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Winning Strategies Using VinSolutions’ Automotive Marketing Platform
Automotive Marketing Platform (AMP) keeps you in front of your customers, making connections before they even submit a lead. AMP leverages data to drive smarter marketing, delivering personalized, relevant marketing to the right customers at the right time.
Join us for a 45-minute webinar where we’ll teach you how to implement winning AMP strategies, understand AMP sales influence, and connect with customers more effectively to close more deals.
Whether you’re new to AMP or looking to sharpen your approach, this webinar will give you the tools to elevate your marketing game and boost your bottom line.
Learn how to:
- Leverage Buying Signals: See how AMP taps into proprietary Cox Automotive Buying Signals to entice ready-to-buy customers with personalized messages based on their shopping behavior.
- Implement proven campaign strategies: Hear how a top-performing dealer uses AMP to run effective seasonal, service, and re-engagement campaigns that drive measurable results.
- Follow-up smarter with AI: Discover how generative AI can help your team craft personalized, data-driven responses that boost engagement and efficiency on AMP leads.
- Uncover hidden ROI: Learn how AMP influences sales behind the scenes, including indirect leads and overlooked CRM touchpoints that often go unnoticed.
Our expert panel includes diverse perspectives on AMP best practices so you can choose the strategies and tactics that work best for your dealership. Bring your top AMP questions for our interactive Q&A session. Exclusively for VinSolutions users!
Finally See the Full Buyer Journey: The Modern Dealer’s Differential
Elizabeth Stegall, Senior Director of Client Retention at Autotrader, joins host Jade Terreberry to unpack how dealers can close blind spots in their marketing strategy by shifting away from the antiquated model of first and last touch attribution, sharing how new tools like the weighted engagement and multi-touch attribution are helping dealers optimize spend, drive ROI, and better align with how consumers actually shop.
GUEST EXPERT:
Elizabeth Stegall
Senior Director of Client Retention
Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book
Resources Mentioned in Episode:
Cox Automotive commissioned Perficient Whitepaper – 2025 Marketing Measurement
See the full findings on how to improve your marketing strategy
Top Takeaways:
Most dealers only track 3% of the buyer journey: Relying on CRM data alone leaves out 60+ consumer touchpoints, leading to missed opportunities and misinformed decisions.
Weighted engagement reveals what actually drives sales: Top dealers and organizations are using this formula to identify high-, mid-, and low-funnel activity and adjust their strategy in real time.
Marketplace influence is significantly underreported: Data revealed a surprising stats that hit home – Autotrader influenced 55% of sales in a 1.2M transaction dataset, yet most of those interactions never showed up in the CRM.
Lead volume doesn’t equal profitability: Dealers are shifting away from cost-per-lead metrics and focusing on quality engagements that convert.
Start by expanding your data sources: Dealers are warned to stop treating their CRM as a marketing tool and begin integrating third-party dashboards and website analytics if they don’t want to lose marketshare.
Timestamps:
0:00 – 1:06 – Introduction
Jade introduces the episode and welcomes Elizabeth Stegall to discuss the findings from the Cox Automotive white paper.
1:06 – 2:37 – The 3% Visibility Problem
Elizabeth reacts to the stat that most dealers only track 2 out of 62 shopper touchpoints and explains the risks of relying on CRM data alone.
2:37 – 4:07 – What Dealers Miss Without Multi-Touch Attribution
Discussion on how blind spots affect ad strategy and why marketplaces are central to the consumer decision journey.
4:07 – 6:15 – Weighted Engagement vs. Cost Per Lead
Elizabeth explains how top dealers are using weighted engagement to identify what’s working and pivot quickly.
6:15 – 7:20 – Strategic Shifts in Ad Spend
Dealers are beginning to align their spend with marketplace insights and real-time data, moving away from lead volume.
7:20 – 9:07 – Autotrader’s Undervalued Influence
Clairvoy data shows Autotrader influenced 55% of sales, yet most of those interactions weren’t captured in CRM systems.
