Autobytel and Sign National Marketing Agreement; Autobytel to Provide Asbury Dealerships with New and Used Car Referrals
Deal Creates Powerful Business Generation Channel Between Most-Visited Online Research and Car Buying Network and Nation's Fourth-Largest U.S. Auto Retailer
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 9 -- Leading Internet automotive marketing services company Autobytel Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement to provide a national online customer referral program for the Asbury Automotive Group , the fourth-largest auto retailer in the nation. The agreement, which encompasses all 139 of Asbury's franchises, provides for online customer referrals for new and used vehicles, as well as CRM tools and website research and advertising services through Autobytel. Autobytel led the industry in 2003 attracting an average of 7.7 million unique monthly visitors and generating more than a billion dollars in sales for dealers each month.
"This relationship creates one of the industry's largest automotive marketing and fulfillment channels," said Autobytel Inc. President and CEO Jeffrey Schwartz. "It's an excellent fit between two businesses that have always understood that the Internet has the power to market and sell vehicles more efficiently. We're excited to add such a respected, high performing dealer group to our program."
In addition to receiving Purchase Requests from Autobytel's vast audience of monthly web car buyers, Asbury dealers will also have the opportunity to take advantage of a range of Autobytel dealership marketing services, including AVV, Inc.'s industry-leading prospect management system, Web Control(R), regionally-targeted advertising on Autobytel's websites and a suite of multi-brand vehicle research tools (AIC AutoSuite(TM)) that can be custom-branded for each participating dealer's website. Asbury dealers will also benefit from Autobytel's proprietary 7-step Quality Verification System(SM), one of the industry's most rigorous customer scrubbing programs, as well as onsite Internet sales best practices training.
"Today approximately half of all online vehicle customers are generated by independent third-party sites -- it's simply where the car buyers are," added Allen Levenson, Asbury Vice President Sales & Marketing. "It's critical, therefore, to complement our own Internet marketing initiatives and OEM websites with a strong, productive independent program. We're excited to team up with Autobytel -- the company with the largest multi-brand audience, innovative marketing services, and outstanding dealer support."
The Asbury Automotive Group has 139 franchises in 11 states at 94 locations in 20 markets. The company is not only one of the largest, but also one of the nation's fastest-growing automotive groups. A part of the company's success has been its aggressive development and adoption of efficient Internet-based marketing, CRM and operational programs, including its highly functional regional website platforms, all nine of which have won "Golden Web" awards for outstanding design, content and originality. The Asbury Group also uses Autobytel's best-in-class prospect management system, AVV Web Control(R), for most of its dealerships nationwide.
About Autobytel
Autobytel Inc. , a leading Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing, advertising, data and CRM (customer relationship management) products and programs. The Company owns and operates the automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, Car.com and AutoSite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a trusted industry source of automotive marketing data and technology for over 20 years. Autobytel is also a leader in dealership lead management and CRM solutions and owns and operates AVV, Inc., a top provider of dealership CRM and sales management products, and Retention Performance Marketing, Inc., (RPM(R)), which powers dealerships with cutting-edge customer loyalty and retention marketing programs. As the Internet's largest new car buying service, Autobytel generates over a billion dollars a month in car sales for dealers through its services and was the most visited new car buying and research destination in 2003, reaching millions of car shoppers as they made their vehicle buying decisions. Autobytel's car-selling sites and lead management products are used by more of the nation's top-100 e-dealers than any other program.
About Asbury Automotive Group
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., headquartered in New York City, is one of the largest automobile retailers in the U.S., with 2003 revenues of $4.8 billion. Built through a combination of organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions, Asbury now operates through nine geographically concentrated, individually branded "platforms." These platforms currently operate 100 retail auto stores, encompassing 139 franchises for the sale and servicing of 34 different brands of American, European and Asian automobiles. Asbury believes that its product mix contains a higher proportion of the more desirable luxury and mid-line import brands than most public automotive retailers. The Company offers customers an extensive range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicle sales and related financing and insurance, vehicle maintenance and repair services, replacement parts and service contracts.