Autotrader’s AI-powered shopping experiences are changing how consumers find and buy cars—and how dealers win. Watch this NADA stage presentation to learn how Smart Search, Shopping Assistant, and AI Mode help shoppers get answers faster, stay engaged longer, and convert at higher rates, delivering high-quality leads dealers can act on with confidence.
Summary:
Online car buying today is about flexibility, not choosing between digital or in‑store. Dealers that remove friction and keep control of the deal are better positioned to convert ready buyers.
In this article, you’ll learn:
The advantage today isn’t having the biggest lot or the most foot traffic. It’s being available when your customers are ready to move forward. Late at night. Between meetings. From the couch.
More dealers are starting to notice a quiet shift in how deals actually get done. It’s not about pushing everything online or replacing the showroom. It’s about removing the friction that slows good buyers down.
Shoppers are doing more before they ever walk in. And the real competition is no longer limited to business hours.
New patterns are showing consistently across the car buying journey. Buyers expect—and want—to use more channels for their next purchase. And more than half prefer to take steps online. The insights in our guide, Bring the Deal Home: Deliver online checkout and remain in control of your process and profit margins, indicate patterns of the next big shift.
According to the 2025 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, as many as 40% of car buyers begin their journey on third‑party marketplaces. Many of them return more than once, often moving back and forth between third‑party and dealership sites as they narrow their options.
What this tells us is simple. Shoppers don’t think in channels. They think in progress.
They want to start online, continue where it makes sense, and avoid repeating steps. When they return, they expect their deal to come back with them.
Online Checkout supports this reality by letting buyers begin the process digitally and pick up in‑store or online right where they left off. Fewer handoffs mean less friction and a smoother experience for both the customer and your team.
Most deals don’t fall apart because of price or intent. They slow down because of unnecessary repetition: Re‑entering information, restarting paperwork and re‑explaining decisions that were already made, can kill your deal.
When you reduce handoffs and let shoppers complete more steps online, the entire process becomes more efficient. Customers spend less time retracing their steps. Sales teams spend more time moving deals forward instead of rebuilding them.
Online Checkout optimizes the time customers spend on the journey by keeping momentum intact. Whether the deal finishes online or in‑store, fewer resets create a better experience and a more productive workflow.
For years, digital retailing tools have tried to force a linear process onto a non‑linear journey. That’s changed.
Today’s Online Checkout solutions are designed to work with existing dealership operations, not against them. Deals can start online, pause, resume, or move into your store without breaking the flow or losing control.
Customers get transparency and flexibility. Dealers stay involved and in control. And the process reflects how deals actually happen in the real world.
This is not about eliminating the showroom. It’s about extending your ability to engage and close when the customer is ready.
The competitive advantage no longer belongs to the dealership with the most cars or the most convenient lot. It belongs to the one that’s always accessible, always connected, and able to move a deal forward whenever the buyer is ready.
Online Checkout isn’t about changing who you are as a dealership. It’s about removing barriers that slow good customers down and letting progress happen naturally.
Our guide, Bring the Deal Home: Deliver online checkout and remain in control of your process and profit margins, dives deeper into how this shift is playing out across the car buying journey. If you’re thinking about how to stay competitive as a buying behavior continues to evolve, it’s a good place to start.
Sources
2025 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study
Cox Automotive marketplace and consumer research
Dealers are under pressure from tighter margins, slower deals, and disconnected tech. When these systems are disconnected, deals take longer, handoffs increase, and gross is harder to protect. In this Car Dealership Guy podcast episode, Mo Zahabi explains how simplifying technology helps stores move faster and stay profitable, as well as how tools like Deal Central create a connected retail workflow and “pick up where they [customers] left off with one continuous deal,” to support consumer trust.
Watch the podcast to learn more about:
A new enhancement from Dealer.com and Google helps dealerships highlight monthly payments earlier in the shopping journey, driving more clicks, engagement, and leads.
Shoppers move fast when they’re comparing vehicles, and pricing clarity can be the difference between a scroll and a click. Dealer.com is excited to announce a new capability that brings lease offers directly into Google vehicle listing ads, giving dealerships a powerful way to stand out with payment-forward messaging right where customers are browsing.
In partnership with Google, the Dealer.com Advertising team has enabled lease offers to display within vehicle listing ads for Dealer.com website and advertising clients. That means eligible dealerships can showcase a lease offer alongside each vehicle in the ad experience, which helps shoppers understand affordability before they ever land on your site.
