Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation.  The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.  Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current period presentation.  These reclassifications had no effect on t he reported results of operations.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements.  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, allowances for bad debts and customer credits, useful lives of depreciable assets and capitalized software costs, long-lived asset impairments, goodwill and purchased intangible asset valuations, accrued liabilities, contingent payment provisions, debt valuation and valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, warrant valuation and stock-based compensation expense. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents.  For purposes of the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents represent amounts held by the Company for use by the Company and are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value.

Investments.  In August 2010, the Company acquired less than a 5% equity interest in privately-held Driverside, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Driverside”), for $1.0 million.  Driverside provides consumers with a broad set of content, features, tools, technology, systems, products, services and programs related to the efficient ownership of motor vehicles.  The Company received 1,352,082 shares of Series C Preferred Stock in Driverside for its investment.  The Company made an additional investment in Driverside in 2011 for $16,737.  The Company recorded the investments in Driverside at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over Driverside.  In 2011, Driverside merged with another entity and the Company received a cash payment of $823,000, representing the Company’s pro rata share of the initial merger consideration.  The $823,000 received at closing of the transaction was recorded as a reduction to the Driverside investment on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.   In 2012 the Company received $326,000, which represented its pro rata share of contingent payments upon milestones achieved by Driverside.  Of the $326,000 received in 2012, $194,000 was recorded as a complete reduction to the investment in Driverside and $132,000 was recorded as other income.  In 2013 the Company received $108,000 from Driverside, which represented its pro rata share of amounts released from an escrow account established to satisfy post-closing indemnification claims.  The Company recorded the $108,000 as other income. There are no further amounts due associated with the Driverside investment.

In September 2013, the Company entered into a Contribution Agreement with privately-held AutoWeb, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“AutoWeb”), pursuant to Autobytel contributed to AutoWeb $2.5 million and assigned to AutoWeb all the ownership interests in the autoweb.com domain name and two registered trademarks related to the AutoWeb name and related goodwill in exchange for 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock are convertible into AutoWeb common stock on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and recapitalizations) and represented 16% of all issued and outstanding common stock of AutoWeb, on a fully diluted basis, as of September 18, 2013.  The Company also obtained an option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock at a per share exercise price of $500, which option expires September 18, 2015. In connection with this investment, the Company also entered into arrangements with AutoWeb to use the AutoWeb pay-per-click, auction-driven automotive marketplace technology platform as both a publisher and as an advertiser. Upon the occurrence of a liquidation event (i.e., a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of AutoWeb; a consolidation or merger where AutoWeb is not the surviving entity; a consolidation or merger where AutoWeb is the surviving entity and either (i) the rights of the Series A Preferred Stock are changed, or (ii) the Series A Preferred Stock is exchanged for cash, securities or property; or a sale or transfer of all or substantially all of AutoWeb’s assets), the Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to a liquidation preference of the greater of (i) $1,000 per share (subject to adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and recapitalizations); and (ii) the amount that would be distributed with respect to AutoWeb’s common stock, assuming full conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into common stock.

    In November 2014, the Company entered into a Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with AutoWeb, pursuant to which we paid $880,394 in exchange for 1,076 shares of AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The Company’s combined ownership of the issued and outstanding capital stock of AutoWeb was 15.7% as of December 31, 2014.

In September 2013, the Company invested $150,000 in privately-held SaleMove, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“SaleMove”), in the form of a convertible promissory note.  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on September 1, 2015 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note. The Company recorded the $150,000 note as an other current asset on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2014. In October 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with SaleMove to become the exclusive provider to the automotive industry of SaleMove’s technology for enhancing communications with consumers.  SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone. The Company and SaleMove will equally share in revenues from automotive-related sales of the SaleMove products and services. In connection with this reseller arrangement, the Company advanced to  SaleMove $1.0 million to fund SaleMove’s fifty percent share of various product development, marketing and sales costs and expenses, with the advanced funds to be recovered by the Company from SaleMove’s share of sales revenue.  As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $1.0 million and $0.2 million had been advanced to SaleMove, respectively.  In November 2014 the Company invested an additional $400,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note.  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on November 18, 2016 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  The Company recorded the $400,000 note as an investment on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2014.

In December 2014, the Company entered into a Series Seed Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with GoMoto, Inc. (“GoMoto”) in which Autobytel paid $100,000 for 317,460 Series Seed Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share.  The investment in GoMoto was recorded at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over GoMoto.

Accounts Receivable.  Credit is extended to customers based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition, and when credit is extended, collateral is generally not required. Interest is not normally charged on receivables.

Allowances for Bad Debts and Customer Credits.  The allowance for bad debts is an estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or refusal of customers to pay for services. Additions to the estimated allowance for bad debts are recorded to sales and marketing expenses and are based on factors such as historical write-off percentages, the current business environment and known concerns within the current aging of accounts receivable. Reductions in the estimated allowance for bad debts due to subsequent cash recoveries are recorded as a decrease in sales and marketing expenses. As specific bad debts are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for bad debts with no impact on operating expenses.

