Wholesale Virtual Inventory and Retail Lead Generation

Abstract

Embodiments are described herein including systems and methods for presenting vehicles available for wholesale purchase to retail consumers in order to generate a retail “lead” on a specific vehicle prior to acquisition of that vehicle by a dealer. The electronic lead, once generated, is made available to a licensed dealer before the dealer acquires the inventory corresponding to the lead. In contrast to known lead generation models, the lead is created on a specific vehicle that a retail dealer has the ability to purchase, but has not yet taken into inventory.

1 . A system comprising:
 a platform comprising a processor and a database that includes a plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items is in a wholesale market and is available for purchase only by a dealer in the wholesale market;   a lead acquisition module (LAM) coupled to the platform; and   a lead interface coupled to the LAM and displayed at a remote electronic site along with the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the lead interface generates an electronic lead when selected by a retail consumer interested in purchasing an item of the plurality of items displayed at the remote electronic site, wherein the platform provides the dealer with information of the lead when the dealer has agreed to pay a fee for the lead and the dealer uses the information of the lead to consider purchasing the vehicle in the wholesale market for resale to the retail consumer.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising a wholesale automobile market module (WAMM) coupled to the platform, the WAMM comprising a wholesale inventory of the plurality of items available for purchase in the wholesale market. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the WAMM comprises:
 a search interface for searching the wholesale inventory;   a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and the data of the wholesale inventory.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the WAMM comprises an interface for use only by the dealer for at least one of purchasing and bidding on an item of the wholesale inventory. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the lead comprises identification information of the item and identification and contact information corresponding to the retail consumer. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising an electronic message generated in response to receipt of a lead, wherein the platform generates the electronic message and transmits the message to the dealer. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the lead is stored in the LAM. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the LAM comprises:
 a search interface for searching leads that have been generated by retail consumers;   a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and details of the leads.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the LAM comprises an interface for accessing contact information for any retail consumer corresponding to a lead. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the LAM comprises an interface for accessing purchase information for any item corresponding to a lead. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the LAM comprises an interface for managing payment for a lead. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the LAM comprises an interface for accessing and managing leads corresponding to a dealer. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the remote electronic site is retail website coupled to the platform and the database. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the remote electronic site is a retail website independent of the platform. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the remote electronic site receives information of the database via a periodic data feed from the platform, wherein the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items are displayed from the information received via the data feed. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the remote electronic site comprises an inventory module received from the platform and integrated into the remote electronic site, wherein the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items are displayed from the inventory module. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the remote electronic site is a retail website of the dealer, wherein the inventory module generates the leads corresponding to the plurality of items in the inventory module to the dealer. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the remote electronic site comprises:
 a search interface for searching the plurality of items;   a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and the data of the plurality of items.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dealer has agreed to pay a fee for the lead that is a subscription fee. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dealer has agreed to pay a fee for the lead that is paid per lead acquired by the dealer. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dealer has agreed to pay a fee for the lead that is paid per lead generated by the retail consumer. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising a filter coupled to the platform, the filter executing to filter the plurality of items and the data of the plurality of items using at least one criteria, wherein the criteria comprises year range, make, model, type, mileage range, price range, and proximity of item to at least one of the dealer and the retail consumer. 
     
     
         23 . A system comprising:
 a platform coupled to a network, the platform comprising a processor and a database that comprises a plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items is in a wholesale market and owned by a third party, and is available for purchase only by dealers in the wholesale market;   an electronic site coupled to the network, wherein the electronic site presents the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items to a plurality of retail consumers;   a lead interface displayed at the electronic site, wherein the lead interface generates a lead when selected by a potential retail consumer interested in purchasing an item of the plurality of items presented at the electronic site, wherein the lead is an electronic message, and the plurality of retail consumers comprises the potential retail consumer;   a lead acquisition module (LAM) coupled to the platform, wherein the LAM receives the lead from the lead interface;   at least one of a portal of the platform that provides a dealer with electronic access to the lead and an electronic message generated by the platform to notify the dealer of the lead, wherein the dealers in the wholesale market comprise the dealer and the dealer has agreed to pay a fee for the lead, wherein the lead allows the dealer to consider purchasing the vehicle in the wholesale market for resale to the potential retail consumer in a retail market.   
     
     
         24 . A system comprising a processor and a database that includes a plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items is in a wholesale market and is available for purchase only by a dealer in the wholesale market, wherein the processor presents an item and data of the item to a retail consumer, wherein the item is available for purchase only by a dealer in the wholesale market, wherein the processor receives an electronic lead from the retail consumer interested in purchasing the item, wherein the processor provides the dealer with electronic access to the lead in exchange for a fee received from the dealer for the lead, wherein the dealer uses the lead to at least one of identify and contact the retail consumer and consider purchasing the vehicle in the wholesale market for resale to the retail consumer. 
     
     
         25 . A method comprising:
 presenting an item and data of the item to a retail consumer, wherein the presenting is via an electronic site, wherein the item is in a wholesale market and is owned by a third party, wherein the item is available for purchase only by a dealer in the wholesale market;   receiving a lead from the retail consumer interested in purchasing the item, wherein the lead is an electronic message generated at the electronic site; and   providing the dealer with electronic access to the lead in exchange for a fee received from the dealer for the lead, wherein the dealer uses the lead to consider purchasing the vehicle in the wholesale market for resale to the retail consumer.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising providing the dealer with electronic access to a wholesale inventory including a plurality of items available for purchase in the wholesale market, wherein the plurality of items comprise the item and the data of the item. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising presenting to the dealer a search interface for searching the wholesale inventory, and a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and the data of the wholesale inventory. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising presenting to the dealer an interface for use only by the dealer for at least one of purchasing and bidding on the item in the wholesale inventory. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the lead comprises identification information of the item and identification and contact information corresponding to the retail consumer. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising generating an electronic message in response to receipt of the lead, and transmitting the electronic message to the dealer. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising storing the lead. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting to the dealer a search interface for searching leads that have been generated by retail consumers, and a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and details of the leads. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting to the dealer an interface for accessing identification and contact information for any retail consumer corresponding to a lead. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting to the dealer an interface for accessing purchase information for an item corresponding to a lead. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting to the dealer an interface for managing payment for a lead. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting to the dealer an interface for accessing and managing leads corresponding to a dealer. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the remote site is a retail website. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , comprising transferring via a data feed to the electronic site a plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items comprise the item and data of the item. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , comprising transferring an inventory module to the electronic site and integrating the inventory module into the remote electronic site, the inventory module including a plurality of items and data of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items and data of the plurality of items comprise the item and data of the item, wherein the item and data of the item is displayed from the inventory module. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the electronic site is a retail website of the dealer, wherein the inventory module generates the leads corresponding to the plurality of items in the inventory module to the dealer. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting via the remote electronic site a search interface for searching the plurality of items, and a viewing interface for viewing results of the searching and the data of the plurality of items. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising presenting a filter interface to at least one of a provider of the item and the dealer, the filter interface controlling filtering of the plurality of items and the data of the plurality of items using at least one criteria, wherein the criteria comprises year range, make, model, type, mileage range, price range, and proximity of item to at least one of the dealer and the retail consumer. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the fee is a subscription fee. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the fee is a fee per lead acquired. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the fee is a fee per lead generated.