JD Power Buys Online / Off-line Analyst Korrelate

US-based auto research specialist JD Power and Associates has acquired Korrelate, an Orlando-based company which measures consumers' online behavior and then links it to off-line sales activity. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Korrelate's method for matching anonymous online behavior will be combined with JD Power's 'Power Information Network' (PIN) retail sales data for new and used vehicles, to identify which web sites and ad campaigns shoppers are exposed to before they buy their vehicle. This will help clients evaluate their web sites and online marketing efforts, and ad networks and online publishers to report ad effectiveness.

Finbarr O'Neill (pictured), President of JD Power, comments: 'Consumer behavior is changing dramatically in today's Internet-powered world. The auto industry spends billions of dollars annually on digital marketing. Measuring online activity and linking it to actual vehicle sales will enable marketers to measure and optimize their digital strategy.'

Web sites: www.jdpa.com and www.korrelate.com .