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Summary: Customer loyalty is built in the service lane. Insights from the Cox Automotive Fixed Ops and Ownership Study show that service experiences shape repeat visits, retention, and long-term value. This article outlines how proactive communication, transparency, and digital convenience help dealerships compete with independent repair shops and turn service visits into lasting loyalty. 

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It’s plain to see how a dealership’s service department contributes to the overall profitability of the business. However, awareness is relatively low on the impact fixed ops have on customer loyalty, repeat purchases, and lifetime value.  

In late 2025, Cox Automotive surveyed 500 fixed ops decision makers from dealerships and 2,500 consumers who’d had a service visit within the last year. The resulting report tells us a lot about the opportunities that dealerships have for growing their business around service. 

The Long-Term Opportunity

It’s estimated that each consumer spends more than $12,000 on service and repairs to a vehicle¹ while they own it. But just because a person buys from the dealership doesn’t mean they automatically keep returning for service. In fact, the study shows that customers consider independent repair shops and dealership service departments equally – and when it comes down to who keeps the customer, the service experience is what matters. 

Customers who slip through the cracks represent not only lost service revenue but also a lost opportunity for the next vehicle sale. So, let’s talk about how dealers can turn service experiences into long-term loyalty. 

Beating the Competition for Customer Loyalty

Before a customer takes their vehicle in for its first service visit, they give both dealerships and independent repair shops 41 percent consideration. You may think your dealership can rely on brand, warranty, or proximity to win repeat visits, but that won’t necessarily seal the deal when a customer is a coin flip away from making a different choice. 

Fortunately, it turns out that when service costs are equal, 45 percent of consumers prefer dealerships versus 32 percent preferring general repair shops. And once a customer has had their vehicle serviced at a dealership, nearly 90 percent of them consider returning. 

So, how can you make sure the customer chooses you?

The First Service Visit Is the Tipping Point

When you consider that the first dealership service visit is where loyalty is cemented, that makes it vitally important that you get the first visit on the books as quickly as possible after a sale. Even though 80 percent of vehicle buyers in the study said they are likely to come back to the dealer where they purchased to get their vehicle serviced, only 30 percent said the dealer had set up their first service appointment.   

Here are some quotes from customers about why they prefer the dealership for service:

• “I chose the dealership for expertise with my vehicle and warranty coverage. I trusted the dealership-trained technician to correctly handle brand-specific issues.”
• “That’s where I purchased the car, and I trust them—honest, loyal, and great customer service.” 
• “Knowing that the dealership has my car’s full service history makes me confident they can provide accurate and consistent care.”

With sentiments like that coming from 80 percent of buyers, it makes sense to get that first service appointment scheduled as part of the vehicle purchase wrap-up.  

Proactive Engagement Drives Repeat Visits

People’s lives are busy. Yes, they have every intention of keeping their vehicle serviced on a regular schedule, but an endless series of distractions can get in the way. That’s why many service visits aren’t planned; they’re prompted. 

Dealerships that use advertising and marketing to stay in front of customers between service visits capture more service opportunities. In fact, 47 percent of customers who go to the dealership for service say service reminders drive otherwise unplanned visits, compared to 28 percent for customers who get their vehicles serviced elsewhere. 

It’s important to note that customers who have their vehicles serviced by dealerships have a 14 percent higher appreciation for digital scheduling and reminders than independent repair shop customers. 

Don’t hesitate to keep your customers informed about their vehicles’ routine service needs, warranty notifications, and previously declined services—and provide convenient scheduling links. Your silence only creates space for competitors. 

High-Performing Dealerships Win on Transparency and Follow Through

The study identified certain dealers who outperform their peers when it comes to customer loyalty, efficiency, and profitability. Their advantage over competitors lies in transparency with customers while looking for ways to maximize profit opportunities with every customer. 

These high-performing dealers are 16 percentage points ahead integrating photo and video into multipoint inspections, which results in higher average dollars per RO and faster approvals. 

They also take proactive steps to treat declined services as future opportunities—not as lost revenue. The result is 15 percentage points higher declined service recapture than other dealers. 

Finally, high-performing dealers are 9 percentage points ahead in offering both online scheduling and mobile check-in, which speaks to their focus on customer convenience and operational efficiency. Online scheduling goes hand in hand with declined services recapture, because when the dealership sends reminders or offers about those services, the customer is a mere click away from scheduling. 

Although these may seem like relatively small performance gaps, once these workflows are in place, they compound over time.  

Turn Insight into Action in the Service Lane

The study makes clear that customer loyalty isn’t built by a single interaction, but by systems that continually reinforce trust. Let’s look at some of the experiences dealerships should prioritize and the solutions that can help them be successful with consistent use. 

Frictionless scheduling and confirmations

Getting on the customer’s calendar should be as easy and convenient as possible and we’ve seen that scheduling a car buyer for service right away is key to customer loyalty. Xtime Schedule integrates with VinSolutions to make it easy to schedule the first service appointment at the time of sales delivery. Overall, dealerships using Xtime Schedule with its 24/7 online booking and automated reminders experience a 17 percent increase in customer retention.

