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Internet Car Referral Services - Who will dominate?
27 August 1998
The Changing Face of Automobile Retailing - Internet Car Referral Services -
Who will dominate?
METUCHEN, N.J.--(AutomotiveWire)--Aug. 27, 1998--
Industry leaders strut their stuff at
Auto Retailing on the Web Conference - Nashville.
November 16 & 17
Internet retailing of automobiles is gaining a foothold in the
market. Inteco Corp., a market research firm that predicts consumer acceptance of emerging
technologies commenting on Internet car shoppers - "A conversion rate of 50% is
reflective of the ease and economy of reaching serious customers." Car customer
referral services are popping up like mushrooms. The big question in most dealers' minds
is who will dominate. With which service should they align themselves - if any?
Six leading Internet car buying referral services have agreed to
appear on a panel to discuss the future of Internet assisted new and used vehicle
retailing. Scheduled to appear in a two-hour panel discussion will be some of the top
performers in this growing segment in automotive retailing.
Representing www.autoconnect.com,
will be its CEO, Chip Perry. Mr. Perry heads up the Internet site for used vehicle
listings - a joint venture of ADP, Dealer Systems Division and Manheim Auctions.
Microsoft's CarPoint site, www.carpoint.com, will
also send a representative. CarPoint is a joint venture of Microsoft and Reynolds and
Reynolds.
The CEO of AutoWeb, www.autoweb.com,
Payam Zamani, will also sit on the panel along with Greg Stuart, Vice- President of
Marketing for www.cars.com; the used vehicle site formed
by a consortium of major market newspapers.
A relative newcomer to the automotive Internet referral segment -
Priceline, Inc. - will be represented by Ken Elias, Director of Automotive. Priceline, www.priceline.com, with a huge advertising budget
featuring spots using William Shatner as a spokesperson, has expanded from selling airline
tickets to the Internet marketing of new cars and trucks.
Others like autobytel.com, Inc. have been invited but have not yet
confirmed their participation.
This session will cap a two-day event devoted to presentations
from a number of automotive industry and Internet experts. Other speakers include Doris
Ehlers of J.D. Power and Associates, Jayne Waida of iTRiBE, Inc., Karen Piurkowski of
Polk's Consumer Loyalty Group, Bob Van Der Ploeg of FastNet, Inc., and Jim Berline of The
Berline Group, a Detroit based advertising group associated with the Detroit Auto Dealers
Association, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
The two-hour discussion will be moderated by Jim Muntz, the
Publisher of several auto industry related newsletters, including Dealer's Edge and the
recently launched monthly, Auto Retailing on the Web - The auto dealer's guide to on-line
profits.
Internet referral services make up the bulk of the activity in
this new medium for the retailing of cars and trucks. Attendees will hear from each, with
ample opportunity to judge for themselves which site will ultimately dominate this
competitive market.
Conference attendees will include auto dealership executives
anxious to improve Internet sales, as well as auto manufacturers, Internet referral and
service firms, advertising and public relations firms. All are looking for the edge in
what promises to be the next retailing revolution in the very competitive automotive
segment.
The conference theme is - "How to develop a successful
Internet strategy."
The Auto Retailing on the Web Conference is sponsored by WD&S
Publishing of Metuchen New Jersey. WD&S is a provider of automotive industry
newsletters. Conference details can be obtained from www.dealersedge.com,
or call 800-321-5312.
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