Category: Uncategorized

Dealership profits and the consumer experience have always been (and will forever be) inseparably connected. As trends, market conditions, and technologies change, the way you treat your shoppers and the experiences that you deliver are always in your control. 

Even amid current economic uncertainty and an ever-growing list of factors that impact profitability, your long-term success is tied to the consumer experience. If shoppers have a great experience at your dealership, they will keep coming back—and their positive opinions will impact others’ perceptions of your dealership too. 

A Decline in Dealership Confidence   

Dealers are overall less optimistic about market conditions in 2025, despite surges in consumer traffic and signs of improved profitability. More dealers perceive the market as weak, rather than strong, and the coming year is expected to be a roller coaster for the industry in terms of market outlook for dealers.  

This decline in dealer confidence can be attributed to a number of factors, including shrinking margins and rising floorplan and advertising costs. More recently, market volatility and the uncertainty of tariffs have played a major role in diminishing consumer confidence and dealership profitability. 

Despite these trends and sentiments, you can still create a car buying experience at your dealership that will generate leads, bring in new shoppers, and improve profitability. As you focus on putting the shopper experience first, profitability usually falls into place.  

What Consumers Want 

When your shoppers are happy, your dealership generates repeat business, better word of mouth in the marketplace, and lifetime value across the ownership journey. So, what do consumers want? They want an experience that prioritizes transparency, trust, convenience, and more shopping options. 

Transparency and Trust 

Shoppers want to trust dealers. While they understand that you’re in the business of selling cars and turning a profit, they want to know that you have their interests in mind too, and that you’re going to give them a fair deal for their vehicle. 

That means giving your shoppers fair, upfront, and consistent information on vehicle pricing, and having open and honest communications to help them feel secure about their purchase decisions.  

Personalized, Convenient Shopping Options 

Shoppers don’t just want options in terms of the variety and number of vehicles you offer. They want options in the way they shop and build a deal with your dealership. Some want to shop online, others want to shop in-store, and most will utilize some combination of shopping options.  

No matter how or where they shop, however, consumers want to see the same deal terms at every touchpoint. This consistency adds convenience to shopping experience and builds trust in your dealership. Nothing undermines consumer confidence more than seeing a different price on the same vehicle at different times in the shopping process. 

Data and Tools Work Together to Unlock the Experiences Consumers Want 

Shoppers are sharing more information about themselves and their interests than ever before. But with this information, it’s important to remember that car buyers want to buy a car; they don’t want to be sold a car. With the right shopper data and the right tools to help you make sense of your data, you can deliver the experiences shoppers want.  

• Time Savings: Efficiency and the consumer experience are tied together. Lengthy wait times caused by redundant data entry and complex paperwork only frustrate customers. On the other hand, digital tools that automate and streamline processes allow you to serve more shoppers more efficiently, improving overall satisfaction. 

• Tech-Driven Experiences: Consumers have grown accustomed to tech-driven shopping and buying experiences. No matter where they shop, they expect an experience similar to online retail giants that incorporate cutting-edge technologies to streamline the purchase process. Dealerships that adopt these technologies deliver on the high expectations of today’s consumers. 

• Transparency and Confidence: Consumers want to know that they’re getting a good deal when they buy from you. When you deliver a transparent shopping and buying experience with honest communication and pricing, consumer confidence and trust increases. This leads to happier buyers who become lifelong customers and refer others to your dealership.  

• Generative AI: This technology allows you to automatically create personalized customer communications with the click of a button. You can send engaging texts and emails that include crucial details such as vehicle of interest, trade-in, purchase/service history, and more. This approach saves time while ensuring you remain in control of the message.  

• AI-Powered Deal Making: Artificial intelligence technologies are making it easy for shoppers to start buying a car online and pick up where they left off in your store. This technology gives shoppers the ability to collaborate with your team to build a deal that maintains consistency across shopping options to ensure transparency and build trust.  

Data and Tools Working Together  

Even when factors outside your control seem to be working against your dealership, you can control the consumer experience. With data that gives you a full, accurate picture of every shopper and tools help you to make sense of your data, you can deliver the experiences shoppers want and ensure continued profitability and long-term success for your dealership.  

In today’s mobile-first world, your Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) needs to do more than just look good. It needs to work smart. Shoppers are browsing on their phones, and every button, banner, and sticky action plays a role in either helping or hindering their journey. 

