Flick Fusion has announced the integration of its SmartFlicks video marketing platform with the DealerHosts Technology Management Solution (TMS) 5.0, a hybrid lead management and CRM system.
The integration allows car shoppers’ video viewing data to be captured from auto dealers’ websites, third-party listing sites such as Autotrader or Cars.com, or any other touchpoint from which a video is viewed. The data is then transmitted to the DealerHosts CRM in real time, where it is matched with customer records.
Sales teams are alerted to customer video viewing behavior as it is occurring, giving them the ability to communicate with a shopper while they are still on a website and looking at a vehicle.
“Millions of people watch videos during the car purchasing process, but until now there hasn’t been a way for auto dealers to track and leverage that information in real-time back to existing customer data,” said Tim James, chief operating officer of Flick Fusion.
“This integration adds a new level of visibility for DealerHosts customers that doesn’t exist in any other automotive CRM.”
The integration of video viewing data with a CRM elevates a dealership’s video content from a marketing tool to a lead generator. Dealership marketers will be able to directly attribute Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and ROI to their video marketing campaigns.
SmartFlicks provides access to the data and analytics behind dealership engagement videos so dealers can see how a shopper interacts with their video content, including:
— Did the shopper watch a video in its entirety?
— Did they re-watch any product-specific portions?
— Did they watch multiple videos in a row?
— For how long did they watch?
This information can now be stored in the CRM contact records, giving the industry the most comprehensive analytics tool and giving dealers the most complete picture of their new and existing customers.
Once video viewing data is matched to existing customer records in the DealerHosts CRM, real-time alerts are triggered and sent to the sales team. If there are no previous customer records to match, a new record is created when a shopper contacts the dealership. The dealership can immediately send that lead a video email, capturing their data and matching them against their database.
“The integration with Flick Fusion’s platform provides our dealership customers with a level of actionable intelligence they can use in their lead follow-and marketing processes, greatly increasing the number of lead responses and appointments,” said Tony Ray Munson, chief executive officer of DealerHosts.
The integration of video viewing data with a CRM is an effective means of reviving cold leads. A typical CRM may contain thousands of fdorman leads. With SmartFlick’s advanced behavioral tracking capabilities, the DealerHosts CRM is able to notify its sales team that a cold lead is watching a Flick Fusion vehicle inventory video. The salesperson will instantly know that person is back in the market and what type of vehicles they’re interested in, and will be able to contact them with offers appropriate for their needs.
Based upon the data captured, dealerships can create targeted, behavior-based marketing campaigns. Behavior-based marketing technology uses web analytics, cookies, browsing histories and IP addresses to create user profiles of individual consumers. When matched to customer profiles in a CRM, dealers are able to generate relevant and targeted messages that appeal to individual buyer interests, and to send real-time alerts to the sales team throughout the entire buying cycle.
Black Book on Wednesday announced an agreement to be one of the trade appraisal resources for online car-buying platform GoGoCar.
GoGoCar will now be able to leverage Black Book appraisal and valuation data for its customers.
Powered by Black Book, GoGoCar will allow dealers to obtain accurate trade appraisal data on any vehicle offered during the customer car buying experience.
“Our mission for GoGoCar is to offer the most simplified car-buying experience for consumers, which ultimately increases the chance for more sales at dealerships around the country,” said Stan Thomas, chief executive officer of GoGoCar.
“Having access to vehicle appraisal data from a trusted resource such as Black Book strengthens this experience, and offers dealers the confidence that they are appraising cars and trucks at the right price,” added company founder Tony Urrutia.
“The proliferation of online car buying is becoming a more natural process through platforms such as GoGoCar,” said Jared Kalfus, senior vice president of sales at Black Book. “We’re pleased to be a key provider of vehicle valuation data, which will strengthen the opportunity for dealers to maximize profit potential on each sale.”
AutoAlert announced it is now a certified partner in the Audi of America Tier III Co-Op Program.
The program allows Audi dealerships to be reimbursed for certain OEM-approved expenses, provided they follow certain guidelines and have funding available. This process can give their teams more spending power elsewhere, according to news release.
AutoAlert equity- and data-mining customers can benefit from valuable consumer insights such as knowing the makes and models searched, previous dealership interactions, existing social connections with dealerships and insights on previous purchases.
“This is an exciting time for AutoAlert’s software and our dealerships, as we are able to offer equity- and data-mining insights, sophisticated communications, and alerts right to our dealerships’ desktop,” Kendall Billman, AutoAlert senior vice president, said in the release.
“Now, with our certified partnership with Audi of America Tier III Co-Op Program, we offer our dealers the opportunity to extend their budgets while increasing sales opportunities and client retention," Billman added.
The revamp of TrueCar in the used-vehicle market continued on Monday.
Avis Budget Group and TrueCar signed a multi-year partnership agreement in which used-vehicle shoppers can access Avis Budget Group’s inventory of high-quality, well-maintained off-rental vehicles through TrueCar.com.
Officials highlighted that Avis Budget Group offers more than 100 makes and models on TrueCar's website from numerous domestic and foreign manufacturers, including BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo.
