Intelisys and Autolink.com to Turbocharge Auto Dealers' Purchasing Power Nationwide
4 January 2000
Intelisys and Autolink.com to Turbocharge Auto Dealers' Purchasing Power Nationwide
NEW YORK--Jan. 4, 2000--Alliance to Create E-Commerce Exchange Designed to Save Automotive
Dealers Nationwide Thousands of Dollars Annually On Supplies and
Services; Companies to Create First Automotive Industry Vertical
Purchasing Community
In a move that will revolutionize how the automotive industry does business online, Autolink.com, an exciting new Internet service for professionals in automotive retailing and aftermarket service, announced today that it has teamed-up with Intelisys Electronic Commerce, Inc., a leader in global business-to-business e-commerce, to turbocharge the purchasing power of automotive dealerships nationwide by connecting them with suppliers online.
Autolink.com (www.autolink.com) will utilize the e-commerce functionality of Intelisys' powerful IEC-Portal(TM) technology to open a gateway for over 300,000 automotive dealers and aftermarket repair facilities to buy thousands of items such as office supplies, tools, uniforms, and service materials directly from hundreds of leading suppliers. This first-ever automotive vertical purchasing community will leverage the buying power of thousands of subscribing automotive-related businesses to offer members discounted prices in addition to the ability to order directly from suppliers' online catalogs using a standard Web browser. By automating the purchasing process, Autolink.com will also help subscribing members free up their employees to spend time on business other than pushing paper.
The potential savings for individual dealers using Autolink.com's "Purchasing Power" service will range from hundreds to thousands of dollars monthly. Autolink.com expects the online purchasing network to process over $5 billion in transactions each year. Nationwide, automotive dealers purchase more than $8 billion of goods and services annually, not counting parts purchases.
In addition to saving time and money on supplies, dealers will be able to use Autolink.com to set-up ASE certification training for technicians and counter personnel, as well as in-depth customer development and sales training from leading automotive trainer, Autolink.com Chairman and CEO Steve Nickelsen. The dynamic new Internet-based service will also feature a comprehensive customer relationship functionality, both an online and 800 hotline repair service and technical support, customized dealer marketing programs, and a user-customized home page featuring the subscriber's choice of industry news and information, including links to trade publications, professional associations and market data.
Autolink.com makes its official debut to the automotive industry during the National Automobile Dealers Association 2000 Convention in Orlando, Fl. at the end of January.
"It doesn't matter what kind of automotive dealer or repair facility you are, Autolink.com will make it easy for you to save time and money with one-stop shopping for the supplies and services your business needs. That capability comes from Intelisys, which has pioneered the fastest, easiest, most intuitive way of bringing companies and the leading suppliers to their industry together on the Web in one convenient process. Dealers nationwide can now look to Autolink.com to connect with suppliers online to improve how they do business." said Nickelsen.
Lloyd O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer of Intelisys, said: "This is the first time automotive dealers nationwide will be able to reach so many leading suppliers in one easy-to-use site. From point of need to payment, all a dealer needs is a Web browser to enjoy all the savings and productivity benefits of moving their purchasing to the Web. We're excited to be a part of creating this innovative new service, and to be enabling dealers and suppliers of all sizes and levels of sophistication to participate in this unique and valuable online purchasing community."
Unlike online stores that offer goods from a single supplier, the Autolink.com Purchasing Power service will allow users and their employees to easily search, compare and purchase from a vast array of supplier catalogs for items or services, locate new suppliers, create purchase orders, and choose a payment method. This functionality, based on Intelisys' patented Supplier Managed Content (SMC) Model, enables customers to comparison shop, send purchase orders from their desktop, and purchase directly from different suppliers via the Internet. Each purchase transaction will be recorded, and users will be able to view the status and history of their orders, as well as track and monitor employee purchases.
Intelisys' IEC-Portal technology is a result of more than a year of in-depth research by Intelisys into the needs of small-to-middle-market businesses. Autolink.com joins Intuit and Chase Manhattan Bank in using this technology to link small and mid-sized companies with their suppliers, allowing them to save millions annually on operating supplies and speed the purchasing process.
About Autolink.com
Autolink.com is the nation's first independent web site designed to help auto dealers improve their competitive performance and business operations. The site offers comprehensive training, customer relationship marketing, service diagnostics, information, and the power of group supply management, plus an array of additional programs for dealers to succeed in a dramatically changing industry -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Autolink.com is backed by a consortium led by Ernst & Young LLP, the world's largest auto industry consultant; Steve Nickelsen, a nationally recognized expert in dealer training and management; and Data National Corporation, a leading customer relationship management company.
About Intelisys Electronic Commerce
Headquartered in New York, Intelisys Electronic Commerce (www.intelisys.com) is a leading provider of Internet-based business-to-business purchasing applications for companies of all sizes. Intelisys' IEC-Enterprise suite of products provides private and public large-scale entities with the easiest way for using the Internet to dramatically reduce the high cost of procuring non-production goods and services and increase management control. IEC-Enterprise received "Best of Show" honors at the 1999 Gartner Group Internet and Electronic Commerce Conference and Exposition.
With IEC-Portal, Intelisys is applying its Internet procurement expertise and hallmark ease-of-use to meet the e-commerce needs of millions of small and mid-sized companies, both as suppliers and buyers. Formed in 1996, Intelisys clients include Texas Instruments, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Telstra, The Ford Motor Company, Western Geophysical (a division of Baker Hughes), The Chase Manhattan Bank, and the States of New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Utah and Idaho.