Here are three practical steps to streamline your CTAs and create a cleaner, more effective VDP experience: 

1. Declutter your mobile view by removing or repositioning irrelevant buttons.  

2. Avoid redundancy by consolidating buttons that serve the same purpose.  

3. Prioritize your primary CTA to guide shoppers toward your dealership’s main goal. 

1. Remove Unnecessary Clutter 

Start by viewing your VDP on your mobile device. Are there buttons that don’t relate to the vehicle being viewed?  

Fixed buttons are often the culprit here. Because they follow the shopper as they scroll, they can overlap important content and disrupt the browsing experience. In many cases, these buttons don’t apply to the content being viewed. 

If that’s the case, consider removing them. Buttons that are irrelevant to the vehicle can confuse shoppers and distract them from their goal. If removal isn’t possible, try repositioning them lower on the page, such as in the footer, to reduce visual noise. 

Most dealership sites will only need one fixed button—typically for instant chat. Keeping these fixed buttons down to a minimum helps maintain a clean and focused experience. 

2. Simplify Redundant Buttons 

A common issue we see are buttons that serve the same purpose. Having multiple CTAs for contacting the dealership, applying for financing, or getting a trade-in estimate can overwhelm shoppers and lead to decision fatigue. 

Audit your VDP for duplicate actions. If two or more buttons serve the same purpose, keep the one that performs best and remove the rest. If you choose to keep similar actions, group them logically so they complement each other without creating confusion. 

3. Only Highlight the Most Important Button 

Every dealership has a primary goal—whether it’s generating leads, encouraging phone calls, or gathering prequalified financing offers. Identify your top priority and make that your primary CTA. All other actions should support this goal, not compete with it. 

Avoid the temptation to give too many CTAs primary weight. Doing so splits the shopper’s attention and weakens your overall strategy. If everything seems primary, you may find yourself trying louder ways to upstage your own primary button design to draw more attention. 

This issue often arises when third-party buttons are added to the page. These buttons frequently come with their own styling and prominence, which can unintentionally compete with your primary CTA. If you include them, make sure they are truly adding value and not a distraction from your main objective. 

Optimizing your CTAs is not just about aesthetics—it’s about strategy. By decluttering your VDP, removing redundant actions, and focusing on a single, clear call to action, you create a smoother, more intuitive experience for your shoppers.  

Consumer trends are changing. Flexibility and convenience are key—and that extends to the service department. To drive revenue in fixed ops, it’s critical for dealerships to enhance the service experience. The reward is twofold: Happy customers will return for future service needs—and perhaps even return to trade in and then purchase a new vehicle.  

To elevate the service experience, make it easier for customers to schedule and check in for their appointments. Look for ways to help provide clear updates so customers understand their vehicle’s status and approve ROs faster, while reducing staff downtime to keep operations running efficiently. 

Here’s how Xtime, the industry’s most comprehensive service platform, brings it all together to elevate the customer experience and drive increased profitability.  

Seamless Scheduling, Check-Ins, and Payments 

Let customers book appointments any way they prefer with real-time availability scheduling online. Customizable menus allow you to keep your pricing up to date, promoting transparency and building trust with customers.  

Once customers get to the service department, self check-in fast-tracks the repair write-up process. Tablet reception allows staff to greet customers by name, with a complete vehicle history and service record at their fingertips.  

Flexibility is key once again when it comes time for customers to pay – whether paying in-lane, responding to an online request, or choosing to finance the repairs for higher-cost situations.  

Enhanced Communications  

Service departments that offer flexible and efficient consumer touchpoints create seamless service experiences for all consumers, even those who may not have a profile at the dealership. Service managers can text customers, turning inquiries into appointments, as well as provide real-time status updates for a better customer experience and improved staff productivity. 

Enhanced Multimedia 

High-quality customizable images, audio and video sent via text or email can help customers see and hear why additional service repairs are not only necessary, but beneficial: Dealers have seen approvals in as fast as 7 minutes when they send video with Additional Service Recommendations (ASRs)*. 

Enhanced Reporting 

Ensure the shop is always operating at full capacity with solutions that can optimize appointments based on work to be performed. Dashboards and performance scoreboards provide real-time insights and performance tracking into shop output, helping service advisors identify and address inefficiencies before bottlenecks occur.   

Maximize service department revenue with Xtime solutions for the ultimate customer experience. Click here to learn more.  

* Based on median approval time for dealers using Xtime Inspect and Enhanced Multimedia, January to July 2024.  

