CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sonic Automotive Inc., the nation's third-largest automotive retailer, partnered with Dealer.com, a provider of online marketing solutions, to launch a customized mobile solution that provides customers with dealership information on their mobile devices.

The mobile solution, which was unveiled Sept. 1, provides customers with Website content from all 154 Sonic dealerships. Through the mobile solution, Website content is optimized to provide mobile users quick access to site content that is relevant to them, including new and used inventory, parts and service departments, directions and dealership contact information, and high-definition vehicle videos, specially optimized for hand-held devices.

In the past, Sonic’s dealership Websites included a mobile format by merely “shrinking” the Website for smaller viewing screens, or by providing a format that was specific to a single hand-held device such as the iPhone. While this was an improvement, it limited the consumer experience because each hand-held device has its own particular viewing specifications and full mobile Website access.

“Sonic sought a method to deliver expanded dealership Website content to consumers, regardless of the device used to view it,” commented Rachel Richards, Sonic’s vice president of retail strategy. “We were able to develop this new consumer-focused offering quickly and easily because of the operating system and data infrastructure we have created with Dealer.com over the past 18 months.”

The online operating system created by Dealer.com and Sonic, includes integration of performance metrics into existing online reporting tools. This technology partnership helps position Sonic's dealerships to stay at the forefront of the consumer experience, anticipating user needs and delivering Website content where, when and how consumers seek it.

“Online retail marketing success requires a full-service operating system that can address all automotive consumer needs as they change with technological advancements. And this is exactly what we have created with Sonic,” said Dean Evans, Dealer.com CMO. “As mobile device use becomes ubiquitous, all dealership information must be quickly and easily accessible, no matter the particular hand-held device used. Dealerships that can effectively deliver this content have a huge competitive advantage that will only grow over time.”