TEQUESTA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2012) — Independent Tire Dealers Group L.L.C. (ITDG) has launched “ITDG Online,” an intranet program allowing its members to access inventories of select members in different geographic areas across the country and order tires at the same time.
Edward Long, the ITDG's vice president of sales and marketing, said the new online tool and initiative will help the group capture additional purchases that are currently made from suppliers outside of the group's program. He noted that current ITDG supplier purchases will grow concurrently with incremental throughput at additional ITDG member locations.
“Over the past nine years, ITDG has succeeded in growing purchases through current members, adding new members as well as adding new vendor programs resulting in continued top line and bottom line growth for the group year over year,” Mr. Long said. “Our challenge is to continue this trend with a similar strategy to increase in-house share at existing locations by reducing member purchases from non-participating suppliers and continue to grow membership with value added programs for the independent tire dealer.
“We have also taken steps to tighten up our supply programs to help group members focus more purchases to those suppliers with national reach and scope.”
ITDG Online has been a collaborative member effort that began over a year ago and was lead by group member and stockholder Clayton Miller, owner of Mainstreet Tire USA in Colorado Springs, Colo. ITDG said Mr. Miller worked closely with group members and the software development company “to create a straight forward online program that is easy to use and understand.”
The program includes free local delivery when purchasing from a priority warehouse located in a member's general area. ITDG Online also will calculate freight rates via FedEx Ground on small quantities as well as calculate freight for LTL loads for larger quantities—all via the website.
Mr. Miller said the intranet site “gives me more ways to communicate and work with my fellow members and grow my purchases through the group. It means added volume-bonus and dividends at the end of the year for the members and also helps us become even more important to our suppliers with the ability to touch more ITDG members. Everybody wins in this scenario.”
ITDG began using the online software by beta testing with a few members last year and has rolled out the program to all members over the past few weeks.
The group represents more than 350 independent tire and auto service locations in 27 states. For more information about ITDG, visit its website.