Expansion of Autobytel’s New Car Program Provides Dealers with Access to Most Comprehensive VIN-based Coverage in the Industry
Irvine, CA December 2, 2009 Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), a leader in providing online consumer leads and marketing services to the auto industry, today announced a new agreement with Edmunds.com, Inc. to include inventory-based leads sourced directly from the Edmunds.com site as part of its New Car Leads Program for dealers. The inclusion of VIN-based leads from Edmunds.com, widely considered to be one of the top online destinations for prospective car-buyers, is the latest step in the evolution of Autobytel’s New Car Leads Program to meet increasing consumer demand for specific online inventory.
“We are pleased to expand our relationship with Edmunds.com to include these high conversion, high purchase intent leads as part of our new car Leads Program for dealers,” said Autobytel COO Mark Garms. “With data showing that new car shoppers are five times* more interested in specific inventory than in price quotes, it is critical to generate the broadest range of highly motivated inventory-based car shoppers. This is exactly what the Autobytel program is designed to do as it gives dealers access to the most comprehensive VIN-based inventory lead coverage in the industry.”
As part of the agreement with Edmunds.com, VIN-based leads submitted on Edmunds.com for a specific vehicle in the inventory of an Autobytel member dealer will be included as a part of the mix of high quality consumer leads Autobytel sends to its dealers. Each customer lead will go through the patented Autobytel lead process and the company’s proprietary Quality Verification System®, and will benefit from Autobytel’s multi-pronged lead follow-up treatments, such as Rapid Response, Custom Messaging and Email Manager. The VIN number will be included in each lead to ensure a knowledge-based customer interaction.
This further expansion of the Autobytel New Car Leads Program is the latest in a series of initiatives from Autobytel to generate higher lead conversion for its network of dealers and is specifically designed to help member dealers reach the online in-market car shopper of today who, increasingly, is demanding the ability to search new car inventory. Most recently, Autobytel announced an agreement with Vast.com for the addition of inventory-based leads from high quality lead sources (including AOL and KBB) into the Autobytel New Car Leads Program.
*Source: Edmunds.com
About Autobytel
Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ: ABTL), a leading automotive marketing services company, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched autobytel.com in 1995. Since then, the company has helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers, and helped every major automaker market its brand online. Today, through its flagship website Autobytel.com®, its network of automotive sites including Autoweb.com®, AutoSite.com®, Car.comsm, CarSmart.com®, CarTV.com®, and MyRide.com,®and its respected online partners, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry’s highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with one of the industry’s most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.
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