Edmunds.com Integrates Vehicle Data with New Online Dealer Pricing Tool

Edmunds.com Integrates Vehicle Data with New Online Dealer Pricing Tool

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — May 17, 2012 — Hundreds of car dealerships will now have an easier way to research, market and accurately price their vehicles, thanks to a new data-sharing agreement between inventory marketing and management leader Nexteppe and Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.

The agreement makes Edmunds.com's data available through Nexteppe's inControl Pro, a system used by dealers to compare their new and pre-owned vehicle prices with other dealers in the market. The tool also allows consumers to appraise their trade-in vehicles by giving them direct access to Edmunds.com's True Market Value^® (TMV^®) pricing through participating dealership websites.

By integrating Edmunds.com data, Nexteppe instantly boosts its product's value to participating dealers. A recent internal analysis found that "deeply engaged" car shoppers use Edmunds.com more than any other 3rd party automotive site. The analysis also found that 90 percent of visitors who submit a lead through Edmunds.com purchase a vehicle within 70 days.

"We chose to partner with Edmunds.com because of its reputation as the leading authority for both automotive consumers and retailers," said Nexteppe CEO Ken DellaPorta. "Edmunds.com's data helps our dealership partners improve their customers' online experience and will allow them to attract more visitors and to sell more cars quickly."

Nexteppe also enhances inControl Pro's Comment Builder tool by importing Edmunds.com's consumer reviews, which are then made available to shoppers on the dealer site. According to The Nielsen Company's latest "Global Trust in Advertising" report, online consumer reviews are the second most trusted source of brand information and messaging.

Edmunds.com's makes its vehicle pricing and review data easily available through the company's application programming interface (API). Developers can learn more about Edmunds.com's API at http://developer.edmunds.com/docs.

"Our API gives automotive information and shopping sites easy access to the depth of vehicle research data that only Edmunds.com can provide," said Edmunds.com Chief Information Officer Philip Potloff. "Nexteppe's integration of Edmunds.com data is exactly what we had in mind when the API was first made available to developers late last year."

Dealerships have already responded favorably to Nexteppe's affiliation with Edmunds.com in their evaluations of inControl Pro.

"Our dealerships using inControl Pro immediately know that dollar-for-dollar, it's the best inventory marketing tool on the market," said John Pickett, COO of The Atlantic Automotive Group. "By having access to a product that offers our dealers so much benefit at a cost that's far less than other third-party providers, we're going to see a great ROI."

For more information on Nexteppe's inControl Pro, please contact 888-572-8892.

About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)

Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its acclaimed mobile site, Edmunds.com Android App and five-star Edmunds iPhone and iPad apps make car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and on the go. Its automotive enthusiast web site, InsideLine.com, is the most-read car publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and iPhone app features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of automotive photos and videos. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook.

About Nexteppe (http://www.nexteppe.com)

Nexteppe provides dealerships with a dedicated support team and a full suite of all-in-one products including InControlPro, Comment Builder and ProSHOTS. Take your dealership inventory marketing and management to the next level with Nexteppe. Learn more about we can enhance your website's design and enhance your inventory marketing and management by visiting us on the web or calling our New York office at 888-572-8892.