The companies emphasized that vehicles are available for purchase at competitive prices, and customers can schedule an “ultimate test drive” to enjoy the full experience of driving the vehicle of their choice. Ultimate test drives are free for two hours or can be as long as three days for a rental fee.
If the customer decides to purchase the vehicle, the base rental fee will be refunded after the purchase is completed.
“TrueCar powers car-buying programs for some of the country's largest membership and service organizations, such as USAA, AARP, American Express, AAA and Sam’s Club, and TrueCar’s platform receives approximately 6 million unique visitors per month,” said Michael Schmidt, senior vice president of fleet services at Avis Budget Group.
“This new partnership exposes our inventory to a much wider audience and serves as a catalyst for vehicle sales growth,” Schmidt continued. “We’re thrilled to work with TrueCar and continue to drive efficiency throughout our organization as we dispose of vehicles through this new channel.”
The move is the latest one by TrueCar chief executive officer and president Chip Perry to revamp how the company operates, a process that began in late March with the former Autotrader boss pledging to address dealer concerns.
“We’re delighted to have this opportunity to work with Avis Budget Group as it will provide consumers a greater selection of high-quality used vehicles,” Perry said. “Demand for pre-owned vehicles is expanding and becoming a larger part of TrueCar’s business.”
TrueCar is slated to be a part of the CPO Forum, the segment of Used Car Week dedicated to highlighting the latest data and trends associated with certified pre-owned vehicles.
Avis Budget Group also is gearing up to be a part of Used Car Week, chiming in during the National Remarketing Conference. Avis Budget Group reiterated that the TrueCar partnership builds upon its vehicle-disposition program for consumers.
Avis Budget Group’s consumer vehicles sales program features a wide selection of late-model Avis and Budget rental vehicles for purchase at competitive prices. Customers can shop online at www.avis.com or www.budget.com and schedule their test drive.
The program is available in:
—Arizona
—California
—Colorado
—Florida
—Georgia
—Illinois
—Kentucky
—Maryland
—Massachusetts
—Michigan
—Minnesota
—Missouri
—New Jersey
—North Carolina
—Ohio
—Oklahoma
—Oregon
—South Carolina
—Tennessee
—Texas
—Utah
—Virginia
—Washington
AuctionACCESS continued to expand its floor plan platform by successfully integrating with Manheim, according to an announcement distributed this week.
Officials highlighted this integration will enable participating finance companies to centralize and automate the transmission of credit availability to Manheim locations through AuctionACCESS.
In addition, Manheim auctions can electronically transmit floor plan loan originations to participating lenders.
“We are thrilled to partner with Manheim on our floor plan platform,” AuctionACCESS vice president of business development Charlie Adams said. “This integration makes it easier for both dealers and wholesale lenders to transact business at Manheim locations.”
AuctionACCESS works with wholesale finance companies throughout the United States to centralize and automate the transmission of data necessary to floor inventory at physical and online auctions.
AuctionACCESS continues to grow the number of finance companies and auction locations that are integrated with this platform and is committed to creating a standard process for all its subscribing auctions to securely and efficiently communicate floor plan transactions.
“Manheim continues to implement innovative ways to improve the customer experience at our locations,” said Doug Keim, senior vice president of client experience at Manheim. “The AuctionACCESS platform will create a more efficient lending and purchasing process for our dealer and finance partners.”
MAXDigital announced a partnership with CarGurus that gives its MAX Ad users the ability to advertise their vehicle inventory on CarGurus for free.
MAX Ad is a digital merchandising tool that enables dealers to build formatted, customer-friendly vehicle descriptions for both dealerships and third-party websites.
“In our continuing effort to maximize our customers’ vehicle exposure, we are excited that CarGurus will now be able to display enhanced dealer inventory listings using consumer-relevant descriptions on their website,” Brad Kruse MAXDigital’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said in a news release.
“We are thrilled to welcome new dealers to our platform through this partnership, and we are glad to be able to incorporate MAX Ad’s optimal formatting on their vehicle detail pages,” added Martha Blue, senior vice president of business development at CarGurus. “With more than a 1 million consumers shopping for cars on our platform every day, we are able to deliver enormous value to our clients, and we look forward to delivering great results for MAXDigital dealers going forward.”
Auction Management Solutions announced this week that the firm recently started by industry veterans Tom Stewart and Richard Curtis has partnered with 166 Auto Auction for business development consulting.
Mike Bradley, general manager of 166 Auto Auction, explained why he aligned with AMS, which provides consulting services to the automotive industry that include independent auto auctions, service providers and vendors.
“We believe that being a partner with AMS will provide us with the exposure that will take our auction to the next level,” Bradley said. “Ace Tetlow, the auction AGM and national sales representative, has done a great job getting us to where we are today and will be working closely with AMS to continue our growth and success.”
Located in Springfield, Mo., and owned by Tom Schaefer, 166 Auto Auction has been in business since 1949, offering more than 800 units weekly. The operation offers eight lanes, full reconditioning at its mechanical and body shop, as well as a monthly specialty boat/RV sale.
