UpShift Digital Articles

Friday the folks at DealerTrack announced that they have integrated their AAX and eCarList products into one inventory management and merchandizing tool and announced the launch of a mobile application.

The integration will allow dealers to appraise, price and merchandize vehicles with live retail and historical data.

The mobile ap, which also features an iPad and iPhone option, will allow a dealer to watch finance and consumer credit activities.

DealerTrack bought eCarList last July, when AutoTrader chose VinSolutions over the Dallas based company.

To read more:

http://bit.ly/AwQ4wg

ResponseLogix, the lead response management software, and Dominion Dealer Solutions, the CRM tool formerly known as AutoBase, announced a technology partnership to syncronize functionality. Interesting that AutoBase was previously a CRM system that caused some of the most challenges to ResponseLogix integration system.

The features of the partnership include a view of the lead history, including price quotes, ResponseLogix follow up emails, test drive requests and "reactivations," the ResponseLogix feature that shows leads that have re-engaged the customer through the follow up process known as SmartFollow.

This seems like a big win for Dominion Dealer Solutions, as…

TrueCar announced Wednesday that they would be changing their billing practices in the state of Virginia away from the illegal per sale model to a subscription fee. Wonder if they plan to make the same move in Texas, Maryland and Louisiana where that practice is also illegal. From my days of launching cars.com's NewLeadsPlus in Texas, and other pay per lead generating products in those other states, UpShift Digital is well aware of the laws and the penalties. Interesting that TrueCar and Scott Painter didn't feel those laws related to him. Working the Texas lawmakers, we learned that it's…

James Wood's two dealerships, one in Denton and one in Decatur just north of Dallas, were just recognized by GM as having success within the "next online frontier." Amanda Woods, the dealer's social networking expert has created a mommy blog and have incorporated that process into the buying process. Knowing that you can't sell cars, or measure a straight ROI on social networking, Woods is working closely with Internet sales manager Ted Moore. Williams claims they've actually sold some vehicles to folks that have communicated directly through text or Twitter completely through the process. Coming in only to sign…

More and more people are moving to Internet auto shopping on their SmartPhones, in fact, the year over year increases in shopping for a car beat increases in social media and gaming. Yup folks, a mobile presence is getting to be more and more of a requirement if you dealership is going to position itself to be involved in the sale of a vehicle found online.

JD Power found a year over year increase of forty-one percent on people using a SmartPhone to shop for a vehicle online. Now 24% of SmartPhone Internet users shop on their device…

With holiday road trips coming up, Cars.com has partnered with Pandora to create 3 custom stations - "Road Trip," "Car Songs" and "Tailgate." The stations can be accessed thru the car, computer, iPad, iPhone and more…

http://bit.ly/oU3ScK

Ever heard of LemonFree.com? It's an automotive shopping portal that is growing in visitors and popularity and just this week they have revisited their look and launched a mobile site to continue to increase traffic and leads. The new mobile site will work with all mobile devices and allow shoppers to view the 2.3 million vehicles listed on the site, and contact participating dealers.

And for those of you that understand the importance of driving Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) traffic, LemonFree.com does include the VIN in each vehicle's URL. What more information on how to include LemonFree in…

A new survey from AutoUSA released that most Internet departments will spend the same, if not more money on online marketing through the rest of 2011. Of the dealerships that said they were planning to cut spending, over half of them decided to take the cuts within traditional marketing, not online. Forty percent of dealers that plan to increase spending, are planning on increasing that spending on Social Media and Reputation Management.

http://bit.ly/or8xXD

So where are you in the whole Facebook face-off? Are you pissed? Are you posting a nasty picture about what Facebook did to YOUR Facebook (really? Do you pay to be there? I don't). How about sharing the status update that Facebook is going to start charging you unless you post that status and your profile pic turns blue. That's a hoax by the way .... a really old one.

I, for one, like the new Facebook changes. I am a pretty frequent user and would say that I am there multiple times, every day, even if I…

I knew this one was coming, and had actually heard that eCarList was neck and neck with Vin Solutions to be purchased by AutoTrader. Interesting buy from DealerTrack. And congrats to Len Critcher for building a strong company from the ground up to get bought out.

Again my question is, Who's next? And where the heck is Cars.com in all this acquision fevor?

http://bit.ly/iw2ExX