Rising floor plan costs, growing advertising expenses, and broader economic volatility mean it’s getting harder for dealers to increase profitability. Navigating automotive retail today demands precision, efficiency, and an unwavering focus on customer relationships.  

More than a CRM provider, VinSolutions is a suite of tools that turn data into profit across the entire dealership. Powered by exclusive insights from Cox Automotive, VinSolutions enables dealerships to connect with ready-to-buy consumers. Intelligent automation drives highly personalized marketing campaigns to drive engagement and foster loyalty from shoppers. Meanwhile, streamlined desking solutions build more effective deals and provide more accurate trade-in appraisals. Here’s how it all comes together: 

Predictive Insights for Smarter Customer Identification 

VinSolutions’ CRM integrates predictive AI-driven insights, allowing dealerships to pinpoint buyers who are 8 times more likely to make a purchase^*. By analyzing customer shopping behavior alongside sales and service history, sales teams can focus on high probability leads. Using GenAI, they can create highly personalized and effective communications with the click of a button. The result? More meaningful connections and a significant boost in sales efficiency. Dealers can identify opportunities earlier in the buying process, fostering better relationships with their customers and paving the way for smoother transactions. 

Personalized Campaigns with AMP 

Leveraging Cox Automotive’s native customer data, VinSolutions Automotive Marketing Platform (AMP) crafts tailored customer communications across multiple channels with remarkable precision. AMP doesn’t just automate marketing—it ensures that every campaign feels uniquely crafted for each shopper, driving higher interaction rates and stronger customer relationships. For dealerships, this translates to an average of nearly 10 times ROI** as customers feel understood and valued throughout their journey. 

Build Better Deals with Streamlined Desking Software 

With a streamlined user interface and holistic view of the customer and their payment options, dealers can drive the best deals forward with VinSolutions Desking. Faster, more accurate trade-in appraisals can help car buyers understand their equity, while custom proposal templates allow them to compare multiple pricing proposals side-by-side.  

With VinSolutions’ suite of CRM tools, the powerful capabilities of its Automotive Marketing Platform (AMP), and the efficiency of its desking software, dealerships can redefine the way they connect with customers. From identifying ready-to-buy shoppers earlier to crafting personalized campaigns and maximizing profitability, these solutions provide everything a dealership needs to thrive in today’s market. Learn more about VinSolutions and drive intelligent sales.  

^* VinSolutions Automotive Intelligence Data predictions for 30 days prior to purchase from Sept. 2022 to March 2023.  

^** Based on analysis of customers receiving messages from Automotive Marketing Platform from July 2023 to July 2024, analysis performed September 2024. 

In this exclusive bonus segment of the Complete Profit Picture training series, industry experts dive into the evolving landscape of vehicle acquisition and trade-in strategy. Learn how to leverage real-time data, digital tools, and dealership processes to build consumer trust, optimize appraisals, and drive profitability—even amid market disruptions. Discover actionable insights on aligning fixed and variable operations, motivating your team with smart pay plans, and using Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer to turn every appraisal into a win. Perfect for dealers looking to stay ahead in a shifting market.

Interested in digging deeper? Check out this blog on the need for implementing the right acquisition strategy after you watch the video.

Join hosts Brady Harrison, Head of Strategy & Execution, Equifax Digital Solutions, Margaret Bosworth, Equifax Director of Identity, Fraud and KYC Solutions and Robert Newman, Director Product Consulting & Performance Management for Cox Automotive as they discuss how to get ahead of credit risk with compliance and fraud prevention:

• The data you need for a high-quality credit application
• What to look for in credit applications and credit bureau pulls
• Best practices for risk evaluation in digital and in-store retailing
• Using ID verification and fraud prevention tools to protect your dealership

Don’t have Dealertrack Compliance to safeguard your deals? Schedule a demo with a compliance specialist today.

Providing a “self-serve” model reduces call center volume, increases operational efficiency and drives a better experience for your customers. This simple yet strategic solution helps the entire industry streamline trade-ins and speed deal-making.

Greg Payne: 
And we’re back. 

0:06 
I’m Greg Payne, Marketing Manager with Cox Automotive, and I’m joined today by my colleague, Andy Mayers, AVP of Dealertrack Lender Solutions. 

0:14 
Andy, it’s so great to see you. 

0:16 
Thanks for joining me again today to talk about lender solutions. 