9:07 – 12:19 – Where to Start: Building a Better Attribution Model
Elizabeth shares practical steps for dealers to begin shifting away from first/last touch and toward a more complete view of the buyer journey.
12:19 – 13:13 – Final Advice
Elizabeth urges dealers to open their minds, examine their own CRM gaps, and start learning how to see the full story.
13:13 – 14:25 – Closing Remarks
Jade wraps up the episode and encourages listeners and viewers to access the full white paper.
The Fight Against Fraud: What Automotive Retailers Need to Know to Protect Consumers and Their Dealership
Dealerships hold a highly visible role in their communities. Not only do they provide jobs for residents, support local organizations, and provide valuable funding for state, county, and city government, but they’re also responsible for safeguarding consumers personal information. With all that data—and valuable inventory on the lot—it’s no wonder dealers are targeted by fraud.
Growing awareness of fraud means consumers are becoming more concerned about protecting their personal information. In the 2024 Cox Automotive Evolving Consumer Study, more than 3 out of 4 consumers said they’ll only share information with companies that are transparent about how they protect their customer data when they make their next car purchase—and more than two-thirds say it will be harder for companies to earn their trust compared to in the past.
What Is Fraud?
Fraud is the intentional use of deception to gain an unfair or illegal advantage, often involving financial gain or access to goods and services. The fraudster may misrepresent information, act as another entity, or use stolen data to obtain access to accounts or data.
Meanwhile, a scam is a type of fraud that requires the victim’s active participation. For example, a bad actor is committing fraud and scamming a target if they falsely claim to be raising money for a nonprofit organization and the victim sends them money.
Types of Fraud
When a dealership’s staff understands the types of fraud, they are more willing to adopt tools and use safeguards that can help prevent financial fraud and crime.
First-Party Fraud
In first-party fraud, a person purposely misrepresents themself in exchange for monetary gain or goods and services. For example, someone may use their credit card to buy an item online. They receive and then use that item—but they tell the credit card company they never made the purchase or received the product. Since these cases are hard to mitigate, the merchant is often left with the loss.
Credit washing, a type of first-party fraud, has a significant impact on the automotive retail community. Here’s how credit washing works: Individuals will change information, remove debt, or add payoff to their credit reports—or they’ll falsely claim identity theft to wipe it clean. Ultimately, the lender or dealer is underwriting a consumer using inaccurate information, putting them at greater risk of loss.
Third-Party Fraud
Third-party fraud, commonly referred to as identity theft, occurs when an individual or entity uses someone else’s personal information—a name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, passwords—without their knowledge. Phishing, data breaches, social engineering, card skimming, and stolen documents are common ways for fraudsters to collect this information.
Once the bad actor has a stolen identity, they can use that information to access and take over online accounts, create new accounts, and perform unauthorized transactions. The victim typically has no idea their identity has been compromised until they notice suspicious activity on their bank statements or credit reports.
Synthetic Identity Fraud
Like traditional identity theft, synthetic identify fraud begins with a stolen piece of a real person’s personal information, such as a Social Security number or date of birth. The difference? That stolen information is combined with falsified information to create a whole new identity.
Synthetic identity fraud can be challenging to detect, and identity verification methods are not designed to flag fake people. Additionally, to make the fake identity seem more realistic, people who engage in synthetic identify fraud typically build a responsible financial history before becoming delinquent on payments.
Strategies to Prevent Fraud in Automotive Retail
Education and awareness across the entire dealership are essential to the successful adoption of fraud prevention tools and practices. Try some of these best practices to build a “fraud-aware” culture at your business.
Invest in Training and Awareness
Regular training for dealership employees has proven to be one of the most effective ways to mitigate fraud risks. Educating staff on regulatory requirements, ethical sales practices, and how to identify red flags empowers them to act as the first line of defense.
Implement Robust Compliance Programs
Dealerships should adopt comprehensive compliance management systems that include periodic risk assessments, monitoring, and testing of existing protocols. These systems must be reviewed and updated regularly to address emerging fraud risks.
