Reynolds and Reynolds Takes the Mystery Out of the Internet for Auto Retailers
15 March 2000
Reynolds and Reynolds Takes the Mystery Out of the Internet for Auto Retailers
DAYTON, Ohio--March 15, 2000--Puts Power of Internet in the Retailers' Hands -- NOW
"An achievement of unprecedented automotive retailing performance has just been delivered. Fueled by the automotive retailing industry's interest in aggressively embracing the New Economy, Reynolds and Reynolds is e-enabling auto retailers across the United States and Canada with the release of ERA2 e4.0."
These were the words of Kurt Lieberman, general manager of The Reynolds and Reynolds Company's Retail Management Solutions Division, in today's introduction of eActivate! Services, the immediate electronic enablement of Reynolds' industry-leading ERA2 automotive retail management system. Fulfilling Reynolds' ePowerment vision presented at this year's National Automobile Dealers Association convention, eActivate! takes Reynolds to the forefront of the New Economy by delivering services that auto retailers need to take advantage of the Internet's marketing and communications capability.
"Retailers increasingly see the value of deep connectivity with their customers and prospects, car companies and the many service providers they rely on to transact business. eActivate! literally turns on the switches to allow a new approach to automotive retailing," Lieberman said.
"This is more than a simple introduction of a sophisticated technology or single product. By harnessing the power of the Internet, eActivate! will act as an auto retailer's passport to retailing success," he said.
With this capability, a dealership will be able to:
| -- | Drive business-to-business and business-to-consumer Internet communication to increase traffic, strengthen CSI, and improve communications. |
| -- | Strengthen their brand image through timely and targeted one-to-one marketing. |
| -- | Enhance Internet marketing skills and processes. |
These services, said Lieberman, actually transform the industry-leading ERA2 retail management system into a powerful marketing tool that offers the means and the proven techniques for turning data into valuable information, and ultimately into highly responsive and cost-effective marketing programs. eActivate! enables ERA2 to immediately lever industry standard access to data, pre-configured data views and Internet consulting. Current offerings for outbound electronic marketing include such tools as service notifications, special order parts, prospect follow up, and customer follow up, including recognition and relationship and customer satisfaction.
eActivate! will also include exclusive Web site content for Reynolds customers featuring important retailer information, system updates, and ongoing services to help auto retailers optimize the full marketing capability resident in every ERA2 system.
"As the New Economy continues to grow, it is imperative that retailers embrace e-business as part of their solutions package," said Lieberman. "eActivate! creates an environment that allows auto retailers to deliver targeted marketing messages through the Internet based on information already available in their ERA2 system. eActivate! is just another step Reynolds has taken to become the e-business leader in the automotive retailing marketplace."
Reynolds continues to play a major role with MSN CarPoint(TM), the leading car-buying site on the Internet (as ranked by Media Metrix, the leading measurement service for Internet audience usage), and provides several sophisticated electronic products and services to the automotive retailing industry, including the OneTouch(R) Electronic Parts Locator Service, and eService Reminders. Reynolds is also working with Saturn to build an integrated, real-time, Web-enabled automotive retail management system, and is one of the founding parties of an independent company that will develop an electronic parts network to link buyers and sellers in a cost-efficient, user-friendly, Web-based solution for the multi-billion dollar automotive parts market. eActivate! embraces the needs and speed of the New Economy and provides the dealer unprecedented support to reach the consumer today.
Reynolds and Reynolds, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a leading provider of integrated information management systems and related value-added services to automotive and general business markets. The company reported revenues of $1.63 billion for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 1999. For more information on Reynolds and Reynolds, visit www.reyrey.com, or call The Reynolds and Reynolds Information Hotline at 1-888-4REYREY.
Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections of future company or industry performance based on management's judgment, beliefs, current trends and market conditions. Forward-looking statements made or to be made by or on behalf of the company may be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, forcasted or implied in the forward-looking statements. See also the discussion of factors that may affect future results contained in the company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 9, 2000, which we incorporate herein by reference. The company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.