle’s diagnostic port in the service lane to download any desired vehicle data and transmit it to a tablet computer.
Dominion ACCESS is a prospecting tool for dealers. The Windows-based DMS allows dealers to reference closed deals, personalized dashboards, and one customer and vehicle records for all dealership departments.
The DMS’s core set of applications include document archiving, drill-down reporting and vehicle rental.
In December, Carvana partnered with two credit unions, Georgia’s Associated Credit Union and LGE Community Credit Union, to offer their several thousand members a streamlined car buying process which allows them to receive pre-approval for financing a Carvana vehicle.
"We're always looking for new and innovative services for our members that provide value and convenience. Carvana is the perfect partner for automotive sales, as its online platform takes the haggling and frustrations out of the purchasing process," Associated Credit Union vice president of marketing Tom Maiellaro said in a news release. "This partnership allows us to be able to provide an even greater level of service and convenience to our members, and we are confident they will benefit from the new way to buy a car that Carvana has introduced."
More than 160,000 Associated Credit Union members now have access to pre-approval at any of its 27 locations in the Metro Atlanta and Augusta areas.
After being approved for financing, credit union members can complete their vehicle search and purchasing process all online.
"Carvana is dedicated to putting transparency back into the car buying process and offering an experience that exceeds shoppers' expectations every time," LGE Community Credit Union vice president of marketing and business development Scott Brooks said in a news release. "We wanted to offer our members an easy, affordable way to purchase vehicles and Carvana was a natural, ideal fit."
LGE Community Credit Union’s more than 114,000 members can visit any of its nine Georgia full-service locations to begin the pre-approval process with a loan officer.
Members can also consult with a loan officer about financing over the phone, email or by submitting an online application.
Additionally, the online auto retailer is extending to members of the two credit unions its seven-day "test own" return policy, along with a 100-day or 4,189-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.
"Credit unions have been incredible partners of ours as they share our customer-first mentality and are receptive to innovation,” said Ernie Garcia, chief executive officer and co-founder of Carvana. “Our model is very similar to credit unions, as we are both dedicated to offering a transparent experience and providing the best service to our customers. We're committed to continuing this level of service and dedication to Associated Credit Union members."
Donlen announced that it partnered with the NAFA Fleet Management Association to offer CAFM certification to Donlen representatives.
“CAFM is the proven mark of excellence in, and knowledge of, the most-current fleet practices,” said NAFA chief executive officer Phillip Russo. “Partnerships — like ours with Donlen — further illustrate how pivotal professionals with the CAFM designation are to fleet.”
The agreement with NAFA will enable Donlen representatives to take advantage of CAFM certification enrollment and exams at a discounted rate.
“Donlen is a leader in fleet management because of our commitment to excellence and customer service. NAFA's CAFM program is key to achieving that excellence,” said Jeff Lucas, Donlen senior vice president of customer experience and contact center operations. “We are pleased to participate in NAFA’s Certified Automotive Fleet Manager program to continuously improve the knowledge of our employees and leverage high-level education for the benefit of our customers.”
The CAFM designation identifies excellence in fleet knowledge.
Applicants need to pass a series of examinations and demonstrate expertise in the eight disciplines of automotive fleet management such as, fleet information management, maintenance management, vehicle fuel management, asset management, business management, financial management, risk management, and professional development.
“NAFA is pleased that Donlen has recognized the value and career-changing benefits of CAFM education and certification,” Russo said. “The association is constantly refining the CAFM curriculum to ensure it provides the most relevant and current fleet education. Donlen’s partnership confirms that value and will enable Donlen's representatives to benefit from CAFM education.”
On Thursday, PureCars announced that it is a Bing Ads Select Partner, and now joins a number of other small and medium-sized business partners in the advertising industry that have demonstrated expertise in driving growth using the Bing Ads platform.