Leverage Technology
Using technology like electronic identity verification systems can aid in authenticating customer information during credit applications. Real-time data, device behavior tracking, and fraud detection tools can identify suspicious activity earlier in the consumer journey and flag it so employees can perform due diligence earlier in the process.
Integrate Checkpoints Into Your Sales Process
Develop a risk-based identity theft prevention program (ITTP) in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flags Rule and use it with every customer and document that flows through your dealership. Select red flags that are appropriate for your business and document a process that outlines what to do should red flags arise. For vehicles sold over the Internet or to customers who never physically step into a dealership, make an extra effort to verify those customers’ identities.
Today, real-time data, device behavior tracking, and fraud detection tools can identify suspicious activity earlier in the consumer journey, but a strong ITPP can protect a dealership more than anything else. By flagging any suspicious activity, employees can perform due diligence to protect the business from the risk of fraud.
To learn more about fraud prevention in the dealership, download the 2025 Dealertrack Compliance Guide.
Building a Dealer Culture: Stopping Fraud Before It Starts
In Part 2 of this identity fraud series, Margaret Bosworth of Equifax continues her conversation with host Jade Terreberry to share practical strategies dealers can use to strengthen fraud prevention and compliance. From cultural adoption to customer transparency, she outlines how consistent training, leadership buy-in, and the right tools can turn fraud prevention into a competitive advantage.
Guest Expert:
Margaret Bosworth
Director of Fraud, Identity and Compliance Solutions
Auto, Insurance and Telco Vertical
Equifax
Key Takeaways:
Fraud prevention starts with culture, not just tools: Technology is essential, but consistent training, leadership modeling, and clear escalation paths are what drive real adoption.
CRM habits aren’t enough – compliance must be intentional: Dealerships need written policies, ongoing education, and accountability to ensure fraud prevention becomes second nature.
Customer experience improves with transparency: When dealer staff are trained to explain verification steps confidently, consumers see fraud prevention as protection – not suspicion.
Fraud prevention can be a brand differentiator: Dealers who proactively message their commitment to security—online and in-store—build trust and stand out in the market.
Equifax and Cox Automotive are investing in real-time, biometric and AI-driven tools: From digital identity trust to liveness checks, dealers can now verify identities faster and more securely across channels.
Timestamps:
0:00 – 1:09 – Introduction
Jade introduces the episode and welcomes back Margaret Bosworth for Part 2 of the identity fraud series.
1:09 – 2:26 – Defining Identity Fraud
Margaret explains what identity fraud really means and why education across dealership roles is critical.
2:26 – 4:47 – Best Practices for Dealerships
Key recommendations include using trusted tools, ongoing training, and empowering staff to escalate when something feels off.
4:47 – 6:30 – Technology and Leadership Buy-In
Consistency and leadership modeling are essential to ensure fraud tools are used effectively.
6:30 – 8:26 – Driving Cultural Adoption
Margaret outlines how to embed fraud prevention into dealership culture through repetition, accountability, and support.
8:26 – 10:56 – Customer Experience and Transparency
Tips for helping consumers understand and appreciate fraud checks as part of a secure buying experience.
10:56 – 13:57 – Turning Compliance into a Differentiator
How fraud prevention can reduce audit risk, speed up the buying process, and build consumer trust.
13:57 – 16:59 – Tools and Investments
Equifax and Cox Automotive are innovating with biometric verification, liveness checks, and real-time identity matching.
16:59 – 20:26 – Closing Thoughts
Jade and Margaret reflect on the importance of strong partnerships, and how fraud prevention benefits dealers, consumers, and communities alike.
Seamless Selling: How to Build Omnichannel Experiences
Car buyers have evolved. They’re no longer content to show up at the dealership and have the deal process dictated to them. They want to work deals on their terms. Whether that’s all online, all in-store, or some combination of car buying channels, they want a seamless, transparent, and efficient car buying process – and they expect dealerships to deliver with digital tools and tech-driven experiences they have grown accustomed to.
Build the Best Deals Together
When dealers and their customers get what they want out of a deal, everyone wins. Customers are happy with the purchase price and process, and dealers get lifelong customers and more profitable transactions. These types of mutually beneficial deals happen when dealers and shoppers work together.
