Montreal (QC) & Oak Brook, IL, April 5, 2011 – TRADER Corporation, Canada’s leading destination for new and used vehicles, has launched TOptimizer as part of an exclusive partnership with vAuto, the U.S. industry leader in used vehicle inventory management. Canadian automotive dealers can now benefit from vAuto’s award-winning online Live Market View, which provides valuable information through its analysis of used vehicle markets with up-to-the minute data. TOptimizer is based on vAuto’s online Live Market View and includes stocking, appraisal and pricing modules. More than 3,500 automotive dealers in the United States utilize vAuto to optimize their used vehicle operations.

TOptimizer will provide Canadian dealers real-time information on current used vehicle supply, demand and market pricing in their local marketplace. The vAuto suite of solutions will compliment TRADER Corporation’s existing Dealer Smart Solutions product offering. Dealer Smart Solutions is a fully integrated online platform helping automotive dealers promote their inventory to drive traffic and optimize their business efficiency and speed to market.

“Our priority has always been to offer best-in-class business solutions that constantly adapt to today’s fast-evolving market,” says Normand Théberge, Vice-President, Marketing at TRADER Corporation. “Our partnership with vAuto allows our TOptimizer’s sophisticated online modules to help our customers quickly grasp current market conditions and better manage their used car inventory.”

“vAuto is excited to offer Canadian dealers a competitive edge through Live Market View,” says Keith Jezek, president of vAuto. “As car buyers research and compare cars on the Internet, it is essential for dealerships to understand how their inventory compares to the market. TOptimizer featuring vAuto will allow Canadian dealers a better decision-making process resulting in increased profit margins.”

AutoTRADER.ca in Canada is not affiliated with AutoTrader.com, the United States-based online vehicle marketplace that is the parent company of vAuto. The TOptimizer solution is now available to all dealers in Canada.

About TRADER Corporation

TRADER Corporation is a leader in print and digital vertical media in the automotive, real estate and generalist verticals. The Company offers a broad set of services such as inventory management, web solutions, optimization of media spend and lead-generation campaigns. Its flagship site AutoTRADER.ca reached over 2M unique visitors monthly in 2010. The new Autos.ca website dedicated to new cars is the online destination of choice for automotive information and advice on making smart car purchase decisions. TRADER’s main brands include AutoTRADER.ca™, Autos.ca™, autoHEBDO.net™, BuySell.com™, and Renters Guide. TRADER Corporation is owned by Yellow Media Inc. (TSX: YLO). For more information, visit www.TRADERCorporation.com.

About vAuto

Headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, IL, vAuto also maintains a research and development center in Austin, TX. vAuto’s innovative “Live Market View” technology allows dealers to manage their used-vehicle inventories based on actual supply-and-demand for their specific market. Today, more than 3,500 dealerships across the country use vAuto’s pricing, appraisal, stocking and merchandising systems. Dale Pollak, vAuto’s founder, is the author of two books featuring best practices and strategies for the used car department, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability. vAuto is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com. Additional information about vAuto is available at www.vauto.com or call 877-828-8614.

CarMax EasyShop Makes Car Buying Easier – Again

RICHMOND, Va. (March 28, 2011) — CarMax, Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, has once again dramatically improved car buying with CarMax EasyShop at carmax.com. Launched exclusively in Raleigh and Fayetteville, the newly added functionality empowers customers to complete more of the car shopping process at their convenience and from any computer before arriving at the store.

Join our discussion on this over on the DealerRefresh Dealer Forums - CarMax EasyShop - Is this the future of car buying?

Carmax.com currently allows customers nationwide to search CarMax’s more than 25,000 vehicles by type, make, price, features and more. Once customers find a car that matches their needs, they then must go into a store to move further along in the car buying process.

Now with CarMax EasyShop, customers in Raleigh and Fayetteville can do all the following online:

• Place a hold on a vehicle for up to three days
  
• Schedule a test drive
  
• Apply for financing and quickly receive a decision online from CarMax and third-party finance providers
  
• Initiate and pay for a transfer of a vehicle from any CarMax store to your local store
  
• Choose a MaxCare extended service plan that matches expected budget and driving needs
  
• Schedule an appraisal of another vehicle
  
• Get started on your paperwork before going to the store

“CarMax believes our customers should be in the driver’s seat when buying a car, and is now providing them more control and convenience through CarMax EasyShop,” said Tom Folliard, CarMax chief executive officer and president. “Customers can reduce the amount of time they will need to spend in the store by securing financing and completing some of the necessary paperwork before coming into the store.”

The company selected Raleigh and Fayetteville to pilot CarMax EasyShop due to a strong history with the community and existing consumer awareness levels. CarMax’s Raleigh store was opened in 1994 – the second store for the company.

