Inventory Management Pioneer and American Auto Exchange Founder, Bruce Thompson, to Launch New Company RedBumper

DALLAS--September 15, 2011: Former CEO and founder of American Auto Exchange, Bruce Thompson, will be launching a new inventory management system in October that will compete with AAX, V-Auto, eCarlist, FirstLook and others. Thompson is credited for creating and pioneering the modern day inventory tools that are broadly used in dealerships across the United States. When AAX was acquired by JM Family Solutions in 2005 it was the management tool of choice for 4 out of the top 5 largest dealer groups in the country, according to Thompson.

“The private label strategy has allowed us to accomplish that goal.”

RedBumper is a best-of-breed hybrid system that gives dealers a dynamic perspective into inventory recommendations, marketing and pricing. The company will offer a comprehensive suite of tools ranging from real-time appraisal decision support to instant web distribution, listing and pricing from a Smartphone, tablet or portal. RedBumper also plans to introduce some fresh, innovative products that will be brand new to the industry.

The system is a Smartphone centric platform that seamlessly integrates with tablets and desktop applications. It has been designed to eliminate much of the complication that has become an issue with many of the management systems on the market today. "The bottom line is that we believe we can deliver a product to the market that gives dealers the tools they will actually use. The system will be the most powerful on the market and is so intuitive that dealers will be installed and making much better acquisition and pricing decisions within minutes. Dealers will also appreciate the fact that we plan to sell it for about 1/3 of the current industry price," said Thompson. "We are definitely bringing the WOW factor back to the business with some new ideas that will shake things up."

RedBumper has been piloting components of its system via a private label partnership since February. The company anticipates the private label initiative will be in approximately 2,000 rooftops by the end of the year. "We wanted to test our tools in the real world while keeping things under the radar at the same time," said Thompson. "The private label strategy has allowed us to accomplish that goal."

The primary focus of the Dallas based company is to bring a product to the market that dealers will find refreshing and compelling while saving a substantial amount of money. RedBumper will also be introducing new tools the industry has not seen that will give its subscribers a significant competitive advantage. The company plans to begin installing to dealers in early October.