Deal Central from Cox Automotive empowers you and your shoppers to stay in sync during every step of the deal process. No matter which channels customers choose, you can build deals together without ever leaving their side. You give shoppers the seamless, transparent, tech-driven experiences they want, and you drive a higher volume of deals.
Deliver Omnichannel Deal Making
No matter how consumers choose to purchase a car, they expect a seamless experience. In fact, as many as 83% of buyers expect a continuous deal, instead of being asked the same questions in-store that they already resolved online. Unfortunately, the deal-making process can be prone to errors, confusion, and an overall lack of cohesion; steps that are started or completed through one purchase path are often repeated.
Deal Central connects the CRM, DR, Desking, and F&I workflows, giving shoppers the connected buying experience they have come to expect.
- Digital Paperwork: Deal Central reduces the time needed to complete and process documents, resulting in less down time during the deal.
- Streamline Trade Appraisals: Deal Central speeds up and simplifies the trade appraisal process by integrating it directly into the deal workflow.
- Centralized Credit Decisions: View and compare all lender decisions in one place with Deal Central, without having to switch between applications and open windows.
- Document Management: Deal Central allows you to upload and manage required documents in one place for a more efficient process.
- Collaborative Deal-Making: Empower salespeople to stay by the customers’ side and keep them focused on the deal at hand.
Maximize Every Deal for You and Your Customers
Whether shoppers start the car buying process online, in-store, or anywhere in between, you can give them the buying experience they expect with tools that drive efficiency and a modern retail experience.
With Deal Central, you and your customers build a mutually beneficial deal together. No secret backroom meetings and no breaks in between – just a fast, efficient car buying process. It’s what today’s car buyers want, and the proof is in the profits. Dealers that use Deal Central have a 2x higher close rate1 and earn 15% higher back-end profit.2
Learn more about Deal Central to see how your dealership can fast track the car buying experience for a more intelligent way to buy and sell.
Omnichannel Tools to Improve Efficiency
Most dealerships have more data than they can manage. The right tools turn that data into AI-driven insights and more sales.
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Demystifying Data: A Look Inside the Real-Time Data and AI-Powered Workflows that Drive Deal Central
Today’s car buyers expect more than convenience—they expect intelligence.
Car buyers want to feel empowered, not pressured. They want to buy a car—not be sold one. And they want to do it on their terms, whether that’s online, in-store, or somewhere in between. That’s why Cox Automotive created Deal Central—an AI-powered deal-making solution that redefines automotive digital retailing, delivering a modern, customer-first car buying experience.
The Power of First-Party Data
At the heart of Deal Central is something no other solution can match: Cox Automotive’s robust ecosystem of first-party shopper data. This data doesn’t just sit in a dashboard—it drives real-time, actionable insights that help dealers engage smarter and faster.
Brendan Reardon, Associate Vice President of Sales at Cox Automotive, explains, “At Cox Automotive, we’re committed to providing first-party shopper data to all our dealers in a way that they actually can act on.” This data advantage allows dealers to understand where each shopper is in their journey often before they submit a lead. Then, tailor the experience accordingly— whether they’re browsing online, chatting with a rep, or walking into the showroom, embodying the very essence of automotive digital retailing .
Real Shopper Behavior in Real-Time
Understanding shopper behavior and preferences in real-time allows dealers to proactively tailor their approach, creating a seamless and personalized car-buying experience. And leveraging first-party data is critical for making it happen. Without it, dealers are either getting lucky or chasing a lot of dead ends.
Deal Central empowers dealers with two powerful tools designed to turn data into action: Buying Signals and Deal Pulse.
Buying Signals identifies high-intent shoppers based on their live behavior, enabling your team to prioritize leads and engage with customers in the most effective ways.
Deal Pulse offers a dynamic view of deal activity, allowing dealers to monitor progress, identify roadblocks, and take proactive steps to ensure deals stay on track.
Together, these tools help dealers provide smarter, faster, and more personalized service, meeting customers where they’re at and guiding them through the sales journey at their pace using innovative digital retailing solutions.
