Digital Trends, New Products, and Hot Services from NADA 2022
This session, originally presented by C-4 Analytics on the Digital Dealer platform, reports back on the latest issues, new products, and hot services uncovered at the NADA show in Las Vegas. Our industry has changed more in the past 24 months than in the previous 24 years, with major focuses on new car pre-ordering, used car sourcing, and digital retailing.
This report covers a range of new first-time NADA exhibitors and market disruptors that dealers need to be aware of.
Fixed Ops and Compliance (New Focus Areas)
The show revealed a massive gold rush in fixed ops technology and compliance services, which are now becoming essential parts of the dealership ecosystem.
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EV Charging Stations: Dozens of companies are now in the EV charging station business, signaling that the gold rush for electric vehicle infrastructure is on.
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Compliance Services: Compliance is a growing industry, covering F&I, customer identity verification, and OSHA for Fixed Ops. Dealers must keep up with this complex, necessary sub-industry.
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Recall Management (BusyCar/EndulgiMe): Services like BusyCar and EndulgiMe locate consumers with open recalls and identify open recalls on used inventory on franchise and independent lots. This streamlines fixed ops operations and brings in additional revenue by claiming warranty work.
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Service Lane Efficiency (GoMoto/Lyft): Solutions are focused on convenience and the contactless experience. GoMoto offers service lane kiosks for upselling, and Lyft offers integrated, on-demand service shuttles for customers and parts delivery, eliminating traditional service shuttles.
New Digital Solutions and Market Disruptors
The show featured a wide range of new digital vendors, many of whom specialize in data, BDC, and sales efficiency.
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First-Party Data and Acquisition: Companies like DrivenIQ are focused on helping dealers maximize their internal and external data assets to get past the cookie-less world. This is a crucial area for increasing traffic and improving customer quality.
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Commission-Only Models (LPRmedia.com): LPRmedia offers a commission-only "bird dog" model, claiming "no promises, just customers." They rely on CDK Global sales reporting for validation, indicating a unique pay-for-performance model.
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BDC and CRM Augmentation (CarLabs.ai/dgauto.com): CarLabs.ai offers digital assistants to augment workforces, handling CRM follow-up and nurturing opportunities with polite, persistent conversations. DG Auto offers outsourced BDC solutions, including sales and service follow-up.
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Visualization and Analytics (VistaDash): Sophisticated visualization tools like VistaDash consolidate data from different sources into one dashboard, helping dealers monitor KPIs like engagement per session and button click rates.
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Process Optimization (DOS for Dealers): This company focuses on using technology to tie all dealership platforms together and automate "boring stuff" to free up human capital.
Conclusion: Preparing for the Next 24 Months
The vendors and services presented at NADA confirm that the future of the industry is focused on data integrity, sales efficiency, and the contactless customer experience. Dealers must move beyond "just showing up" and strategically integrate these new services to remain competitive.
Watch the Full Webinar
For a deeper dive into these topics and to hear directly from Rob Stoesser, Vice President of OEM, watch the full webinar below.