Proactive reminders and follow-ups

Whether a customer needs a repair, a routine service, or to catch up on previously declined services, it helps to send them targeted messages and offers. Using Xtime Invite, you can deliver these messages at just the right intersection of the customer’s needs and the shop’s capacity. Dealers who use Xtime Invite’s marketing tools to optimize shop capacity see about 174 additional ROs per month.

Visual transparency during service

When they say, “seeing is believing,” that holds true for photos and videos of multipoint inspections. When dealerships use multimedia to show customers their service needs, 35 percent of customers report better understanding and more confidence in the recommendations. These customers spend $230 more than customers who do not receive photos and videos from the service lane. 

Xtime Inspect with Service Multimedia Pro lets your service technicians easily capture and share high-resolution photos and videos during inspections. When you document vehicle conditions and recommended repairs in this way, 49 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to approve recommended services.

Intelligent targeting to recapture declined services

Top-performing dealers offer customers reminders and incentives to encourage them to come back to address services they previously declined. Xtime Invite helps dealerships deliver timely, relevant messages via email and text marketing. Leading dealerships recapture more than $35,000 in declined services per month.²  

Start Improving Customer Experience and Performance Now

Xtime offers a full suite of solutions that can help dealers act on the Fixed Ops and Ownership Study’s biggest service loyalty drivers:

• Digital convenience
• Proactive communication
• Transparency and trust
• Repeatable follow through

With the right solutions and processes in place, customers are easier to win, first time visitors are more likely to return, and loyal customers lead to long-term revenue. 

The study confirms what top performing dealers already know: service builds trust. Dealers who invest in proactive, transparent service experiences don’t just retain customers, they maximize customer value across the entire ownership lifecycle. 

Want to learn more? Take a self-guided demo and explore Xtime at your own pace. 

Sources: 

All statistics are from 2025 Cox Automotive Ownership Study unless otherwise noted 

¹Cox Automotive Ownership Research, Xtime data, The Zebra research, Estimation is based on the following assumptions: 1) 2.4 average service visits a year, 2) average length of ownership is 8.4 years, and 3) average RO per visit is $615 (among Xtime dealers). 

²Based on 663 top-performing dealers between Jan 2025 and July 2025. 

Overview 

Deal Central now allows dealers to use dealer defined interest rate cards directly in Manager View. Instead of relying only on lender programs or manual rate entry, dealerships can structure deals using their own rates during desking. This update reduces rework during desking and ensures deals start with the rates your team actually uses. 

What’s improved 

Dealers can now: 

• Create and manage dealer rate cards in settings 

• Define rates based on:  

• Credit tiers 

• Credit score ranges 

• Term length 

• Vehicle condition 

• Use dealer rate cards directly in Manager View when structuring deals 

How it works 

1. Create a dealer rate card 
   Create and set up your rate card in dealer settings using your preferred credit tiers and score ranges. 

2. Define your rates 
   Configure rates by credit tier, credit score range, term, and vehicle condition. 

3. Activate and desk 
   Activate the rate card for your dealership so it can be used during deal structuring. 

Once activated, dealer rates are available in Manager View and can be applied on first pencil. 

Why it matters 

• Structure deals using your dealership’s rate strategy  

• Reduce the need for manual rate entry during desking  

• Support consistent deal setup across sales and management workflows 

Manage up to three trade-in vehicles within a single deal—without restarting workflows or handling trades outside the deal flow.  

What Changed 

• Add up to three trade-in vehicles to a single deal 

• Edit, remove, or toggle individual trade-ins 

• View all trade-ins together in the Offer Summary 

• See a combined Trade-In Total Equity view 

• Duplicate VINs are automatically blocked 

How It Works — At a Glance 

• Add up to three trade-in vehicles to a single deal and appraise each trade-in individually 

• Toggle trade-ins on or off as needed 

• Review all trade-ins together before submitting the deal 

Why It Matters 

This update supports real-world deals that involve multiple trade-ins—without manual workarounds, reentry, or restarting the deal. 

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: 

• Why buyers expect flexible online and in‑store journeys and how disconnected steps slow deals and hurt conversion. 
• Which online steps matter most for building confidence, speed, and momentum toward purchase. 
• How to deliver full online checkout without giving up control, including pricing, approvals, and profit. 

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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. 

Three Things Dealers Are Seeing Change First 

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.

1. Buying Often Starts Online. And Doesn’t Follow a Linear Path. 

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. 

2. Efficiency improves when fewer steps are repeated 

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. 

3. Technology now supports real‑world buying behavior 

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 Advantage is Shifting. It’s Time to Get In. 

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. 

Get a Closer Look 

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 

Summary:

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:


• Why disconnected tools are costing time, deals, and gross
• Where AI adds real value versus creating more complexity
• How platforms like Deal Central give dealers control back in the deal
• What winning stores are doing differently to protect margin

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. 

The economics of opportunity 

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. 

5 moves dealers should make to capture spring demand 

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. 

1. Lead with affordability, not assumptions  

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. 

2. Refresh pricing to match today’s market  

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. 

3. Make sure your listings show up where buyers are already shopping  

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. 

4. Remove friction from the shopping process  

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. 

5. Merchandise for current buyer concerns  

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.