Buyers can be confident using CarMax EasyShop because there is no commitment to buy, and customers can start the online steps whenever and where ever they like. CarMax EasyShop is secure and personal information is always protected.  Customers can also be reassured with CarMax’s free vehicle history reports, five-day money back guarantee and 30-day warranty on every vehicle.

CarMax EasyShop also provides the information customers need upfront so they can make an informed decision. As buyers move through the online buying process, CarMax EasyShop calculates costs including tax, title and fees. CarMax associates are also available to help online customers by phone from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

CarMax is encouraging customers interested in learning more about CarMax EasyShop to visit www.carmax.com/easyshop, connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter at @CarMax and using the hashtag #carmaxeasyshop. An informative video about CarMax EasyShop is also available at Login to view embedded media View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqxZFI7LfM
.

Join our discussion on this over on the DealerRefresh Dealer Forums - CarMax EasyShop - Is this the future of car buying?

About CarMax
CarMax, a member of the FORTUNE 500 and the S&P 500, and one of the FORTUNE 2011 “100 Best Companies to Work For,” is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax currently operates 103 used car superstores in 49 markets. The CarMax consumer offer is structured around four customer benefits: low, no-haggle prices; a broad selection; high quality vehicles; and customer-friendly service. During the twelve months ended February 28, 2010, the company retailed 357,129 used cars and sold 197,382 wholesale vehicles at our in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.

http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f43/carmax-easyshop-future-car-buying-1727.html#post13749

Did you know that your local competitor just got smarter?

You thought that they were behind the ball with digital marketing, social media, and leveraging the Internet but that was yesterday’s news.

Your local competitor did wake up. They realized that they were behind and took action. Good entrepreneurs are not perfect but when they realize that they are losing market share and wake up they can be a fierce competitor once again.

If I were you, I would be looking over my shoulder because your competitor is using his recent knowledge to mount an attack.

Your competitor attended a 20-group meeting, a social media conference, or a digital marketing workshop, and the lights went on. You were too busy to notice this change so I thought I would send a warning shot over the bow.

You Once Had An Edge

You got started with social media and digital marketing a few years ago and had an edge in your local market. You exploited that edge and basked in the sun of your success. Congratulations.

You were rewarded with greater sales, website traffic, and market share. Over the past few years you have been busy implementing the things that you learned by engaging in the educational opportunities offered by this industry.

In fact, I’ve noticed that you have been so intent on implementing what you learned you have been too busy to attend any new workshops in the past year. Is it still true that you got so many ideas in 2009 and 2010 that you have decided to skip attending conference year?

Why pile on more ideas when you haven’t had a chance to implement those from 2009 right?



Your Competitor is Smiling

To paraphrase a famous business book, while you have been busy implementing last years’ digital marketing strategies “the Cheese has moved again”.

Do you need an example? Today being on Google Page One is not as important as being on Google Page with strong positive review stars. If you are one Page One with bad reviews, your advertising budget is helping to direct more business to your competitors.

If you haven’t focused on a strong IRM process, much of your SEO work may be actually hurting more than helping your online sales.



No Time To Get Complacent

Is this scenario describing your dealership?

Are you the incumbent that has decided to attend conference every other year?

• Are you the dealership that recently woke-up and engaged?
  
• Are you the dealer who wants to engage but needs assistance creating a competitive digital marketing strategy?

The dealers who want to remain relevant cannot afford to skip a year of education. The industry is moving faster that most can comprehend yet I hear so many excuses why dealers think they can take a break from learning.

“I’ve been to that event last year”
“I can’t take time out of the office.”
“The speakers and topics are always the same”
“I’m the only person in my market that gets it.”

The reality is that the best conferences have not only new topics but also important revisions to existing strategies that you are using.

Two years ago little data on consumer behavior on dealer mobile websites was being shared, today we have a wealth of data to discuss.

Two years ago the conversation on reputation management was just starting and today the case studies on the impact of online reviews is chilling.

Google has recently changed their standards for organic search rankings and many dealers were penalized for poor link building processes.


Invest in Education in 2011

Since your competitors are heading to conferences, workshops, and online learning opportunities based on the most relevant topics for 2011 I thought you would want to reconsider your lack of action.

You have the power to remain ahead of your competition and find where the cheese has been moved. What will you do?

Recently I was in a plumbing supply store.  I needed a small, custom part for my kitchen faucet.  This is what greeted me:



That's right.  A bunch of white guys in dress shirts and ties, answering phones at desks with paper catalogues, and wood panels on the walls.

Seriously.  I had to check my phone to make sure it wasn't 1980.