AMS boasts a team that possesses more than 50 years of experience in the wholesale industry. AMS also recently landed Dealers Auto Auction Group as a client.
“The focus of AMS is to provide strategic business development services, with an emphasis on business processes and profitability that aid in the growth and success of client/partner businesses,” Stewart said.
“It is our intent to keep our clients on the forefront of the automotive industry by maintaining a comprehensive and competitive alternative,” he went on to say.
Auction Management Solutions — the newly organized consulting firm formed by Tom Stewart and Richard Curtis to provide consulting services to the automotive industry that include independent auto auctions, service providers and vendors — announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Dealers Auto Auction Group.
Dealers Auto Auction Group owner David Andrews said, “We believe partnering with AMS will give Dealers Auto Auction an advantage over the competition in our markets.
“We are committed to supporting AMS in their new endeavor. When there was an opportunity for us to be the first client, there was no hesitation. We knew it would be ideal for both of us,” Andrews continued.
Dealers Auto Auction Group was started back in 2001 with its first auction in Horn Lake, Miss. The company now has five auctions in the Southeast including Dealers Auto Auction of Memphis, Dealers Auto Auction of Murfreesboro, Dealers Auto Auction of Chattanooga, Dealers Auto Auction of Huntsville and Dealers Auto Auction of Mobile.
Stewart and Curtis insisted the focus of AMS is to provide strategic business development services, with an emphasis on business processes and profitability that aid in the growth and success of client/partner businesses. They emphasized AMS offers superior service and guidance to clients with a team that offers more than 50 years of experience in the wholesale auto industry
“It is our intent to keep our clients on the forefront of the automotive industry by maintaining a comprehensive and competitive alternative,” Stewart said.
Curtis added, “We are very excited to have Dealers Auto Auction Group as our first client. We know that this is going to be the start of something very good for the industry.”
Leading into next week’s National Convention and Expo, online pre-qualified monthly payment marketing technology provider DriveItNow joined with the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association as its latest National Member Benefit partner.
NIADA explained as part of Tuesday’s announcement that this product offering is designed to help independent dealers compete more effectively with franchise operations in online vehicle sales.
“Independent dealers are trying to play catch-up with regard to online digital retailing,” DriveItNow president Tarry Shebesta said. “Franchise dealers have been using DriveItNow with great success for years, and now those same services can help independents compete head-to-head in the online digital marketplace.”
DriveItNow can offer credit pre-qualification and digital marketing tools to help engage online monthly payment shoppers. Pre-qualified monthly payments are instantly calculated using the vehicle shopper’s actual credit bureau, trade-in equity, bank finance programs and VIN-specific dealer inventory.
Officials insisted credit bureau data is retrieved without requiring a Social Security Number or date of birth and with no impact on the shopper’s credit score.
The program includes:
—Short-form instant finance pre-qualification
—Pre-qualified monthly payment buttons on vehicle inventory
—Shop-by-payment on all inventory
—Trade-in equity calculation
—Real-time “soft-pull” full credit bureau reports
DriveItNow features can be accessed through a website, email marketing and retargeting campaigns, social media, on the lot or in the showroom.
“DriveItNow is a leader in the digital retailing marketplace and will help our members create a digital shopping experience that drives consumer engagement and corresponding sales growth,” NIADA senior vice president of member services Scott Lilja said.
“The new program will propel qualified and profitable leads to our members and help them compete more effectively with franchise dealerships — all a big win for our members,” Lilja went on to say.
The Costco Auto Program has announced an exclusive partnership with BraunAbility that will enable Costco members in some areas to receive low, prearranged pricing on new or pre-owned mobility vehicles, plus discounts on equipment, parts and service.
The partnership aims to provide Costco members who face physical challenges with discounted options for easy vehicle entry. The program offers a range of choices including wheelchair vans with side- or rear-entry ramps, wheelchair lifts and various adaptive driving components. BraunAbility’s wheelchair-accessible vehicles include the Ford Explorer MXV (the world’s first wheelchair-accessible SUV) and minivans such as the Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
“It’s exciting to offer our members additional options when purchasing a vehicle through our program, especially when it has the potential to make a significant impact in the lives of so many,” says Bill Gregory, executive vice president of business development Costco Auto Program. “BraunAbility is the perfect partner for such an offering, a brand that was established on the basis of innovation and independence for wheelchair accessible vehicles. They share our vision to provide members quality and value above all.”
“When two leaders in their respective industries come together, you are destined to create something truly remarkable,” said Greg Kiser, BraunAbility vice president of consumer sales. “When you couple this partnership with our skilled dealer network, Costco members are the true winners in this partnership.”
Benefits of the program include:
—Prearranged pricing on mobility vehicles
—15 percent off mobility adaptive equipment including installation charges
—15 percent off mobility component repairs, parts and service.
Costco members who purchase a new or certified pre-owned vehicle with a new BraunAbility conversion from participating BraunAbility dealers also will receive a $500 Costco Cash Card upon completing all eligibility requirements.
The offer is valid in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Through the CostcoAuto.com website and call center, members can access additional information on mobility vehicles, locate a dealer, be connected with an authorized dealer and schedule an appointment.
