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Autobytel Generating Majority of Its Consumer Purchase Requests From Its Network of Sites

^{Published on 2011-02-04 10:40:47 - Market Wire}
 

IRVINE, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), a leading provider of online consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to the automotive industry, today announced it is generating more than 70% of its own consumer purchase requests. The September 2010 acquisition of Autotropolis and Cyber Ventures represents another pivotal step for Autobytel in its effort to deliver more in-market customers from its own network of sites. In less than six months since the acquisition, Autobytel has already increased its internally generated purchase request volume by over 180%, while adding over 5 million additional page views per month. The result has been increasing demand for its purchase requests from OEM partners.

"We knew the transaction would increase our higher margin, higher close rate, and internally-generated purchase requests, but we are very pleased with the rapid rate at which that has occurred"

aWe knew the transaction would increase our higher margin, higher close rate, and internally-generated purchase requests, but we are very pleased with the rapid rate at which that has occurred,a said Jeffrey H. Coats, Autobytela™s President and Chief Executive Officer. aThe acquisition continues to solidify our position as a leading automotive site that both generates the majority of its traffic from its own consumer sites and maintains a strong retail dealer and OEM partners program. By controlling both the generation of our own traffic, and purchase requests and distribution, we continue to aggressively move away from a purchase request aggregation model to a higher margin, vertically integrated automotive consumer media channel.a

With the acquisition of Autotropolis and Cyber Ventures, Autobytel is now the largest provider of U.S. automotive consumer purchase requests for [ new cars ]. Coats added, aWe are very excited about the integration of the two companies into Autobytel and the exceptional talent, dealer products, content and resources we are realizing as we brought the companies together. We expect continued improvements to purchase request performance and overall close rates in addition to refinement of our leading SEM/SEO techniques that continue to expand our gross margin. As we stated in our third quarter earnings call, we expect to deliver over 3.8 million purchase requests in 2011. These first months have been a tremendous success, and we believe we are just beginning to see the kind of impact that motivated the acquisition.a

About Autobytel Inc.([ www.autobytel.com ])

Autobytel Inc., an online leader offering consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to [ car dealers ] and manufacturers and providing consumers with the information they need to purchase new and [ used cars ], pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched autobytel.com in 1995. Today, Autobytel is now the largest provider of U.S. automotive consumer purchase requests for new cars andcontinues to offer innovative products and services to help consumers buy, and auto dealers and manufacturers sell, more used and new cars. Autobytel has 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. Through its flagship website Autobytel.com®, its network of automotive sites, including Autotropolis.com®, DealershipJobs.com, Autoweb.com®, AutoSite.com®, Car.com^sm, CarSmart.com®, CarTV.com®, and MyRide.com® and its respected online partners, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry's highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with one of the industry's most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.