Internet automotive research and purchasing site Autobytel is taking its first step into mobile with a new version of its Web site built for mobile use and intended to facilitate car purchasing.

The new site was designed to include everything car shoppers need to research, find and purchase a vehicle, including a customized dealer directory, vehicle reviews and shopping tools. The mobile launch is being sponsored by Subaru of America, which will be the only advertiser to appear on the new site until September.

?Autobytel always attempts to satisfy our consumers and more and more they are using mobile devices while in the automotive purchase process,? said John Steerman , senior vice president of Web site, lead operations and product development at Autobytel Inc., Irvine, CA.

?We wanted to give these mobile consumers the same popular features and content that they can get on Autobytel?s full Web site in a manner that would give them the best experience on their mobile devices,? he said.

?Our goal for the mobile site is to facilitate the automotive purchase process by making it easy for the consumer to research vehicles, read our unique reviews and content and interact with dealers.?

Mobile Web vs. apps
The company went with a mobile site first instead of apps to address how consumers are shopping via mobile. Autobytel points to a recent mobile commerce study by Adobe in which two-thirds of the respondents said they prefer browsers to apps for accessing product information and other shopping content to support its move.

The company also recognizes the importance of having a mobile site in order to remain competitive, with research suggesting that a significant number of customers who visit a mobile unfriendly site likely to go to a competitor?s site.

Navigating mobile
The Autobytel mobile site offers easy navigation and includes many of the popular features on Autobytel?s full Web site that have been built specifically for the mobile environment.

The site enables consumers to find local dealers from a comprehensive list of all U.S. franchise dealers and view them on a map so they can find the nearest location.

Additional features include new and used vehicle research through exclusive Autobytel vehicle reviews and automotive industry news. The site also includes customized shopping tools such as a used car finder, car calculators and the ability to determine used car values.

Users can also submit purchase requests directly to dealers.

Over time, as Autobytel sees how people use the mobile site, it will continue to add content and functionality with an eye toward assisting the consumer in all aspects of automotive shopping and ownership.

?Since almost all automotive purchases involve interaction with a Dealer, we are probably most excited by our New Dealer Directory that makes it easy for a consumer to find a Dealer in their area, look at local inventory and request price quotes,? Mr. Steerman said.

?We also think that having all of our unique editorial content and reviews in a mobile optimized format will be a great benefit to consumers as they are comparing and evaluating vehicles,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York