The allowance for customer credits is an estimate of adjustments for services that do not meet the customer requirements. Additions to the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as a reduction of revenues and are based on the Company’s historical experience of: (i) the amount of credits issued; (ii) the length of time after services are rendered that the credits are issued; (iii) other factors known at the time; and (iv) future expectations. Reductions in the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as an increase in revenues. As specific customer credits are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for customer credits with no impact on revenues.

If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of the Company’s customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with their services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required, and the impact on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, earnings per share, cash flow or the trading price of our stock could be material.

Contingencies.   From time to time the Company may be subject to proceedings, lawsuits and other claims.  The Company assesses the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes of these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. The Company records a loss contingency when an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The amount of allowances required, if any, for these contingencies is determined after analysis of each individual case. The amount of allowances may change in the future if there are new material developments in each matter.  Gain contingencies are not recorded until all elements necessary to realize the revenue are present. Any legal fees incurred in connection with a contingency are expensed as incurred.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments.  The Company records its financial assets and liabilities at fair value, which is defined under the applicable accounting standards as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measure date.  The Company uses valuation techniques to measure fair value, maximizing the use of observable outputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs.  The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value which are the following:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Inputs include management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.  The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument’s valuation.

Cash equivalents, accounts receivable, net of allowance, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, are carried at cost, which management believes approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

The Company’s investments at December 31, 2014 and 2013 consist primarily of investments in SaleMove and AutoWeb and are recorded at cost. Although there is no established market for these investments, the Company evaluated the investments for impairment by comparing them to an estimated fair value and determined that no impairment existed. To determine the estimated fair value for the Company’s investment in SaleMove, the Company analyzed the discounted future cash flows of Autobytel’s sales of SaleMove products. To determine the estimated fair value for the investment in AutoWeb, the Company analyzed participants in the Series B round of financing in November 2014.

Variable Interest Entities.  The Company has investments in certain entities that are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) under GAAP.  The Company has concluded that their investment in SaleMove qualifies as a variable interest and SaleMove is a VIE. VIEs are legal entities in which the equity investors do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to independently finance its activities or the collective holders do not have the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance, the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or the right to receive expected residual returns of the entity. Consolidation of a VIE is considered appropriate if a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary, the party that has both significant influence and control over the VIE. Management periodically performs a qualitative analysis to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. This analysis includes review of the VIEs’ capital structures, contractual terms, and primary activities, including the Company’s ability to direct the activities of the VIEs and obligations to absorb losses, or the right to receive benefits, significant to the VIEs.  Additionally, changes in our various equity investments have in the past resulted in a reconsideration event.

Based on Autobytel’s analysis for the periods presented in this report, it is not the primary beneficiary of SaleMove. Accordingly, SaleMove does not meet the criteria for consolidation.  The Company’s investment in SaleMove is carried at cost.  The $150,000 and $400,000 notes receivable from Sale Move are classified as an other current asset and investment on the consolidated balance sheet, respectively, as of December 31, 2014.  The $1.0 million in advances to SaleMove are classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014.  As of December 31, 2013, the $150,000 notes receivable and $0.2 million in advances was classified as an investment and an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet, respectively. The carrying value and maximum potential loss exposure of VIEs totaled $1.6 million as of December 31, 2014, and $0.4 million as of December 31, 2013.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Risks Due to Significant Customers.  Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, investments and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are primarily maintained with two financial institutions in the United States. Deposits held by banks exceed the amount of insurance provided for such deposits. Generally these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. Accounts receivable are primarily derived from fees billed to automotive Dealers and automotive Manufacturers.

The Company has a concentration of credit risk with its automotive industry related accounts receivable balances, particularly with Urban Science Applications (which represents several Manufacturer programs), General Motors and Jumpstart.  During 2014, approximately 27% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from these three customers, and approximately 41% or $7.8 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2014.  In 2014, Urban Science Applications accounted for 19% of total revenues and 23% of the total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2014.

During 2013, approximately 30% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from AutoNation, General Motors and Urban Science Applications, and approximately 40% or $5.8 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2013.  In 2013, Urban Science Applications accounted for 18% of total revenues and 23% of the total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2013.

Property and Equipment.  Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally three years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is provided using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Gains or losses resulting from the retirement or sale of property and equipment are recorded as operating income or expenses, respectively.

Operating Leases.  The Company leases office space and certain office equipment under operating lease agreements which expire on various dates through 2019, with options to renew on expiration of the original lease terms.

Reimbursed tenant improvements are considered in determining straight-line rent expense and are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the lease term. The lease term begins on the date of initial possession of the leased property for purposes of recognizing rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Lease renewal periods are considered on a lease-by-lease basis and are generally not included in the initial lease term.