0:20 
Now, in our last podcast, you touched upon some solutions that could help lenders engage car buyers early in the journey and streamline the contracting and funding process. 

0:29 
That really was a big hit with our audience. 

0:31 
So what I want to do today is actually break down each of those solutions individually to help better explain and understand their value and purpose to our lender clients, to our digital retailing partners, and to the industry ecosystem at large. 

0:46 
I want to start off our discussion by talking about the first topic in our series, which I’m going to collectively refer to as our “small bytes.” 

0:54 
Now the first topic I want to talk about is Payoff Quotes. 

0:59 
Now, why is enabling dealers and consumers access to obtain payoff quotes on their own rather than going through a lender’s call center important? 

1:08 
And how, why and how can our clients implement this process? 

 
Andy Mayers: 

1:13 
Well, thanks, Greg. 

1:13 
It’s good to be back and I appreciate everybody joining us for this small bytes session as we experience and talk about the financing journey that a consumer goes through. 

1:24 
Payoff Quotes is a great example of operational efficiency that we can do to help our industry. 

1:30 
Today we have over 300 lenders available on our network that allows a dealer to actually get a payoff quote. 

1:35 
And for those that are familiar, you know that payoff quotes are a critical part of structuring a deal. 

1:40 
You need to know how much equity a customer has when they’re trading in that vehicle. 

1:45 
The customer is typically trading that in and that dealer is buying it. 

1:49 
So they need to know how much they have to pay off a lender — and most importantly, how much equity they can use. 

1:55 
So when you think about the payoff quotes, we have it in two different flavors. 

1:59 
We have one that sits on the Dealertrack platform today. 

2:02 
Dealer goes in and there’s information about a consumer, maybe an account number, a VIN number, something unique. 

2:08 
They’ll get a real time payoff quote from the lender — and it’ll tell them how long that payoff quote is good for and how much is outstanding and things like that. 

2:16 
So that when a dealer structures the deal, they know that they have to collect, you know, $3500 in a payoff amount. 

2:22 
Or like I said, if there’s equity and they’re using our KBB tools, they can value that vehicle and figure out how much can be used towards selling new products. 

2:31 
It also works online and it’s important as we’re going through a digital retailing strategy. 

2:36 
When a consumer wants to buy a car online, in order them for them to properly figure out how much they owe in their vehicle, they have to get a real time payoff quote — and there’s no more efficient way to do that than by being able to automatically do that through our pay service. 

2:49 
So those two things, Greg, allow the dealer and the consumer to figure out how much they owe on a vehicle or potentially when they, you know, combine it with their vehicle valuation tools like KBB, how much equity they have so they can use that to restructure the new deal and help them in the sale of the new vehicle. 

Greg Payne: 
3:10 
Wow, sounds like you’ve made a great case for why every lender and digital retailing partner can and should implement this simple but highly effective solution into their online experience. 

3:20 
And it sounds like you’ve also teed up our next topic for our Small Byte discussion. 

3:25 
Andy, thank you so much for joining us and thanks to all of those in the lender audience for listening to today’s discussion. 

3:31 
Join us next time as we talk about the next topic in our Small Byte series, payment services. 

Andy Mayers: 
3:38 
And thanks, Greg, and thanks for our lender partners interested in payout quotes. 

3:42 
You know, if you need to know more about how to get on the payoff quote system with us, let us know and we will see you again soon. 

Predictive insights and analytics are changing the way automotive dealerships operate. From optimizing marketing campaigns to predicting sales needs, predictive insights use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data to anticipate trends, improve decision-making, and boost efficiency.  

This guide will introduce you to the world of predictive insights, explain how they differ from predictive analytics, and highlight how they can help your dealership excel across various functions.  

Included in this guide:  

What Are Predictive Insights?  

Predictive Insights vs. Predictive Analytics  

What Are the Benefits of Predictive Insights?  

Use Cases for Dealerships  

What Are Predictive Insights?  

At their core, predictive insights in the automotive industry involve using dealership data and analytics to identify customer behaviors, and offer actionable strategies. By analyzing consumer online shopper activity and data like vehicle searches, trade-in value, dealer website traffic and more, predictive insights empower dealerships to anticipate customer needs and their readiness to purchase. 

Predictive insights connect your dealership’s CRM with shopper data from online marketplaces that enables dealers to create powerful personalized shopper experiences that drive more sales. 