“We are honored that Bing recognizes us as a valuable partner for their automotive clients,” said Jeremy Anspach, chief executive officer of PureCars. “With the majority of car shoppers going online to research before even setting foot in a dealership, giving our dealers an all-encompassing digital marketing strategy is crucial. It’s our goal to help dealers take the guesswork out of search architecture and digital advertising, and working with Bing now rounds out our strategy even further.”
PureCars said the new partnership illustrates the effectiveness of the company’s data-driven engine to help dealer clients maximize their bottom line. Additionally, Bing’s advanced targeting by demographic capabilities allows PureCars to supply dealerships increased search engine marketing offerings.
“At Bing, we pride ourselves on selecting ad partners that already stress relevancy and have an in-depth understanding of search, and PureCars does just that,” said Jody Doran, director of partner development for Bing Ads at Microsoft. “As a Bing Ads Select Partner, PureCars’ dealers can now even more efficiently serve to consumers tailored advertisements.and meet their end goals of reaching car shoppers in all the right places.”
Bing’s three-tiered program that provides support, service and solutions, to partners places them into three categories: Partner, Select, or Elite.
PureCars has been a Google SMB Premier Partner since December of 2014.
DealerRater announced that, on Wednesday, Cars.com began to feature its database of online consumer reviews. The integration expands the reach of DealerRater and broadens the current review platform of Cars.com.
“This is the first tangible evidence of being part of the Cars.com family, and it’s a win-win for both our brands as well as the industry,” said DealerRater chief executive officer, Gary Tucker.
In July, Cars.com chief executive officer and president Alex Vetter explained to Auto Remarketing the company’s decision to acquire the car dealer review website.
Consumer reviews posted on DealerRater now appear on Cars.com, alongside the reviews the site collects.
“What we’ve developed is what we think is the most powerful consumer review in the industry and that’s because of the reach that it has,” said Tucker. “We’re very excited about the expansion of our footprint, if a dealer earns a review on DealerRater that one review will show up on DealerRater.com, Cars.com, Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, the dealers own website, Facebook and Google.”
Since encompassing DealerRater reviews, Cars.com has adjusted its dealership ratings to only reflect reviews posted within the last two years.
DealerRater said this change is beneficial to both consumers and dealerships because more recent reviews are most helpful during the car shopping process as well as allow dealerships to gauge current consumer satisfaction best. Tucker said, “On Cars.com, prior to this change it was a lifetime rating, there was no time period and DealerRater has always had the two-year window.”
DealerRater collected about 70, 000 reviews last month and is on track to get over a million reviews in the next year, according to Tucker.
“As consumers see our content in more and more places we think we’ll continue to see growth in DealerRater reviews,” said Tucker.
Just last month, DealerRater reached a notable milestone when it collected its 3 millionth online consumer review.
On Tuesday, DealerStar announced it upgraded its dealer management system (DMS), which now provides dealerships more access to vital information regarding their vehicles through myCarfax Service Shop tools.
Today, dealers using the DealerStar DMS can join the myCarfax Service Shop program for free resources such as Carfax Service History Check and Carfax QuickVIN.
“DealerStar DMS is focused on increasing profits for our dealers,” said Sandi Jerome, president of DealerStar DMS. “Creating a tight integration with myCarfax at no charge to our dealers helps them streamline their operations and boost their revenues. The enhanced DealerStar DMS delivers more value to our users without any added expense.”
The DMS provider said the Carfax Service History Check allows service technicians to make more valuable recommendations in regards to vehicle maintenance and Carfax QuickVIN helps with ordering parts easily.
Dealers can also register their customers for the myCarfax.com vehicle maintenance service at no cost. Customers signed up will receive alerts to their mobile device from the myCarfax.com app or computer informing them when their vehicle is due for a recommended maintenance visit.
“The key to repeat sales and profitability is getting our customers back into the shop on a regular basis,” said Ryan Pierson, owner of Crossway Auto Center. “Having access to the myCarfax tools through DealerStar and getting customers signed up with myCarfax.com is definitely helping increase loyalty. Plus, our customers love the myCarfax.com app!”
