January, 2010
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Auto Industry Leader Dealer.com Closes 2009 with Accelerated Growth, Research and Development Year marked by expansion, industry partnerships, R&D investment and prestigious awards
January 5, 2010 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that 2009 saw the highest annual growth in the company's twelve year history, with a five year revenue growth rate of 675 percent. In addition to the continued financial strength, Dealer.com extended its technology and service leadership with significant investment in research and development (R&D), expanded industry partnerships, prestigious awards and accolades, and the industry's first comprehensive online marketing platform.
“As we continue to grow, we proactively expand our resources to offer all of our customers the best technology and service. We doubled our R&D investment this year, launched comprehensive employee training and development programs, and expanded our relationships with leading industry groups. These strategic initiatives help keep our dealerships, no matter the size or type, years ahead of the competition,” commented Mark Bonfigli, Dealer.com president and CEO.
In 2009, Dealer.com launched its Enterprise Solutions Division, designed to serve the needs of OEMs and large dealer groups. Dealer.com also expanded partnerships with OEMs last year, including Jaguar Land Rover North America, and formed a strategic alliance with Trader Corporation, which brought Dealer.com's marketing solutions to Canada's new and used vehicle industry. Dealer.com also bolstered alliances with leading advertising agencies.
Partnerships with the nation's top automotive dealer groups, as ranked by Ward's Dealer Business, also increased. According to the annual ranking, 75 percent of the leading dealer groups now choose Dealer.com's online marketing services. Specific dealer group clients added in 2009 include: Suburban Collection, Bergstrom Automotive, Tuttle-Click Automotive, Holler Automotive, Autofocus, Harold Ziegler Auto Group, and Rosner Auto Group.
“We have partnered again this year with the most prestigious and fast forward auto retailers in North America. The market share increase this year is a testament to word of mouth from our customers, that we are the right partner to have moving into this new decade of auto retailing. Next year we think is going to be a banner year for our customers,” added Dean Evans, chief marketing officer, Dealer.com.
Several independent national research results also confirmed Dealer.com's industry leadership, including comprehensive organic and paid search studies from Sorgenfrei, LLC and The Pasch Consulting Group. The company's industry-leading products and services and unique corporate culture were also recognized by the following awards and rankings in 2009.
- Net Promoter® Score Survey – top customer service ranking in the nation's software industry
- Auto Dealer Monthly's Dealers' Choice Awards – Gold Award for Web Site Design (fourth consecutive year)
- Web Marketing Association WebAwards –
- Automobile Standard of Excellence – for website development work with Ed Voyles Acura and Flatirons Subaru
- Summit International Emerging Media Awards – Leader Award for their work with the Brandon Ford website (second consecutive year of placement)
- DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings – Top ranked website provider
- Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™ – ranked number 214 of fastest growing companies in North America.
- Inc. 5000 Rankings – ranked 88 among the nation's top 100 fastest growing private advertising and marketing companies (third consecutive year of placement)
- Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports – Gold Award for success of worksite wellness program
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – CEO Mark Bonfigli named finalist and award winner in the technology category in New England (third consecutive year of placement)
- U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) – CEO Mark Bonfigli named Vermont Small Business Person of the Year
Learn more about Dealer.com's initiatives and leadership by viewing the following videos:
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 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 100 dealer groups use Dealer.com than any other vendor. For the last several years, dealerships across the country have voted for Dealer.com as the best website provider, resulting in the company being awarded gold and platinum in Auto Dealer Monthly's Dealers' Choice Awards
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.