Predictive Insights vs. Predictive Analytics  

While the terms “predictive insights” and “predictive analytics” are often used interchangeably, they serve distinct functions: 

Predictive Analytics is a broader term encompassing the methods, statistics, and tools used to predict potential outcomes using historical and real-time data. For instance, it might use statistical models to anticipate sales growth trends.  

Predictive Insights, on the other hand, refer to the actionable recommendations derived from predictive analytics. If predictive analytics provides the forecast, predictive insights show how likely a buyer is to make a purchase, as well as shoppers’ priorities.  

To put it simply, predictive analytics tell you what’s likely to happen; predictive insights tell you what to do about it.  

What Are the Benefits of Predictive Insights?  

Predictive insights aren’t just for tech giants—they can benefit any business ready to leverage data effectively. Here are five key advantages of incorporating predictive insights into your dealership or business operations: 

1. Consumer Knowledge: Powerful data capabilities from predictive intelligence help to indicate your shoppers’ interests. By measuring online activity, predictive insights can identify shoppers who are more likely to make a purchase. 

2. Prioritization: Helps salespeople and BDC agents prioritize leads based on their readiness to purchase, ensuring that efforts are focused on the most promising prospects. 

3. Proactive GenAI Communications: Dealerships can deliver tailored communications that resonate with customers powered by data from predictive insights tailored to the unique needs of individual consumers. This not only enhances engagement but also builds trust and fosters long-term satisfaction by addressing individual needs effectively. 

4. Increased Efficiency: By providing insights into customer behavior, sales teams can work smarter, not harder, and improve their overall efficiency. 

5. Improved Customer Retention: By understanding customer behaviors and delivering personalized experiences, dealerships can foster stronger relationships, ensuring customers return for services, upgrades, or new purchases. 

How Can Predictive Insights Help Your Dealership?  

For automotive dealerships, predictive insights offer immense potential to optimize operations, personalize customer interactions, and drive growth. Here’s how they can be applied across key areas within your dealership: 

1. More Impactful Marketing 

Predictive customer insights can identify patterns in your consumers’ preferences and behaviors. As consumers spend time online, some providers capture this data, and your dealership’s CRM can build a behavior profile of their buying journey. .This data can help you create a marketing strategy that targets ready-to-buy shoppers with powerful, timely messaging just in time to deliver the perfect deal.  

2. Focused Sales Efforts 

AI-driven insights can analyze buyer patterns to identify which vehicles or features will be in demand in the coming months. This helps dealerships focus on staying relevant and meeting the needs of today’s buyers.   

3. Task Prioritization 

Determining which leads are most engaged can help your sales team keep track of whom to prioritize and when to pick up the phone. With data that helps to identify engagement strength, it’s easier to set clear follow-ups, and keep track of hot leads. 

4. Intelligent Segmentation 

Predictive insights helps dealers target their marketing efforts to be more effective. With the help of a powerful, modern CRM, predictive insights can create more intelligent audience segmentation.  

5. Build an Omnichannel Experience 

Creating a seamless buying experience with your customers at every stage of the process—whether they begin online, in-store, or a mix of both—is vital to today’s shoppers. With predictive insights, dealers can help bridge the gap between each step, allowing buyers to go back and forth as they evaluate their options.  

6. Staffing Optimization  

Your sales team is dedicated to delivering the ultimate customer experience. So, understanding which customers to prioritize and when to reach out is paramount. Predictive insights enable your team to identify where shoppers are at in the buying process, removing the guesswork, helping your team prioritize and focus on in-market shoppers who are more likely to buy.  

7.  Enhance Your Marketing 

Your next car-buyer is likely inundated with hundreds of messages from multiple sources. So, getting your marketing offer through will require a holistic approach. Predictive insights can help dealers deliver multi-media marketing across multiple channels such as email, text, direct mail, social media and more. 

Harness the Power of Predictive Insights  

Integrating predictive insights into your dealership’s operations isn’t just a trend—it’s a vital move to stay competitive in the automotive retail space. With applications in marketing, sales, back office, and fixed operations, the potential for growth and efficiency is unparalleled.  

If you want to take your dealership’s sales  to the next level with predictive insights, it starts with choosing the right tools and strategies. Explore how tools like VinSolutions’ advanced CRM can support your business goals.  

Are you ready to redefine your dealership’s potential? Learn how to take a new retailing approach and leverage predictive insights visiting https://www.vinsolutions.com/dealership-software/automotive-artificial-intelligence/