In our pilot, making lease offers visible in Google Vehicle Ads increased click-throughs and website engagement, and helped drive more leads. These early signals reinforce what many dealers already know: when shoppers can quickly see an offer that fits their budget, they’re more likely to take the next step.
Vehicle listing ads are often the first touchpoint in a shopper’s journey. By adding lease offer visibility to that experience, dealerships can create a more compelling reason to click while setting clearer expectations that support stronger engagement once shoppers arrive on your site. Reach out to your Dealer.com Advertising team to learn how to enable lease offers in your vehicle listing ads.
When you partner with Instant Cash Offer, you gain access to a suite of value‑add tools designed to help you capture more Offers, source more used inventory, and drive stronger ROI. From eBlasts to QR codes and mini‑sites to service‑lane materials, these tools help you turn more consumer touchpoints into acquisition opportunities — without adding complexity to your operation.
Spring is here. And with it, tax refund season is underway.
According to the most recent IRS data available, more than $100 billion in tax refunds has already been returned to consumers, with the average refund just over $3,700, up 10.6 percent year over year. That is real money arriving early in the spring buying season.
Historically, this kind of early‑season cash can support spending on big‑ticket purchases, including vehicles. For dealers, that creates a brief but meaningful window to ensure listings are visible to shoppers who may be closer to buying than they realize.
The money is already in your buyers’ pockets. The question is whether they spend it at your dealership or someone else’s.
According to Jeremy Robb, Chief Economist at Cox Automotive, current market data points to an important early‑spring dynamic for dealers. In his weekly Auto Market Summary, Robb tracks indicators such as the labor market, consumer credit, vehicle pricing, and wholesale trends to help dealers understand what is happening beneath the headlines.
One signal stands out: tax refunds remain one of the most reliable seasonal demand catalysts in automotive. Refund dollars often help fund down payments, offset closing costs, or give hesitant shoppers the confidence to move forward.
That impact tends to show up first in the market itself, through stronger wholesale activity and early spring pricing momentum. For dealers, the takeaway is not just what the data says, but what it makes possible right now.
Below, we break down what the latest data suggests and outline practical ways dealers can capture spring demand while this window is open.
Spring demand doesn’t require a new strategy. It rewards sharper execution. Here are five moves dealers can make right now to capitalize on the moment the data is pointing to.
Many shoppers still believe vehicles are out of reach. Do not make them do the math themselves.
Leading with clear payment messaging helps correct that perception. With Accelerate My Deal Elite, shoppers can build their own deal proposal right from your Autotrader listings, using the same payment and deal terms you would offer in‑store. You stay in control of the deal. They get clarity earlier, which helps move the conversation forward with less back‑and‑forth.
When buyers can quickly see what fits their budget, they stay engaged longer and are more likely to take the next step.
Spring demand puts pressure on inventory and pricing, especially as wholesale values move.
Review listings that have been sitting longer than expected. Re-price where needed based on current market conditions, not last month’s benchmarks. Staying aligned with the market helps you remain competitive without racing to the bottom. During the strongest demand window of the year, pricing that lags the market can leave opportunity on the table.
Ensure your inventory is fully visible and accurately merchandised on high‑traffic platforms like Autotrader, where millions of in‑market shoppers are actively comparing vehicles.
Tools like Smart Search and the Shopping Assistant help buyers match to vehicles they can afford, which means the leads you receive are often further along and more ready to close.
Early‑season buyers often want momentum. When demand picks up, if the process feels slow or unclear, they move on.
Tools that let shoppers explore payments, trade‑in values, and next steps online can help maintain that momentum. The easier it is for buyers to understand their options, the more likely they are to engage with your dealership.
Shoppers are paying attention to the total cost of ownership, not just price. As buyers decide how to allocate refund dollars, fuel economy and cost of ownership become more prominent in the comparison process.
Highlight fuel efficiency, hybrids, and features that address everyday costs. Clear merchandising around these details shows buyers you understand what matters to them right now and helps differentiate similar vehicles.
Spring demand doesn’t arrive all at once. It builds quietly, then moves quickly.
As Jeremy Robb notes in his Auto Market Weekly Summary, tax refund season continues to deliver meaningful consumer purchasing power, with larger refunds already supporting early spring momentum in the automotive market. That tailwind creates opportunity, but it does not last indefinitely.
Dealers who act early and stay visible tend to capture a larger share of early spring demand. That starts with showing up where shoppers are already looking, pricing to current market conditions, and making it easy for buyers to understand what they can afford.
Make sure your inventory is ready for the season ahead.
Explore Autotrader’s self‑guided demo to see how your listings can reach more ready‑to‑buy shoppers during the spring window.
