LAS VEGAS – IAS, a provider of F&I aftermarket programs to automobile dealerships, unveiled a mobile menu extension to its SmartMenu software. The company will be demonstrating the new tool, called SmartMenu Interactive, at Industry Summit 2012 (Booth No. 401), along with its SmartPad and SmartDealerProducts suite.   The SmartMenu Interactive solution has two separate interfaces — a web-based system used by the F&I manager to configure the menu, and a tablet-based system which enhances the customer experience. First, the F&I manager builds a customer specific menu before sending it to the tablet for the customer to review. This allows the buyer to enjoy an interactive tablet experience complete with product brochures, videos and evidence manuals. “There has been a lot of useful debate around mobile menus and their effectiveness. When we set out to design SmartMenu Interactive, we didn’t just want to put a paper menu on a tablet. What we’ve designed gives F&I managers a more powerful and streamlined way of presenting the menu to the customer,” said Matt Nowicki, vice president of retail software at IAS.   SmartMenu Interactive works on all major tablet devices, including Google Android and Apple iPad devices. It also supports traditional desktop PCs. Dealers utilizing SmartMenu can continue to generate paper-based menus, but now have the option to generate interactive menus at no additional cost. “With a paper menu, it is difficult or impossible for an F&I manager to focus the customers attention on individual products and their benefits before the customer sees the monthly payments and develops resistance,” Nowicki added. “Now, an F&I manager can control the process from start to finish and focus all of the energy on product before price.”