BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the leading provider of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that the company has increased research and development (R&D) spending by over 100% for 2009.  In a time of great challenges for the industry, Dealer.com has increased the commitment to keeping their clients two to four years ahead of the competition by investing at this level, at this crucial time.  As the rate of change in technology and Internet marketing best practices continues to accelerate, Dealer.com recognizes that continuously increasing R&D investment is the key to staying at the forefront of technology and helping their dealers achieve even more success. 

In the current year when the 2009 R&D Funding Forecast estimates that overall R&D spending in the U.S. will decrease by 1.6% when corrected for inflation, Dealer.com is investing more than ever before both in terms of percentages and actual dollars. The company holds strong in the belief that the focus on R&D will make the company and their clients emerge from the recession even further ahead.  The 2009 increase in this investment includes people and technology.  Dealer.com firmly believes that these areas are crucial for advanced R&D growth, and while the company has always had a strong focus on this area, the increase is strategically planned, at a time when many companies are losing money and decreasing their R&D spend. 

“R&D has always been a key strategic focus, a true foundation of Dealer.com.  And as the rate of technological change continues to speed up, investment in R&D is critical,” commented Rick Gibbs, Dealer.com chief technology officer.  “Technology and automotive companies that do not have this strategy will lose ground and not be able to provide their clients leading-edge solutions.  We’re doubling our investment in R&D to help all of our dealers thrive while the industry is facing difficult conditions.  As Dealer.com's technology chief since day one, over ten years now, I continuously strive to keep our dealers at the forefront of the latest advancements and best practices."

About Dealer.com
Founded in Burlington, VT in 1997, Dealer.com is the leading provider of online marketing solutions to the automotive industry. Dealer.com offers NADA award-winning SmartSites™ website design incorporating dynamic video; user-friendly lead management tools; the best in search engine advertising and unparalleled metrics and web analytics. Excellent customer service, innovative training and proven results are just a few of the reasons why more of the top 125 dealer groups use Dealer.com than any other vendor. Dealer.com was also the 2008 top rated web provider on Drivingsales.com, the industry’s largest online dealer community. 

Dealer.com’s suite of online marketing solutions is the only set of tools that effectively creates a 360° view of auto dealers’ online and traditional marketing investments and results. Dealers are easily able to track spending and determine which activities are leading to the highest return on investment, allowing them to streamline advertising and marketing efforts into targeted activities that increase sales and improve the bottom line.