Sources: IRS filing season data; Cox Automotive Auto Market Weekly Summary, Jeremy Robb, Chief Economist.
This infographic highlights five car buyer journey trends from Cox Automotive’s 16th Annual Car Buyer Journey Study, revealing how shopper behavior, affordability pressure, and AI are shaping the path to purchase – and what dealers should do now.
Guest Expert: Derek White, Founding Member & Chair of C.O.R.A. (Council of Responsible AI), joins Jade Terreberry to explore what responsible AI adoption looks like for automotive dealers today. Derek breaks down the importance of ethical guardrails, unified data practices, and accountability as AI becomes embedded across marketing, CRM, and inventory workflows. He also shares what dealers should be watching for—from conversational AI to emerging risks like shadow AI—and why the right governance and partners will be critical to long‑term success.
Guest Expert:
Derek White
Founding Member & Chair
C.O.R.A.
Top Takeaways:
Timestamps:
0:00 – 1:07 – Introduction
Jade Terreberry opens the episode, recorded live from NADA 2026, and welcomes Derek White, Founding Member & Chair of C.O.R.A., setting the stage for a conversation centered on AI and the industry’s responsibility to use it wisely.
1:07 – 2:30 – What Is C.O.R.A. and Why It Matters
Derek explains the mission of the Council of Responsible AI, outlining its role in establishing ethical guidelines, best practices, and guardrails to help dealers and partners adopt AI responsibly.
2:30 – 3:50 – Accountability, Ethics, and Data Governance
The conversation turns to accountability in AI usage, with Derek emphasizing unified data processes, PII protection, and the importance of clear internal policies before scaling AI across a dealership.
3:50 – 5:25 – AI Trends Dealers Should Be Watching
Derek shares what’s dominating conversations on the show floor, including conversational AI, large language models, generative engine optimization, and the growing need for fraud and identity protection.
5:25 – 6:54 – Avoiding Shadow AI and Operational Risk
Derek discusses the risks of unmanaged AI usage—such as employees using personal AI tools—and why training, culture, and governance are critical to avoiding costly missteps.
6:54 – 7:38 – How Leading Dealers Are Approaching AI
Insights into what forward‑thinking dealers are doing differently, from establishing core processes to investing in education and change management to support long‑term AI adoption.
7:38 – 8:21 – Derek’s Advice for Dealers Looking Ahead
Derek offers guidance for dealers entering 2026, encouraging them to ease into AI thoughtfully, protect customer data, and leverage AI to improve inventory, CRM, and fraud prevention.
8:21 – 10:34 – AI as a Connected Ecosystem
Jade and Derek discuss how AI is increasingly embedded across tools and platforms, enabling end‑to‑end customer journeys and more efficient dealership operations.
10:34 – 11:08 – Closing Thoughts
Jade wraps up the episode with final reflections on responsible AI adoption and thanks Derek for joining, reinforcing the importance of education, partnership, and thoughtful execution as AI becomes table stakes.
Featuring AVP/Lender Strategist Andy Mayers with insights from the latest Cox Automotive Research
In our last Lender Insights blog, we introduced Structured Stips—a simple enhancement that helps lenders clearly communicate document requirements at the time of credit application. Now, let’s talk about the next step in the process: Stip Upload & Delivery.
This future-proofing functionality enables the consumer—or dealer, depending on where the financing step is taking place—to digitally submit those clearly identified documents. These documents travel through Dealertrack straight to the lender’s LOS, well before the contracting step, which expedites deal finalization, contracting, and funding.
According to recent Cox Automotive industry studies, more consumers are starting their financing journey online—and that trend continues to grow year over year. As the digital-first trajectory accelerates, lenders’ processes must evolve to keep pace. The ability to receive stip documents earlier in the process is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a need-to-have. Lenders implementing this functionality now are gaining a competitive advantage.
In a recent podcast episode, Lender Strategist and AVP of Lender F&I Operations Andy Mayers emphasized the value of this enhancement:
Once the required documents are clearly defined and communicated back with the credit decision, the consumer or dealer can scan or snap a picture of these documents, upload, and submit them. These digital documents are automatically delivered straight to your LOS.
That means:
Everyone Benefits
As market conditions continue to shift consumer mindset toward “what can I afford?” and behavior toward digital-first financing, lenders who adopt Stip Upload & Delivery are better positioned to capture more business opportunity and strengthen relationships with dealer partners.
If you’re ready to future-proof your originations strategy and deliver a better experience for everyone involved, it’s time to explore Stip Upload & Delivery.
