Online Inventory Marketing Tool

With so many consumers turning to the Internet before making a vehicle purchase, it’s more important than ever for dealers to make sure their inventory is exposed to as many online shoppers as possible. It’s a daunting task when one considers the multitude of available sites on which vehicles can be listed, so many dealers rely on outsourced providers to extract inventory information from their DMS and get it quickly and accurately pushed out to places like online auctions, free and paid classified sites, and even a dealership’s own site. Many providers have moved beyond photo listing services and offer comprehensive online marketing that includes vehicle videos and SEO/SEM services.

The group average in this category saw a jump of nearly eight points over last year, and while only two providers scored above average in 2009, four providers turned in above-average showings this year —the most ever in this category.

For the third consecutive year, eBizAutos claimed the top spot, earning the provider the title of Triple Diamond Award Winner. “We recognize that it takes more than great technology to solve today’s business challenges, and our eBizAutos Advisor team does whatever it takes to educate, support and guide our clients to success,” said Sarah Mooneyhan, co-founder of eBizAutos.

HomeNet, which won Gold two years ago but made no appearance in the category last year, greatly improved its 2008 score by over 22 points and claimed the Platinum Award this year. Auction123, only four-tenths of a point behind, took the Gold Award. Finishing fourth  was a newcomer to the awards, Auto Uplink.