Capitalized Internal Use Software and Website Development Costs.  The Company capitalizes costs to develop internal use software in accordance with the Internal-Use Software and the Website Development Costs Topics, which require the capitalization of external and internal computer software costs and website development costs, respectively, incurred during the application development stage. The application development stage is characterized by software design and configuration activities, coding, testing and installation. Training and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred while upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that such expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized internal use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three to five years. Capitalized website development costs, once placed in service, are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related websites.  The Company capitalized $0.6 million and $82,000 of such costs for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets.  The Company periodically reviews long-lived assets to determine if there is any impairment of these assets. The Company assesses the impairment of these assets, or the need to accelerate amortization, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on legal factors, market conditions and operational performance of the long-lived assets and other intangibles. Future events could cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that the assets should be reviewed to determine their fair value. The Company assesses the assets for impairment based on the estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined based on a valuation process that provides an estimate of a fair value of these assets using a discounted cash flow model, which includes many assumptions and estimates. Once the valuation is determined, the Company would write-down these assets to their determined fair value, if necessary. Any write-down could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Goodwill.  Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for business acquisitions over the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired. The Company evaluates the carrying value of enterprise goodwill for impairment. Testing for impairment of goodwill is a two-step process. The first step requires the Company to compare the enterprise’s carrying value to its fair value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, enterprise goodwill is potentially impaired and the Company then completes the second step to measure the impairment loss, if any. The second step requires the calculation of the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible and intangible net assets from the fair value of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of enterprise goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. The Company evaluates enterprise goodwill, at a minimum, on an annual basis, in the fourth quarter of each year or whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired.

Revenue Recognition.  Lead fees consist of fees from the sale of Leads for new and used vehicles and Leads for vehicle financing.  Fees paid by customers participating in the Company’s Lead programs are comprised of monthly transaction and/or subscription fees.  Advertising revenues represent fees for display advertising on Company’s Websites.

The Company recognizes revenues when evidence of an arrangement exists, pricing is fixed and determinable, collection is reasonably assured and delivery or performance of service has occurred. Lead fees are generally recognized as revenues in the period the service is provided. Advertising revenues are generally recognized in the period the advertisements are displayed on Company Websites. Fees billed prior to providing services are deferred, as they do not satisfy all U.S. GAAP revenue recognition criteria. Deferred revenues are recognized as revenue over the periods services are provided.

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of Lead and traffic acquisition costs and other cost of revenues. Lead and traffic acquisition costs consist of payments made to the Company’s Lead providers, including internet portals and on-line automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of search engine marketing (“SEM”) and fees paid to third parties for data and content, including search engine optimization (“SEO”) activity, included on the Company’s properties, connectivity costs and development costs related to the Company Websites, compensation related expense and technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization directly related to Company Websites.  SEM, sometimes referred to as paid search marketing, is the practice of bidding on keywords on search engines to drive traffic to a website.

 Income Taxes.  The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance, if necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount it believes is more likely than not to be realized.

Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Earnings per Share.  Basic net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares, and if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding, as determined under the treasury stock and if-converted method, during the period. Potential common shares consist of common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options, common shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants described below and common shares issuable upon conversion of the note described in Note 5.

The following are the share amounts utilized to compute the basic and diluted net earnings per share for the years ended December 31:

	2014			2013
Basic Shares:
Weighted average common shares outstanding		8,998,035			8,883,357
Weighted average common shares repurchased		(18,138	)		—
Basic Shares		8,979,897			8,883,357
Diluted Shares:
Basic Shares		8,979,897			8,883,357
Weighted average dilutive securities		2,232,011			1,732,596
Dilutive Shares		11,211,908			10,615,953

 For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, weighted average dilutive securities included dilutive options, warrants and convertible debt.

Potentially dilutive securities representing approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock for both years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share for these periods because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Share-Based Compensation.  The Company grants restricted stock and stock option awards (the “Awards”) under several of its share-based compensation Plans (the “Plans”), that are more fully described in Note 9.  The Company recognizes share-based compensation based on the Awards’ fair value, net of estimated forfeitures on a straight line basis over the requisite service periods, which is generally over the awards’ respective vesting period, or on an accelerated basis over the estimated performance periods for options with performance conditions. 

Restricted stock fair value is measured on the grant date based on the quoted market price of the Company’s common stock, and the stock option fair value is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the underlying common stock closing price as of the date of grant, the expected term, stock price volatility and risk-free interest rates.

Business Segment. The Company conducts its business within the United States and within one business segment which is defined as providing automotive and marketing services.  The Company’s operations are aggregated into a single reportable operating segment based upon similar economic and operating characteristics as well as similar markets.

Advertising Expense.  Advertising costs are expensed in the period incurred. Advertising expense in 2014 and 2013 was $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Codification 805 “Business Combinations - Pushdown Accounting, a Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.” In November 2014, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-17, “Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Pushdown Accounting, a Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force” was issued. The objective of this ASU is to provide guidance on whether and at what threshold an acquired entity that is a business or nonprofit activity can apply pushdown accounting in its separate financial statements. The amendments in this ASU are effective on November 18, 2014. This ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial results.

Accounting Standards Codification 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”  In May 2014, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” was issued.  This ASU requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective on January 1, 2017. Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-09 will have on their consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor have they determined the effect of the standard on the ongoing financial reporting.