DealerSocket, Inc., a leading provider of automotive software solutions, announced the completion of its acquisition of Auto/Mate, a leader in dealer management systems (DMS) for automotive dealerships. The closing of this acquisition brings together two customer-service focused companies and offers dealers a comprehensive new choice for an all-in-one, intelligent software platform for their dealerships.
“The combination of DealerSocket and Auto/Mate gives dealers a long-awaited and much-needed alternative for an integrated, connected platform of mission-critical software for dealerships,” said Sejal Pietrzak, CEO and president of DealerSocket. “Auto/Mate has built a reputation as a transformative, fast-growing DMS with an unmatched commitment to customer service. As we look at our combined company, there are tremendous opportunities for innovation, while we maintain our strong focus on support. I am excited about this acquisition and what it represents for us, dealers and the broader market.”
Integrating Auto/Mate’s DMS with DealerSocket’s current suite of software products for franchise dealers, including DealerSocket’s CRM, inventory management, digital retail, equity mining, and digital marketing/websites, will offer franchise dealers a complete platform of industry-leading and innovative software solutions. DealerSocket will now offer independent dealers two DMS options: DealerSocket’s iDMS and Auto/Mate DMS, both best-in-class software solutions supporting the needs of the independent and buy-here-pay-here markets.
“Auto/Mate is thrilled to become part of DealerSocket,” said Mike Esposito, president and CEO of Auto/Mate. “We have a shared mission of serving dealers with great software and customer service, and that makes this a winning combination for our customers, partners and team members. Our combined company will be a powerhouse in the market, offering dealers industry-leading service and software, and most importantly, continuing to be dedicated to our ‘By Car People, For Car People’ motto. We are excited about this new chapter for Auto/Mate and the industry.”
The combined company now supports more than 9,000 dealerships and well over 300,000 active users across its products. DealerSocket plans to invest significantly in seamless integrations with Auto/Mate. The roadmap includes important and valuable technology developments including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and continuous improvements to user interfaces with a focus on making all aspects of the combined company’s software products even easier to learn and use, ultimately helping dealers sell more vehicles and increase profitability.
“Offering a full platform to the automotive industry has been DealerSocket’s vision for several years,” said Jonathan Ord, co-founder of DealerSocket. “Both DealerSocket and Auto/Mate share similar core values, and both have dedicated teams who have always cared deeply about dealership customers.”
“After years in the making, it is terrific to finally see the combination of these two companies that are so focused on the needs of the dealer,” said Brad Perry, co-founder of DealerSocket.
“I believe we will look back years from now and realize that bringing together DealerSocket and Auto/Mate was one of the most impactful and game-changing combinations for dealers and the automotive software industry,” shared Pietrzak.
DealerSocket and Auto/Mate will formally launch and celebrate their merger at the NADA 2020 show Feb. 15-17. To learn more about the acquisition and combined company’s plans, visit both DealerSocket and Auto/Mate’s booths inside the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall.
Presidio Technology Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to Auto/Mate.
