AUSTIN, Texas — IAS announced that it will release SmartOffer, an e-mail-based F&I presentation program designed to allow dealers to present and sell product to Internet customers. Demonstrations of the product will be available this week at Agent Entrepreneur’s Agent Summit at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

Based on the company’s SmartPad tablet software, SmartOffer collects and presents information to customers remotely. The software’s sequences are customized for every dealership.

“Few innovations have impacted F&I like the advent of the menu. As we turn a new page in the industry, we have a different kind of customer that is technically savvy and armed with knowledge about the vehicle they are buying, but are physically removed from the F&I process and are therefore excluded from the normal product presentation process,” said Matt Nowicki, vice president of retail software for IAS. “Being able to educate the consumer on the benefits of value-added products and utilize menu selling for this new breed of customer, I believe, is the future of F&I.”

Dealers can choose to e-mail customers a CSI survey and F&I interview questions, as well as multimedia product presentations, sales tools and package-based menus. Interactive F&I presentations are personalized and then emailed to remote buyers prior to vehicle delivery. Customers can then view the information before visiting the dealership to take delivery of their vehicle.

Dealers also may choose to employ a live interactive session between the F&I manager and the customer to review a menu and other sales tools before the customer sets foot in the dealership, according to IAS. In addition to presenting F&I products to Internet customers, SmartOffer can be used before or after service appointments to sell F&I products to service customers, according to IAS.

“With online auto sales continuing to climb, more and more dealerships employ Internet sales reps and online marketers than ever before. Still, dealerships have struggled to find a way to sell aftermarket to the true Internet customer,” said Bob Corbin, president and CEO of IAS. "SmartOffer delivers a real solution for Internet buyers and does it in a way that is both engaging and familiar. In addition, it reveals a potentially untapped revenue generator for the dealership — a win-win for both the consumer and dealership.”

SmartOffer is available immediately, according to IAS. For more information, visit www.iasdirect.com.