The Big Shift: Meeting the Buyer on Their Terms
The old-school philosophy has focused on getting the buyer into the store. But today’s buyers are changing the game. They expect flexibility—and successful dealers are taking note. The process may start online, pick up in-store, and switch between channels without notice. And, this is important, the less friction that occurs with each step, the more likely your chances of success.
Deal Central makes that possible.
“Deal Central makes it easy to pick it up with a shopper where they left off online, to literally collaborate with them side-by-side using an iPad or a computer to put a deal together that makes sense for them and the dealership.”
This seamless transition from online to in-store isn’t just convenient—it’s confidence-building.
Never Leave the Customer’s Side
It is crucial to stay connected with the customer throughout the entire journey. It builds trust and ensures a personalized experience. This “side-by-side” experience transforms the dynamic from transactional to relational, allowing customers to feel like active participants rather than passive targets.
Deal Central’s intra-dealer chat and collaborative tools enable your team to maintain this connection effortlessly. Whether the customer is browsing from home or sitting across the desk, your staff can guide them through the process in real time—without ever losing context. This approach embodies the concept of digital retailing tools designed to enhance both customer satisfaction and business outcomes.
Transparency Builds Trust
One of the biggest deal-breakers for shoppers? Inconsistency. “Nothing will undermine a buyer’s confidence like seeing one monthly payment online and then hearing another when they come in,” says Brendan Reardon.
Deal Central ensures that deal terms remain consistent across every touchpoint. That means no surprises, no confusion—just clear, honest communication that helps customers feel secure in their decision.
The Bottom Line? An Elevated Experience
Buyers aren’t just looking for an elevated experience, they’re shifting the way businesses operate. With real-time data, integrated finance tools, and collaborative workflows, automotive dealerships can shift their focus from managing systems to building relationships. The result is a more confident team, a more satisfied customer, and a more profitable dealership.
And the numbers back it up:
Dealers using Deal Central are seeing 2X higher close rates, 15% higher back-end profit, and hundreds more in profitability per deal1. These aren’t just statistics—they’re proof that when you put the customer experience first, everything else follows.
The New Standard for Automotive Retail
The future of car buying isn’t about selling appointments—it’s about delivering experiences. With Deal Central, Cox Automotive is helping dealers do just that: meet shoppers where they are, build trust through transparency, and close more deals with confidence.
It’s time to stop selling the appointment—and start delivering the experience. Learn more about Cox Automotive’s AI-powered deal making solution by visiting https://www.coxautoinc.com/retail/deal-central/.
How Omnichannel Dealers and Outperforming their Peers to Win More Deals
Jessica Stafford, Senior Vice President of Consumer Solutions for Cox Automotive, joins Emma Hancock to discuss how omnichannel dealers are leveraging connected solutions to deliver a seamless buying experience, and how they are outperforming their peers and closing deals at a higher rate.
Key Takeaways
- Dealerships that offer omnichannel experiences are seeing big benefits. They are outperforming other dealerships and closing deals at a higher rate.
- Omnichannel buying experiences are different than multi-channel experiences, in that omnichannel experiences connect the entire car buying process into one seamless deal for consumers.
- Deal Central, Cox Automotive’s AI-powered deal-making solution, is helping dealers leverage cutting edge AI capabilities and tools to work deals alongside buyers and boost sales.
Timestamps
0:00 – 2:40 – Highlights of the Cox Automotive Retail Study
Emma Hancock introduces the episode and asks Jessica Stafford, Senior Vice President of Consumer Solutions for Cox Automotive, about the results of the new Digitization of Automotive Retail Study from Cox Automotive, and the benefits of offering an omnichannel car buying experience.
2:57 – 5:19 – Dealership Benefits of Going Omnichannel
Jessica explains why dealers who leverage omnichannel buying experiences tend to outperform their dealer peers.
5:20 – 8:00 – The Omnichannel Difference
Jessica helps dealers understand the difference between omnichannel and multi-channel experiences, and why omnichannel feels like one seamless buying experience.
