Sydney, 26 September 2008 – CarbonBlack TyreXchange (CarbonBlack), Australia’s leading independent online marketplace for tyres and auto services, today outlined an alliance with Catalogue Central to create the premier comparative shopping resource for the tyre and auto sector. The CarbonBlack tyre and auto dealer network and its products and services will now be found across the Catalogue Central website. As part of the deal, cross-promotion of Catalogue Central will occur on the CarbonBlack website. The alliance is part of the CarbonBlack goal to generate two million consumer visits to its site in the next twelve months and provide greater value for its growing network of leading parts and services across Australia.
The alliances between CarbonBlack and Catalogue Central create a series of firsts for both organisations.
“This is the first time that a tyre and auto service catalogue will be listed with Catalogue Central,” outlined the founder of CarbonBlack, Ms. Jodi Stanton.
This expansion to more online retail destinations is part of the CarbonBlack goal to generate two million consumer visits to the independent marketplace over the next twelve months. It is also the first announcement for multiple destinations that CarbonBlack intends on securing.
For Jodi Stanton, Managing Director, the alliances are part of the strategic rollout of the company. “We recently added almost a million aftermarket auto parts to our online marketplace. Today, 90% of consumers research a major purchase online before they buy. Comparative shopping on external retail destinations is another tool to help consumers find the most appropriate and relevant tyre and auto dealer, or even spare part. The independence of CarbonBlack is a great way to reassure consumers that their search for value will be met,” she said.
The cross selling of lead generation services also has benefit for Catalogue Central. A digital catalogue of over 7,000 tyre tread patterns will be published on the Catalogue Central website and a wide range of automotive digital catalogues from Catalogue Central will be posted to the CarbonBlack site.
The ready-to-buy aspect of comparative shopping was also a key component of the alliance for Catalogue Central’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Wong.
“Catalogue Central allows consumers to browse digital catalogues online for free and our shoppers are looking for relevant, independent product and pricing information. Our alliance with CarbonBlack is very complimentary to these goals and it is a strategic fit for our customer base,” he concluded.
Since establishment in mid 2007, CarbonBlack has been connecting consumers to auto dealers and parts suppliers. CarbonBlack services includes market research surveys and email marketing to over 600,000 profiled consumers. Today hundreds of leading tyre dealers and auto service centres provide products and services to Australian consumers.