The Dealership: The Gary Rome Auto Group is a family owned business with roots that go back over 100 years when Gary’s great-grandfather opened a haberdashery in Holyoke. The Rome family has been in business ever since. Always looking to the future, it was only natural for Jerry Rome, Gary’s father, to open their first used car dealership in the ’50’s. After successfully building and selling several dealerships over the years, Gary Rome Auto Group is currently comprised of their Hyundai store in Holyoke and a Kia store in Enfield, CT. With over 130 employees between their two stores, Gary Rome could relax, but complacency isn’t in his vocabulary. The group is preparing to break ground on a brand new Hyundai location in October. When the state-of-the-art facility, also in Holyoke, is completed, it will create the opportunity for them to renovate their existing Hyundai store and expand into different brands.
Tim Ferreira, eCommerce Director: Tim has been working in the automotive industry for 20 years. He’s is a 14 year veteran at Gary Rome as their parts manager and eCommerce director for both stores. He’s always looking for new ways to use technology to the dealership’s advantage. They even employ local college students as interns to help manage their marketing, internet, and social media presence. One of the latest innovations that Tim has put in place on their website is their use of Impel (formerly SpinCar) to better merchandise their online vehicle inventory. Since implementing Impel, Gary Rome Auto group has experienced increases in both time spent on VDP of 23% and lead submissions of 36% across all of their websites.
We don’t want the customer to leave, to bounce off. That’s where Impel comes in. It’s a better shopping experience. Customers like to do WalkArounds of the cars. There aren’t a lot of other groups in the area that do it so it sets us apart.
Tim Ferreira, eCommerce and Parts Director, Gary Rome Auto Group
Meet Impel
Impel transforms your vehicle photos into a powerful sales tool that lets shoppers click, spin, rotate and zoom-in on features important to them. As a result, you’ll see more VDP views per visitor, fewer bounces and more lead submissions. Want to learn more about how Impel is driving more sales at dealerships like the Gary Rome Auto Group? Take a demo today!