Wait.  It gets better.  After being gruffly greeted at the counter, my helper spent 20 minutes asking 3 different guys before finding the reference to the part I needed.  Then he went in the back of the building to their warehouse only to return and declare that the part wasn't in stock, had been discontinued, and couldn't be acquired any longer.

Now that's extreme, but it got me thinking:  Surely we've done a better job in the car business keeping up? In my days back in the late 90's I remembered the end of the parts microfiche days.  Don't know what that is?  Go on a quest to find out.  I always find the exploration of the technological or cultural references backwards to be insightful.

Think your dealership is up to date?  Would your customers say so?  Consider:

How far online:  Have you recently bought anything else other than real estate or a vehicle online? Pause and picture the process you encountered in your mind.  Did your shopping process involve the vendor showing you a colorized photo of the vehicle, generic data (i.e. VIN decode), list price, and asking you to submit your information so they could get back to you with a real price, leaving credit, financing, incentives and after-market sales for when you visited their physical facility?  Carmax just announced the pilot roll out of direct online shopping.  Are you using microfiche and web lead forms when the competition has ecommerce that allows consumers to shop and buy online - cars and parts?

Would you be your "friend" online? I'm on Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, LinkedIn, MySpace, Flickr, De.lic.i.ous, and countless blogs and forums.  I know how to use these technologies, but I've been around long enough that I'm skeptical of next-ware that is going to change everything.  Twitter and Facebook brought about regime change in Egypt and hopefully Libya.  Does that somehow make them effective advertising tools for car dealers?  My question is (and I don't know the answer): who has sold what with this stuff and for what effort put in?  It's a blog.  Post your experiences.

Other uses of social media?  We live in a lottery society, so I'm sure there must be some benefit in the contest invitations I receive from car dealers or I'm sure the deluge of them would stop (please).

Sales Presentation Materials. I helped my Canadian brother in law buy a new Subaru (an Impreza WRX Limited) a few months ago from Richmond Hill Subaru.  The customer quoting sheets were awesome.  The best I've ever seen.  Selling price, rebates, payment and lease options all clearly laid out.  Very professional and able to be updated as we moved through the process (i.e. added his trade in).  I know enough about the selling process and how to calculate a car deal to be dangerous, so other than surprising the finance manager by reverse-calculating the back end of the deal, everything went very smoothly.

I contrasted that with the paperwork from buying my 2003 Audi A4 Cab.  I loved that car, but now it's a write off.  It flooded with water this spring during rain due to the improper installation of the convertible top, so I had the paperwork out.  The paperwork was dated November 2002 and the car had just come out.  I used part of my Reynolds severance check to buy it.  It was a hand-written bill of sale, with the options hand-written.  I'm quite sure as an industry we still span that spectrum of sales presentation materials from awesome, clear, and honest to hand-written.  What do your dealership's sales presentation materials look like?

What other examples can you think of in your dealership?




And then as a footnote I was thinking the other day of services and technologies (like the microfiche) that have gone away that I don't miss. Here's my list.  Add yours in your comments.

Video rental stores. Thank you video on demand over the Internet!  The idiocy of driving to a store, finding the titles alphabetically or by genre, renting a disk, worrying about availability and the ever looming return date.  Click.  Gone.

Cell phones as phones. I have a wife and two boys.  We all have iPhones.  The phone part of the bill is less than 1/3 of the total and collectively we have 1,000 minutes per month and only use 2-300 of them.  But 15-20,000 texts and several GB of data per month, no problem.  A phone with call display and numbers 0-9 would seem like an antique.  I saw one of the old house phones with a cord and the rotary dial the other day.  My 13 year old asked me what it was.

Desktops and Laptops are going quickly too. iPads, netbooks, and smart phones.  Don't believe me?  Look at what people under 30 use.

Typewriters. I am old enough that I had to take typing in high school.  I thought it was a completely useless course at the time. Couldn't have been more wrong.  Sorry for the things I said Mom.  Probably the most useful thing I could have taken.  Use it all day every day.  No wonder they call it keyboarding now.

I could go on.  I have many more.  That's not the point.  This is a blog.  Please add your input.  I'll leave you this final thought:

The world around us is changing.  Technology is enabling everything we do and radically reshaping how we do a lot of things. In this context, how do consumers view your business?  Do you look and operate like the car dealers they've stereotyped or are your image, brand, technology, and processes setting a different and more up to date image?

As Darwin said (I'll paraphrase), "It is not the tallest, strongest, fastest, smartest, or any other -est that survives evolution:  It is just the species which is most adaptable to change."

What have you seen?  What do you think?  What's going on out there?

How well does your dealership adapt and embrace technological and process change?