DETROIT and CARMEL, Ind. — ChannelNet and iTapMenu announced that a Value Added Reseller (VAR) agreement has been established between the two companies. 

ChannelNet, a 27-year-old firm that provides automotive brands and dealers with new consumer-facing technology, will begin offering the iTapMenu to its OEM customers.

"Today's vehicle shoppers are time starved and wary of the F&I experience in the dealership," said Paula Tompkins, ChannelNet CEO and founder. "Consumers are looking for speed and transparency, especially in the final stage of purchasing a vehicle. iTapMenu enables a streamlined educational experience that is fully transparent and a welcome change in the overall vehicle shopping process."

iTapMenu is a web-based program that operates on the iPad. The F&I manager has the option of creating a two-column or three-column customized menu for each individual customer. After customizing a menu for a customer, the F&I manager uses the iPad to deliver the product recommendations. The F&I products, represented by icons, are selected and can be easily dragged and dropped into the "customer selections" column. iTapMenu also dynamically recalculates when products are removed or added from the "customer selections" column, among other features.

"The opportunity for iTapMenu to partner with ChannelNet is a vital strategic alignment,” said Michael Wilson, president of iTap Menu. “It represents a historic step for us as we move to provide a mobile device sales solution for F&I managers. We've merged the 'leap-forward' technology at iTapMenu with the strong marketing entity at ChannelNet, who we believe can help us rapidly and effectively scale our business.”