Inventory Management Tool

The concept of inventory management sounds simple enough: buy and sell the right cars at the right price. Proper inventory management, however, involves harvesting and analyzing a lot of data, which is why so many dealers love quality inventory management tools. Three made the cut as Dealers’ Choice Award winners, and this year’s results may induce a feeling of déjà vu, considering all three companies placed the same as they did in 2010.

In the three years dealers have been voting in the Inventory Management Tool category, the Diamond Award winner, vAuto, has taken home an award each year. The Double Diamond Award winner, acquired by AutoTrader.com in late 2010, won Platinum in 2009, the year the category was introduced. “We are proud to be the recipient of this award for the second consecutive year,” says Keith Jezek, vAuto’s president. “Being voted the highest-ranking vendor in the inventory management tool category by the dealer community is a tribute to our cutting edge technology and Velocity strategy. It is also a testament to the commitment of the vAuto team, all of whom share a passion to help dealers achieve dominance in their used vehicle market.”

FirstLook, by INCISENT Technologies, achieved Double Platinum status this year. This Chicago based company continues to focus on a 360? view of a dealer’s inventory covering everything from appraising trades to pricing inventory online.

DealerTrack AAX, one of the first inventory management products introduced on the market in 2006, achieved the Gold Award this year, marking its third year with an above-average score and assigning it Double Gold status.