Kukui adds tire module to software

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Aug. 8, 2014) — Kukui Corp., a developer of marketing software solutions for the automotive repair industry, has added a tire module to its platform.

The company said its tire module will enable Kukui clients who sell tires to market their products and services online, with the online component easily integrating into a tire retailer or automotive repair center's website to guide consumers through the tire purchasing process.

Through the tire module consumers can, for example, seamlessly browse a shop's tire inventory, obtain pricing by size or by the year, make and model of their vehicle, view rebates and schedule service appointments, according to Kukui.

The new module also offers the ability to check suppliers' inventory in real time and includes an email marketing feature with simple campaign creation and management elements.

According to Dealer Plus—a software developer catering to the retail tire industry and a resource for industry research—68 percent of all tire sales start with an online search. With only 17 percent of replacement tires being sold through new car dealerships, the company said that leads to many traditional auto repair shops and other retailers to expand their services to include tire sales.

“Over the history of the automotive industry, shops have been fragmented into different specialties: transmission, auto body, tires, mufflers, etc. Now we're moving into a trend where shops are beginning to do it all,” said Kukui President and CEO Todd Westerlund. “We researched the tire industry and found growing demand for a fully-functioning tire module.”

Kukui said that through its software platform the firm is able to accommodate all of a service shop's marketing needs—from website development to social media support to direct mail fulfillment. The company's product suite includes smart Web pages optimized to boost sales conversion rates; a simple-to-use content management system; and customer retention tools such as email service reminders. The platform also offers detailed analytics to help shop owners determine which marketing channels are generating the most business.

The company said it is continually upgrading its platform to offer new features to help clients grow sales.

“We believe this new module allows us to serve our clients better,” Mr. Westerlund added, “and establishes Kukui as a leader in the marketing software solutions space.”

Kukui provides businesses with a custom website platform and software solution that integrates with each organization's point of sale (POS) system. According to the San Jose-based company, “this empowers each of Kukui's clients with quantitative data showing their monetary return on investment, the number of new clients based on their POS system, statistics revealing their customer retention rate, and areas to improve their business through the tracking of phone calls, appointment forms, and feedback from customer reviews.”

More information about Kukui is available on its website.

Earlier this year Kukui partnered with Virtual Service Advisor, a new customer communication program that, according to the company, can be seamlessly integrated with Kukui's marketing platform, “equipping automotive repair shop owners with new knowledge about their customers and where they're coming from.”

With the Virtual Service Advisor program, according to its website:

• “Customers up-sell themselves before stepping into your shop;”
• “Customers are requesting 2.5 more items per service order;” and
• The easy-to-use software “takes only seconds to send a pre-made form” to customers.

Greg Buckley, developer of the Virtual Service Advisor program and owner of Buckley's Auto Care in Wilmington, Del., said on the software's website that “developing and using the Virtual Service Advisor, we recognized that 38 percent of our customers selected higher quality oils on their own, which resulted in a 7-percent increase in oil profits alone. This is just some of the customer insight we're starting to see.”

He also claimed that the system “will greatly benefit shops that desire additional sales, better profits and unique purchasing insight from their service clients.”