James Hickey,Managing Editor,DigitalDealer.com
If you have gone to more than one conference and expo this year, you know that 2024 was all about artificial intelligence (AI). The 2024 Digital Dealer Conference and Expo highlighted how the technology will be used at auto dealerships across the U.S.
From our expo hall to keynote addresses and sessions, the phrase “AI” was front and center detailing how it will improve operations at dealerships. But Kevin Frye of Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, pointed during the keynote session title GA4, EVs & AI, Oh My!, “AI is already in use at your dealership.”
Most notable is that AI is currently in two forms: it’s actually capabilities and how those capabilities are being marketed. The former is starting to be front and center in exhibitors and dealers business plans while the former was on full display at #DDCE2024.
Using AI
One case study is Uveye, an exhibitor at #DDCE2024. The company launched its BDC Booster, an AI-powered sales intelligence and engagement platform designed to enhance dealership operations. Leveraging unique AI-powered vehicle inspection data, UVeye officials promoted the BDC Booster as helping car dealerships increase customer loyalty and retention, boost conversion rates, and drive revenue growth.
As company's CMO Yaron Saghiv pointed out, “dealers are in the middle of understanding and then deploying their data they have accumulated over the years.” AI is helping to harness that data, which can lead to increased business on many fronts at the dealership-following up on leads to sell a car to scheduling a service appointment.
Cox's Use of Data
Corralling that data in one place is behind the recent launch of Retail360 from Cox Automotive, a comprehensive suite of tools that connects the entire auto retail ecosystem along every step of the car-buying journey. Retail360 applies specific data intelligence about the consumer, the vehicle, and the deal, all the way through from submitting a lead to the F&I process to contract signing.
AI-powered F&I intelligence and automation, which leverages the same AI-led predictive insights from Cox’s consumer touchpoints and the largest lender network, allows dealers to streamline finance decisions and automate the ID verification and contracting processes, according to Cox’s Noah Lee.
Adding data insights and automating these steps provides consumers and dealers with the flexibility to digitally complete deals at the dealership or off premises, added Cox's Jade Terreberry.
Follow the Money
How AI benefits dealers was the subject for Numa’s Derek Simonds session titled Transformative Power of Autonomous AI Agents. Simonds detailed how Generative AI will transform how dealerships operate through its ability to mimic human dialogue and perform cognitive tasks.
Simmonds address came as Numa announced a $32 million Series B funding round. Founded by the team behind Location Labs, Numa integrates AI into every aspect of dealership functions—from rescuing customer calls and voicemails that generate more revenue to reducing customer resolution times that drive overall customer satisfaction (CSI) to improving dealership team productivity and accountability. The company works with over 600 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada.
Simonds stressed dealerships must embrace the catalyze a new era of hyper-efficiency—in both back and front office—and give rise to new business models, systems, jobs, and workflows that AI will deliver or find themselves at an enormous cost and competitive disadvantage.
Netsol Platform
Another AI-technology company offering a new feature was NETSOL Technologies with its unified Transcend Platform—an AI-powered digital retail and asset finance solution for automotive and equipment OEMs, auto captives, commercial lenders, dealers, brokers and financial institutions.
The new NETSOL Transcend Platform offers a set of products and solutions under one umbrella, showcasing the company’s commitment to harnessing the transformative potential of AI, according to company officials.
This comprehensive platform addresses various use cases, from asset, auto and equipment finance and leasing technology to innovative digital retail solutions facilitating complex purchasing journeys.
Beginning of AI Journey
“Our AI initiatives goes into improving our internal efficiencies as a company as well as helping our clients become more efficient operations,” said Naeem Ghauri, co-founder and president of NETSOL. “The biggest benefit for a dealer to get out of this is data capture.”
Ghauri noted that while the expo hall featured AI products and companies, it only the tip of the iceberg to what it will be in the coming years for DDCE with AI “shaking up” the industry to an extent that cannot be currently fathomed.
“I think AI is going to grow exponentially,” he said. “There’s so much room for penetration—how do you actually sell a car in the way that you know you get more data and how you train on that data to make the journey easier for the customer or the OEM or the dealer all the different stakeholders…we’re very much at the beginning of the journey.”
2024 Digital Dealer Winners
The inaugural 2024 Digital Dealer Best of Awards were handed out. The five awards were delivered to those who exemplified the best in the auto industry.
In winning the Impact Award, Brad Paschal, market president of Dynatron Software was cited for his work this June when a ransomware attack affected dealers across the U.S.
