Scion.com Expands Next Wave of Online Car Buying Enhancements


Partnership With SaleMove From Autobytel Now Offers Guided Browsing, Video, and Audio Capabilities.

IRVINE, Calif., April 1, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autobytel and SaleMove today announced they have teamed up with Scion to offer the SaleMove 'virtual showroom' experience to consumers visiting Scion.com.

With this technology, Scion customer service representatives can CoBrowse directly with Scion.com customers leveraging chat and/or video to help guide them through the online shopping process. This allows for a digital concierge service to bring a human element to the digital car buying process and provides important highlights on products, services, and features in real time. Furthermore, Scion and SaleMove are moving towards offering a 'warm' digital transfer of the full engagement directly to dealership Internet sales staff based on the consumer selection.

"SaleMove is proud to be working with Scion which pioneered the no haggle dealership experience starting over 10 years ago and continues to enhance its forward-thinking approach to car shopping," said Dan Michaeli, CEO of SaleMove. "The functionality we've incorporated on the Scion site creates an incredible high-touch experience for car shoppers."

SaleMove enhances the Scion Pure Process+ program, a pilot program available at more than 50 Scion dealerships nationwide. Scion Pure Process+ simplifies the car buying process by enabling consumers to configure vehicles, view inventory, select a dealer from which to buy a vehicle, and pre-negotiate vehicle financing before they ever get to the dealership. The new tools and processes give customers the flexibility to complete as much of the process on-line as they desire. 

"Since Scion was established in 2003, we have always been committed to providing a simple and transparent car buying process for our consumers," said Scion Digital Marketing Manager Andrew Barton. "By leveraging new technology and the 'online' nature of our target millennial customer, we are able to guide them through some of the more complicated elements of the car buying process, improving engagement and directly connecting them to our dealership retail experts."

SaleMove is an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement virtual showroom technology that enables dealers and manufacturer representatives to CoBrowse with consumers – online and in real time – and to communicate with them directly, while they're shopping, by way of audio, video, and text based communication. 

"We're pleased Scion recognized the value SaleMove brings to the online car shopping and research process and implemented our virtual showroom technology to enhance sales, and ultimately improve Scion customer satisfaction," said Jeff Coats, President and CEO of Autobytel. "SaleMove supports Scion's overall mission of improving the car buying process by enabling consumers to communicate in the manner they prefer, and by utilizing CoBrowsing to assist consumers with their Scion vehicle research."

About Scion

Scion continues to be the test laboratory division for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. From its start in 2003, Scion's goal was to offer products and processes that stand apart from the crowd. Scion offers distinctive vehicles that reflect owners' passions with a model line-up that includes the iconic xB urban utility vehicle, the tC sports coupe, the FR-S rear-wheel drive sports car, and the premium micro-subcompact iQ. The all-new Scion iM 5-door hatchback and the all-new iA sedan will arrive this fall. Scion also appeals to a youthful audience by offering a simple, no-haggle buying experience and by engaging with potential customers in meaningful and creative ways. For more information, visit www.scion.com. Visit www.scionpureprocess.com to learn more about Scion's unique purchasing process and transparent pricing program.

About Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States and offers consumers robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car-buying decisions. The company pioneered the automotive internet in 1995 with its flagship website http://www.autobytel.com/ and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online.

Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing the online registration form at investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm.

About SaleMove

SaleMove brings the In-Person Customer Experience… Online. The company's vision is to meet or exceed the experience of interacting with customers in-person. Online shopping today is flat. SaleMove creates live interactions that add the next dimension. By combing in-browser video, voice and CoBrowsing (without any downloads needed), SaleMove makes browsing a website just like walking into a store. SaleMove provides it solutions to the automotive, financial services and e-Commerce industries. www.salemove.com



            

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