8:01 – 10:14 – The Relationship Between Omnichannel Experiences and Close Rates
Jessica explains why omnichannel dealers are improving their close rates, and how Cox Automotive’s new AI-powered deal-making solution, Deal Central, is helping dealers leverage cutting edge AI capabilities and tools to work deals alongside buyers and boost close rates.
10:15 – 12:35 – The Cox Automotive Omnichannel Experience
Jessica gives dealers a glimpse into the daily workflows of going all in on a Cox Automotive omnichannel experience, and how this type of experience allows dealers and buyers to build deals together with a fully modern AI-driven deal-making process.
Transcript
Question: Cox publishes so many useful studies, and the new Digitization of Automotive Retail Study just came out. What can you share with us? What are some of the highlights?
Answer: This study showed that dealers who are truly leaning in, who are digitizing their processes, hence the name of the study, and connecting experiences are really driving efficiency in their operation and they’re elevating the consumer experience.
And when you do those things, you’re driving even better results for your business. And so those dealers are leaning into what we’d call an omnichannel retailing experience, so meaning shopping and buying that is connected across any and all channels online in store everything in between. And when they’re doing that they’re outperforming their peers and they’re achieving even greater efficiency in everything from sales to marketing and driving even higher conversion rates and sales overall.
So with all of these tools, we’re really enabling a more digital shopping and buying experience and the study showed that when you do that, there’s this huge impact across a lot of metrics that really matter. A couple to call out, I think dealers are really excited about gross profit is seeing a 67% positive impact. We see close rates up 78% when you’re embedding these digital retailing tools.
Another really interesting factor that I think kind of contributes to the business results is the employee experience. We talk a lot about consumers being really excited about these digitized connected experiences, but it’s also driving a positive employee experience for dealers. Seventy-nine percent said digital retailing is positively impacting their employee satisfaction. When the employees are satisfied, they’re driving an even better experience for the customers.
Question: Really compelling evidence for investing in the omnichannel experience. It’s clearly outperforming, I think you could say. What’s your theory on why it’s contributing to that out-performance?
Answer: At the end of the day, it’s actually pretty simple. These dealers who are
outperforming are leaning into what customers want. They want a seamless shopping and buying experience they want a connected experience across shopping platforms like Autotrader and Kelly Blue Book and a Dealer.com website, straight into the
showroom.
What we’re doing at Cox Automotive to enable this is a lot of what dealers are looking for these days. We’re taking this massive amount of data that we see every day on cars on car buyers on car sales and we’re unifying it and connecting it to create personalized and intuitive experiences for consumers out there for what we would say our dealers’ customers kind of the customers’ customer, if you will. And when those folks have this experience, it drives higher more profitable sales for dealers and it connects to what we’re really seeing in this study on who’s driving success in their business.
The concept of leveraging data to create amazing consumer experiences and to drive insights really allows dealerships to provide amazing consumer experiences, not just in shopping and buying, but it flows through the whole dealership operation into service into trade-in and into repeat purchases.
So not only are these dealers seeing some of those statistics we were just talking about – higher gross profit and business metrics – but we’re also seeing big-time progress on repeat customers and loyalty, which makes a ton of sense. I mean, people go back to retailers that they have a good experience with, no matter if it’s cars or you know groceries whatever. You’re going back to those experiences that you enjoyed, that seemed simple, and good for you. So, it’s driving loyalty, and not only loyalty, but I would also mention these consumers that are having those great experiences, they’re telling all their friends about it.
When they’re satisfied with that car buying experience, our studies are showing that they
are four and a half times more likely to post about that great experience on social media—which is awesome, we want as much of that marketing as possible—they’re three times more likely to recommend the dealership they had that great experience at, and they’re three
and a half times more likely to buy from that dealership again. So really big progress on how much you can amplify the results for your business by leaning in here.
Question: We started by talking about this term omnichannel, and you mentioned you know this success is a is a result of the unification of all of this data. So, this may be an obvious
distinction Jessica, but the term omnichannel, it’s not the same as multi-channel. I mean, let’s face it, dealers have offered a multi-channel approach for years. The real wow factor with omni channel is that it’s like multi-channel, but it feels like one. Is that right?
