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Exclusive Endorsement of National Automobile Dealers Association
Cobalt's nine NADA-endorsed website solutions offer dealers powerful applications to drive their online retailing business
SEATTLE (January 29, 2004) — The Cobalt Group, the leading provider of automotive CRM and online retailing solutions, and National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) today announced that the NADA has extended its exclusive endorsement of Cobalt's comprehensive online retailing tools for the fifth consecutive year. Cobalt's 2004 NADA-endorsed dealer websites feature powerful new capabilities that help dealers better merchandise their products and services throughout their online storefront, attract more customers to their dealerships, tap into emerging markets, and close more leads. Cobalt is the only e-business provider to ever be endorsed by NADA.
"The Cobalt-NADA relationship helps ensure that NADA dealers have an online retailing program that promotes their dealerships' products and services to their market as effectively as possible, drives traffic to the showroom, and helps them close more leads," said Alan Starling, NADA's chairman. "We're confident that this endorsement will help NADA-member dealerships maximize their online customers' experience with new tools and applications that will also drive dealership profits and efficiencies. NADA will continue to encourage dealers to move their business operations forward by embracing these powerful new technologies. We are pleased to continue to work with Cobalt as NADA's exclusive online retailing technology partner."
The NADA-endorsed Cobalt solutions, Nitra Complete, Nitra Extended and Nitra Core, include Cobalt's e-business and lead management applications as well as Nitra's industry-leading website management tools. NADA has also endorsed Cobalt's targeted solutions designed to help dealers develop new revenue opportunities. These include the Nitra Spanish-language Website Solution, the Parts Marketing Solution, and the Dealer Group Portal.
"Cobalt's NADA-endorsed e-business solutions deliver the industry's most powerful online marketing while offering new tools that help dealers target new markets, achieve higher sales and improve customer satisfaction," said John Holt, president and CEO of The Cobalt Group.
The foundation of Cobalt's NADA-endorsed offerings is Cobalt Nitra, Cobalt's flagship e-business platform developed exclusively to meet the needs of a growing automotive retailing business. Cobalt Nitra provides dealers with round-the-clock access to tools for easily managing and updating their online dealership and a comprehensive, simple-to-use library of rich marketing content that enables them to update and customize their online retailing program from any Internet-enabled PC. Nitra is the automotive industry's leading e-business platform, endorsed by 12 OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and used daily by 5,000 dealerships.
"Since Nitra's debut at NADA 2002, nearly a quarter of the nation's automobile dealers have converted to the Nitra platform," said Holt. "This year's solutions take Nitra's capacity to a new level of opportunity for dealers. Cobalt is honored that NADA has recognized our commitment to their dealer members through our strong and growing partnership. We're proud that dealers think of us as a partner in their success, not just as another vendor."
The Nitra Core Solution offers a suite of customizable e-business marketing and management tools, including:
Media Tracker call tracking and reporting, enabling Internet managers to capture detailed information about website phone-up leads and better evaluate the ROI of their online retailing program.
Service Center Express maintenance schedules and menu pricing, driving profitable routine maintenance to the service department.
The industry's most versatile and extensive content management tools, including Cobalt Website Manager for Nitra, Marketing Library Manager, AutoShow inventory manager and the AdWizard Plus ad-building tool.
The Nitra Core Solution is also backed by Cobalt's industry leading eCare support and product training.
The Nitra Extended Solution offers all the features of the Nitra Core Solution, plus:
- The Platinum Flash Library helps dealers create an exciting online presence with Flash designs and objects that provide animation, music, and interactivity.
- Promotion Builder generates more leads by allowing dealers to capture customer information through engaging online promotions.
- AdWizard Premium helps dealers merchandise their specials and strategically channel leads throughout their websites.
- Survey Builder allows dealers to create custom website and service surveys to open customer dialogs and measure consumer satisfaction more effectively.
- The Advanced Vehicle Research Pak features tools that allow consumers to conduct detailed research on the dealer website resulting in less reliance on third-party sites and more leads to the dealer including:
- The Vehicle Media Gallery adds sizzle to dealership inventory presentation by offering consumers 18 interior and exterior stock vehicle photos in their inventory as well as 360-degree virtual "walk-arounds" and a Flash-based colorization tool.
- Cobalt's Make & Match vehicle configurator and comparator drives customers toward a purchase decision while highlighting the advantages of the dealer's product lines.
- Lead Manager Customer Central, which offers dealerships best-in-class lead management capabilities along with CRM essentials.
- Media Tracker call tracking and reporting with five toll-free numbers.
NADA has also endorsed the following targeted solutions:
- The Spanish-language Website Solution is the industry's most comprehensive localized retailing solution designed to help dealers develop stronger relationship with prospects and owners in the Hispanic community, the nation's fastest growing consumer demographic. The Spanish-language Website Solution features a fully translated website, Hispanic marketing content, and free ongoing translation services
- The Parts Marketing Solution helps dealers reach new customers and significantly increase dealership revenue by marketing their parts and accessories to a worldwide online audience. The Parts Marketing Solution features Cobalt's Parts Counter Express, now with a fully integrated shipping module to speed parts fulfillment.
- The Dealer Group Portal allows dealer groups to capitalize on their branding and network of stores by aggregating inventory onto a portal family site. The Dealer Group Portal helps dealer groups market their inventory selection more profitably, attract more customers, and efficiently route leads to individual locations for prompt follow-up and increased closing ratios.
"This year's NADA-endorsed solutions represent the high point of Cobalt's decade-long commitment to providing dealers the most effective e-business products on the market," said Holt. "These solutions help dealers capitalize on three-plus years of technology development on the Nitra platform. We're very proud to offer dealers the most advanced, effective marketing and merchandising capabilities available today. Now more than ever, dealers can count on Cobalt to drive profits to every part of their business."
T
o sign up for any of Cobalt's NADA-endorsed solutions or to get more information about Cobalt's industry-leading products and services, contact Cobalt at 866-439-2258 or e-mail sales@cobaltgroup.com.
About the National Automobile Dealers Association - The National Automobile Dealers Association represents more than 20,000 new car and truck dealers, with more than 43,000 separate franchises, both domestic and import. For more information, please visit www.nada.org or call (703) 821-7000.
Contact Information
Cobalt Corporate Communications
Email: press@cobaltgroup.com
Phone: (206)219-8022
