CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading automotive digital solutions provider Cars.com™ (NYSE: CARS) received a "Top Rated" Award in the ninth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. The company earned a top dealer satisfaction ranking in the "New Car Leads" category, as determined by the thousands of auto dealers who are part of the DrivingSales.com community. The award will be presented at a special event today in conjunction with the 2019 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo.
"We are grateful to earn a dealer satisfaction award for New Car Leads from the DrivingSales dealer community. With our customers top of mind, we have made significant and strategic investments in our core platform and marketing efforts over the past year that have resulted in 12 consecutive months of traffic gains and double digit increases in leads per visit. Together with Dealer Inspire and DealerRater, we are focused on continued traffic growth that results in high-quality leads for our dealer partners and providing undeniable, metal-moving value for our customers through innovative technology solutions," said Alex Vetter, chief executive officer at Cars.com.
In addition to the new consumer-facing solutions launched on Cars.com in 2018, such as Matchmaking Experience and Hot Car, the company has also paved the way for car shoppers to better connect with dealers on social media through its new Social Sales Drive product. The new solutions coupled with the company's always-on, digital-first marketing approach are working to drive more in-market car shoppers to Cars.com and resulting in more qualified leads for dealers. After 12 consecutive months of traffic gains to its site, the company closed the year with overall traffic up 11 percent year-over-year and total network leads per visit up 13 percent.¹
As Cars.com continues expanding beyond listings to a full-service digital solutions provider, the company is driving increased value for its dealer partners through integrated technology solutions that help dealers operate more efficiently and close more sales. At NADA 2019, Cars.com, Dealer Inspire and DealerRater will unveil a new suite of digital retailing solutions, enhanced social selling products and industry-leading reputation management tools as well as several other end-to-end website solutions for dealers.
"We congratulate Cars.com on receiving a 'Top Rated' Award for New Car Leads, an accolade we consider to be one of our industry's most important because it comes directly from dealers," said DrivingSales chief executive officer and founder Jared Hamilton. "In our ninth year of presenting these awards, we feel especially proud that DrivingSales Vendor Ratings continues to help dealers make smart and informed decisions through thousands of peer reviews that lead them to outstanding service providers such as Cars.com. We're thrilled that Cars.com has been recognized as one of the best by the people to whom their services count the most: the dealer community."
The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendor products and services, and are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January – December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings. DrivingSales Vendor Ratings is the industry's only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons, and provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products/solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.
Full award results are available online at http://events.drivingsales.com/dealer-satisfaction-awards/.
Award winners are showcased in the 2019 Spring issue of the DrivingSales Dealership Vendor Buyers Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2019 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships. For more information on the DrivingSales Dealership Vendor Buyers Guide, please visit: https://www.drivingsales.com/buyersguide/
¹ Based on Q4 2018 Cars.com internal data.
About Cars.com
Cars.com™ is a leading two-sided digital solutions automotive marketplace that creates meaningful connections between buyers and sellers. Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, the company empowers consumers with resources and information to make informed buying decisions and enables advertising partners with innovative digital solutions and data-driven intelligence to increase inventory turn and gain market share. A pioneer in online automotive classifieds, the company has evolved into one of the largest digital automotive platforms, connecting thousands of local dealers across the country with millions of consumers. In 2018, Cars.com acquired Dealer Inspire®, an innovative technology company building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations, a faster and easier car buying process, and connected digital experiences that sell and service more vehicles.
Cars.com properties include DealerRater®, Dealer Inspire®, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com® and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.
About DrivingSales
DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships. DrivingSales' mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success. Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe. To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSales.com/HCM and DrivingSalesData .com
SOURCE Cars.com