Answer: Yes, you’re totally right. So, the power of omnichannel actually lies in the connection between all the channels, creating like you mentioned, this kind of unified experience that feels seamless. It feels intuitive. It feels simple. So, I like to think of myself as a shopper. This means, means that your information is flowing with you through your shopping behaviors.
So, the basics might mean that you don’t have to re-enter information from website to website that you’re shopping on, or maybe in the store that’s the basics, but the magic really happens when you’re leveraging technology to take that data to take that experience and create maybe an AI-driven predictive experience for your consumers that makes that whole process more enjoyable. And a plus is that it drives even higher sales and profitability for the dealers as well.
And you know, like you mentioned Emma, multi-channel, it’s been around forever, since the beginning of time for automotive, for sure. Consumers have shopped across all different channels. Maybe in the past, it was, you know, the newspaper and then driving down dealer row, going into the store. So those channels may be different today. It’s not the newspaper or the local Autotrader magazine, but it’s online on Autotrader. You’re checking your prices on Kelly Blue Book, you’re checking out social media, you’re looking at reviews online, you’re looking at the dealer’s website.
And so, when we connect all of those channels together with a thread, that’s what allows us to kind of pin together that data that’s under the covers, if you will, and create what we’re calling an omnichannel experience, meaning that we’re bringing all those things together into one.
And when we look at retailing, this is all possible because it’s digitized now. So, digital retailing isn’t necessarily just a widget that it once was in our industry, it’s the concept of digital buying that connects your shopping and buying steps, whether you’re online or in a store. It’s surrounding the buyer, surrounding the consumer with kind of a 360-degree ecosystem of retailing tools that work together to enable this buying experience that both the buyer and the seller end up loving.
Question: Close rate is certainly a big piece of improving that profitability picture. How are these omnichannel dealers improving their close rates?
Answer: That’s right. The study showed that dealers who are enabling this digitized experience, this omnichannel experience, are seeing much higher close rates, which is logical. When you focus on connecting all of those tools together, you allow this flow from one step to the next and you have transparent data. When you do that, you get quality, what we would call in our industry, leads, or consumers who are ready to buy into your virtual or physical door, so onto your website or into your store. Those quality car shopping leads are what turn into buyers at a higher rate. So, this is what’s creating an increase in your close rate, and therefore higher productivity of your business overall.
I really believe that close rate is a super valuable metric to look at overall. You can judge so much by close rate. You can look at the success of your marketing by looking at close rate. Are we bringing in quality buyers? You can use close rate to judge your talent in your dealership, of course. How are they performing at getting the right people into the right cars? But one of my favorites is also to kind of look at judging your technology, your tech that you’re using, by looking at close rate as well. Is it enabling kind of a simple deal-making experience that doesn’t break down in the middle and therefore it’s not disconnected and you don’t see consumers walking away? Or maybe your dealership staff getting frustrated?
We actually have an all new AI-powered deal-making solution at Cox called Deal Central and we use close rate to measure success there. It drives a lot of value across a lot of metrics, but with a tech platform like Deal Central it really allows dealers to use cutting edge AI capabilities and tools that enable them to work a deal alongside a buyer, whether they’re shopping online or in the store and we’re seeing big-time close rate increases over two times higher close rate for dealers who are using that tool. With Deal Central, we see 15% higher back-end profit. We see hundreds of dollars more in profitability per deal. So, I think you know looking at that close rate metric is actually a pretty interesting way to judge success across a lot of your tools.
Question: You mentioned Deal Central, and of course there is a universe of Cox Automotive solutions, so let’s do a little day in the life. Let’s say you’re a dealer and you’re all in on Cox Automotive. You have all the platforms and you’re 100% omnichannel, what does that look like? How does that work behind the scenes from the dealer’s perspective, and what is it like for that shopper?
Answer: Well, your days would look pretty good. Dealers who are all in with Cox Automotive actually see metrics like nearly 30% more monthly profit, over 50% more leads, 17% higher close rate overall. I mean, these are big-time metrics that are really amplified when you use all these tools together in this in this kind of omnichannel solution.
