Tire Agent partnering with GoMobile, Zohr

LAS VEGAS — Online tire retailer Tire Agent Corp. has struck deals with a pair of mobile tire-servicing enterprises — GoMobile Tires USA and Zohr Mobile — to offer their customers the option to source their tire and/ or wheel purchases through TireAgent.com.

The partnerships are slated to take effect in the first quarter of 2022, the companies said.

The GoMobile Tires franchise network offers mobile tire installation in 17 metro markets in 13 states, while Zohr Mobile focuses on the Kansas City, Mo., and Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro markets.

Tireagent.com — which describes itself as a consumer-facing tire and wheel e-commerce platform — was founded on the belief that consumers should be able to get the best experience from affordability down to convenience, according to Jared Kugel, CEO and founder.

Aligning with GoMobile and Zohr is one way Mr. Kugel is seeking to differentiate Tire Agent from other online tire sellers.

"Whether you're a stay-at-home parent or someone who is working an hourly job to put food on the table, people don't have time to waste," he said.

As the tire market opportunity continues to increase nationwide, it is important for Tire Agent to ¬find like-minded companies to work with, Mr. Kugel said, noting that Kansas City-based Zohr's commitment to customer satisfaction and growth in its local markets aligns perfectly with Tire Agent's mission.

Zohr offers next-day installation with most services completed in under an hour. Services include tire replacement, tire installation, flat tire repair, tire rotation, TPMS services and fleet services.

"At Zohr, we believe in delivering the highest quality tire services to drivers of all vehicle types. We're very excited to partner up with TireAgent, enabling more consumers to take advantage of our convenient services," Zohr CEO and founder Komal Choong said.

Between GoMobile and Zohr, Tire Agent will be able to offer services to customers in over 6,000 ZIP codes, Mr. Kugel said. Tire Agent hopes to simplify the selection process by limiting a potential customer's install search to vetted installers within ¬five ZIP codes.

Mr. Kugel said Tire Agent can deliver to customers in the 48 contiguous U.S. states.

Another way Mr. Kugel is seeking to differentiate Tire Agent is to offer a "multitude" of payment-plan offers designed to ¬fit all budgets. Customers can purchase tires with little or no money down with flexible weekly or bi-weekly payments offered through the company's proprietary financing platform, PayPair.

Mr. Kugel also has struck a deal with Allstate Insurance Co. to offer that company's road-hazard protection for 12 or 24 months, covering flat repair and tire replacement and installation through any local licensed repair facility.

He said these value-added features tie into his company's basic tenet of finding ways to solve customers' problems.

Mr. Kugel brings traditional tire industry experience to the Tire Agent venture, having worked for more than a decade in his family's business, wholesaler Future Tire of Bethpage, N.Y.

While working there, he began to formulate a plan for a new business platform, one that would educate potential customers about the tires they purchase, receive top-notch care, and have it done at their convenience at their home, work or anywhere else.

"I always believed e-commerce was missing a component of customer service," Mr. Kugel told Tire Business in an interview at the 2021 SEMA Show. "It doesn't always have to be so transactional."

"We want to own the customer experience from beginning to end," he added. "Customer experience is so underrated in the purchasing process."

He launched Tire Agent in 2017/18 after pitching his idea to a business accelerator group and attracting investors who put up $750,000 initially to get his idea started.

He later attracted more funding, including $5 million from American Family Ventures and some other af¬filiated venture capitalists commonly referred to as the New York Angel Investors.

He claims to have more than doubled sales in 2020 over 2019 after recording -five-fold growth the year before. The company did not disclose actual sales ¬ figures.

The company continues to recruit installers into the network, he said, as Tire Agent grows. Installers benefit from working with Tire Agent though service-related revenue generated by the sale and hopefully by gaining that individual as a longer-term customer.

Tire Agent books the pro¬fit on the tire and/or wheel transaction.

To help ensure a satisfactory transaction, Tire Agent is building a customer-service team to handle the initial deal and any follow-up necessary, he said. Customers are kept in the loop from order to installation.

Tire Agent recently was named one of 20 top retail tech startups for 2021 by TechRound, a U.K.-based tech and startup news site.