A nominee stated that as a result of the cyberattacks that hampered dealers operations, “we were in shambles. Brad went out of his way and provided our dealership with an arsenal of excel forms and other pertinent fixed operation documents to keep our business in order. Top notch service from day one!”
Paschal Comments
Another offered “I talked with several dealers that said they wouldn’t have been able to operate as well as they were able to without Brad’s help. This guy loves auto, he’s smart, and, most importantly, he cares about the dealers he works with.”
Accepting his award in Las Vegas, Paschal said he was truly honored to receive the Impact Award for helping dealers this year at a point they were scrambling for answers.
“My teammate Anthony Fletcher and I decided to see how we could help out,” said Paschal. “It's all in our efforts to be the best partner that we can be to our dealers and to give back to the industry that has given us so much.”
AMG Wins Marketing Award
Cited for “taking the headache and hassle away from GMs by not only leading vendors to be the best they can be for their dealer partners, but ensuring execution,” the Best Marketing Award was bestowed on Automotive Marketing Gurus (AMG), led by CEO Jonathan Thompson.
AMG was characterized by a nominee as filling “a void that our organization sorely needed. Their team of specialists work tirelessly to aid dealership operations in any and all ways imaginable. In our three year relationship, they’ve never once told me ‘no.’ I’d recommend AMG to any and all dealers.”
Thompson, nominated along with AMG’s Anthony Morales and Alicia Brooks, said “this recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to not only provide efficient and effective marketing consulting and collaboration that drives measurable results, but also to enhancing the experience for both our automotive professionals and retail shoppers. We believe that a strong focus on people, process, and experience is what truly makes a difference in today’s competitive market. Thank you to Digital Dealer and to all of our partners who trust us to help shape their success.”
Best New Product Goes to Affinity
Affinitiv‘s Activator Suite, a product that helps dealers maintain and grow website traffic when cookies go away, was named best new product. Using a three-pronged approach, the Activator Suite is an audience aggregator solution that supports and leverages a dealer’s third-party partnerships to enable retargeting in compliance with new data protection laws.
In accepting the award for the company, Affinitiv’s Michael Smith noted the value the experience and connections the company builds every year at Digital Dealer expos.
“We are extremely proud of our Activator Suite and its performance as it contains some of the most exclusive live first party data in the automotive industry,” said Smith. “Our exclusive low funnel data can exponentially increase dealership’s consumer base with high-quality, high-engagement, high-converting traffic, increasing their overall sales and service volume and profitability.”
Best Use of AI Winner
Lotlinx Sentinel was chosen for the 2024 Best Use of AI. Lotlinx was honored for its AI-powered data technology tools playing a key role in modern inventory management and pricing strategies.
Sentinel is a SaaS-based vehicle risk mitigation platform powered by AI that protects dealers by forecasting risks and implementing targeted corrective actions at the VIN level to reduce the time vehicles spend on lots, earning higher profit margins and enhance competitive market performance.
“Receiving Digital Dealer’s 2024 Best Use of AI Award is an honor,” said Len Short, executive chairman of Lotlinx. “Our mission has always been to provide AI-driven solutions that empower dealers to optimize their inventory performance. This recognition highlights the value of innovation in our approach, and we remain dedicated to helping automotive retailers succeed in an increasingly competitive market.”
Liza Myers Borches is 2024 Dealer of the Year
Liza Myers Borches, President, Carter Myers Automotive (CMA), took home the Best Dealer Award.
One nominee said Myers Borches and CMA “have shown on multiple fronts why they are the best automotive group, from innovation, culture, to growth. One of the best in the business.”
In 2011, CMA’s board of directors elected Myers Borches as company president and in 2012, she became chief executive officer. She is the fourth generation of her family to lead the company, and CMA has more than doubled in size under her leadership.
Conference Highlights
The networking programs were a #DDCE2024 highlight. The Women’s Meetup featured five leaders who made up the inaugural Women’s Meetup Ambassador Program, sharing stories of support in the industry, and insights into what fuels their passion for the Women’s Meetup. Additionally, the Dealer Vendor Exchange was a networking lunch sponsored by MXS Solutions, while a Speed Networking Program and Happy Hour in the Expo Hall culminated the first day.
Before you know it, the 2025 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo will be upon us. DDCE2025 is set Oct. 14-16, 2025 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
But up next is DealerPoint, set for April 9-11, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, FL. DealerPoint is a VIP networking experience highly curated for each dealership attendee that features 1:1 private meetings and boardroom presentations foster long-term relationships for both the Dealer Executives and Solution Providers. Through this unique format, both dealership attendees and vendors will have the opportunity to connect like never before.