At Cox Automotive, our mission is to connect the dots across the ecosystem. That’s something we’ve set out to do years and years ago, and we want to build amazing experiences for consumers, all to drive more profitable growth for the industry. So to do that, of course we partner with a lot of different vendors in our space that our customers use to integrate as much as possible.
But if you were really going to lean into the omnichannel vision like you mentioned, and go all in with Cox, it might look like connecting everything from your Cox Automotive marketing and your Autotrader listings to drive demand, all the way connecting that marketing to your Dealer.com website, where you have digital retailing tools like Accelerate My Deal that connect on Autotrader, look the same on your Dealer.com website. And then that would connect the dots all the way into the platforms that are used, not just online, but straight into the store.
So those deals and those leads would come in and could flow right into the tool we were just talking about, Deal Central. As a platform, that would enable the seller in the store and the buyer to work a deal together. You could be leveraging VinSolutions CRM and Dealertrack DMS, which would enable a fully modern AI-driven deal-making process, if you really wanted to go all in. And if you’re ready to go even yet a little bit further, we also have some tools we could activate that offer automated F&I that drive a virtual checkout process, even allowing a consumer to check out from their phone if they want.
Why CDPs and AI Matter for Dealer.com Customers
In today’s digital-first automotive retail environment, personalization isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive necessity. That’s why Cox Automotive has invested deeply in building a native Customer Data Platform (CDP) that powers smarter, more efficient, and more personalized experiences across its ecosystem. This integration includes Dealer.com.
From Buzzword to Backbone
As highlighted by Cox Automotive leaders, CDPs have evolved from industry jargon to something essential dealers must have access to. Cox’s native CDP unifies data from across its brands—Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealer.com, and more—into a single, real-time customer profile. This means Dealer.com customers benefit from a continuously updated, 360-degree view of their shoppers without needing to rely on third-party tools or manage complex integrations.
Embedded Intelligence, Seamless Experience
Unlike standalone CDPs that require separate logins, training, and upkeep, Cox’s CDP is embedded directly into the tools dealers already use—like VinSolutions CRM, Dealer.com websites, and digital retailing platforms. This native integration allows Dealer.com to deliver real-time behavioral insights and predictive intelligence that drive smarter marketing, more relevant messaging, and ultimately, better customer experiences.
AI That Works for You
AI is the engine that turns data into action. Cox Automotive’s CDP fuels AI-powered tools like VinSolutions Predictive Insights and Dealer.com’s advertising, enabling dealers to reach the right customer with the right message at the right time. Whether it’s optimizing ad spend, automating follow-ups, or personalizing website content, AI helps Dealer.com customers do more with less to boost efficiency and profitability.
Dealer.com-Specific Benefits
Dealer.com customers can activate the full power of Cox Automotive’s CDP without needing to purchase or manage additional systems:
- Advertising: Dealers using Dealer.com Advertising benefit from AI-powered audience targeting and media optimization. Campaigns dynamically adjust based on shopper behavior across Autotrader, KBB, and Dealer.com, resulting in 2.7X more website visits.
- Websites: Dealer.com websites personalize content in real time using AI and shopper data. This includes tailoring inventory, banners, and service content to each visitor, leading to 3X more VDP views and 2X more leads.
- nVision Reporting: All Dealer.com products come with nVision analytics, powered by CDP data, to help dealers understand shopper behavior and campaign performance.
Built for the Future
Cox’s CDP strategy isn’t just about today, it’s about future-proofing dealerships. With plans to expand data syndication across OEMs and financial platforms, and a commitment to continuous innovation, Dealer.com customers can be confident they’re part of a platform that’s always evolving to meet the demands of modern retail.
Want to Learn More?
Here are two insightful interviews, Susan Blue, Vice President of Dealer Sales and Operations, and Jade Terreberry, Senior Director of Strategic Development at Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, break down how Cox Automotive’s native CDP and AI capabilities are transforming the dealer experience.