Florida-based Payless Car Rental has shortened its Web address to PaylessCar.com, giving tech-savvy customers faster and easier online access to the lowest available rates on the company’s fleet of vehicles at more than 80 locations around the world. In addition to being easier to recall, the PaylessCar.com address means fewer keystrokes for the growing number of travelers using iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smart phone devices to make travel arrangements online.

“We felt the timing was right, given the increased use of mobile technology to book travel,” said Rick Stevens, president of Payless Car Rental, Inc. "In addition to updating their Twitter and Facebook accounts, travelers are using their smart phones to make rental car and other travel plans from practically anywhere.”

According to Jeff Lin, director of Strategic Marketing for Payless, the decision to shorten the URL to PaylessCar.com came following considerable research into the most successful e-commerce sites and the evolving use of mobile technology. “We believe the shorter, more memorable and quicker-to-type Web address meets users’ demands for simplicity and ease-of-use.”

The change is consistent with the company’s core internet marketing strategy of driving direct traffic and repeat business, and will also allow Payless to more effectively brand the Web site. The shorter URL will allow Payless Car Rental to better utilize social marketing tools, and to make the web address more prominent when used on signs, shirts, posters and other marketing materials. “It may seem like a small change, but we expect it will have a big, long-term impact,” added Lin.

In May of 2008, Payless became one of the first rental car companies to launch a web portal designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch community, giving users the ability to reserve a car, modify reservations, find rental locations and connect directly to the Payless call center using a “Call to Book” button.

Customers can follow Payless Car Rental on Twitter and become a Payless Car Rental fan on Facebook.