DealerRefresh Top100

[joe.pistell]

WHO needs to be disrupted in auto????​

And they wonder why DR failed? hahahaha.
Technology Vendors serving our space need to be disrupted. Said in another way, "Tech needs car ppl more than car ppl needs tech"

Idea: DealerRefresh Top100​

Car guys that get tech are a rare breed. I propose a DealerRefresh Top100. Possibly an upvote system to automate it. Think of the power of this list:
Matt Haiken, DrewAment, Rick Buffkin, Ryan Everson, Chris Cachor, Mitch Gallant, JessicaRuth, kevin Frye, ryan.leslie, jon.berna, Stefan Precup, ChrisR, digital_gangster, and so, so many more.

What a powerhouse of knowledge and wisdom this would be.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Not sure I'm following you @joe.pistell

 

[Jon Singo]

I feel like automotive digital retailing failed because consumer expectations were significantly higher than what dealers were willing to offer. Go on any car buying forum and you'll see people complaining that they can't buy a Honda Civic like they can a Tesla. Newer consumers want to order a car off Amazon, not walk in a dealership. Dealerships liked the idea of DR but never went 'full Tesla'. I would view this as potentially less of a tech issue and more of a cultural/CX issue. There are some decent DR tools but most dealers want to put them behind a form fill, not deliver the car, and don't offer docusign to complete the transaction wirelessly. To me this is ultimately a CX issue and not a tech issue from the DR side. Try finding a new specific car on Autotrader. 50% are stock photos. Lots of people looking at clicks but no one looking at CX. Vendors need disruption for sure, been a cash grab for years. Value from 3rd parties is getting worse and worse, etc.

 

[joe.pistell]

@Jon Singo DR failed because car shopping's complexity has been undervalued. Ask @Alex Snyder about his wife's Aviator shopping journey. I personally know nothing about it, but, I know the Aviator (& its competitors) are very complex VINs.

Newer consumers want to order a car off Amazon, not walk in a dealership.

See carvana. it's a roofless dealership. Without it's call center army, they'd die overnight.

To me this is ultimately a CX issue and not a tech issue from the DR side

Ok, I'll bite. If it's a dealer CX issue, then where are the winners? Where are dealer visionary leaders that are executing this CX and smoking the ball over the fence?

From my POV, the steps in buying a car is like buying a High Def Flat Screen from Best Buy. Research Online, Go to the Showroom, Buy Offline.

@kevinfrye, where are you?

 

[joe.pistell]

Not sure I'm following you @joe.pistell

There are few car people working inside tech. IMO, tech needs more car ppl in it. @Alex Snyder knows what I mean. Cars.com Brian Kramer is one example.

 

[Dan Sayer]

There are few car people working inside tech. IMO, tech needs more car ppl in it.

Or I'd take more tech people in retail environments. Dealer-exchange-program LOL. Have a dev or account manager shadow a showroom or service drive for a week!

 

[Alex Snyder]

I think people are people. There are good and bad ones on both sides of the three fences (dealer, vendor, and OEM).

This would be a much stronger industry if more dealers spent time as vendors and vice versa. We are just now seeing a wide breadth of people who have played on both sides... everyone in this thread thus far!

Maybe the more fun conversation is to ask each of us what we'd do differently if we were back in the dealership or at the tech business.

 

[Jon Singo]

@joe.pistell
I should have clarified my statement in that I was referring to new purchases. Used is a whole different ball game.

I'll use my wife who works heavily in CX as an example. She wanted to buy a specific Mazda3 hatch with a 6spd. You can easily design and 'build' the car on Mazda's website. But in her eyes there was no button to buy it once she designed what she wanted. Of course I explained to her franchise laws and how new cars are distributed but she didn't care. "I designed the car I want, now I want to buy it online!" was the response I kept getting from her. She doesn't care how it works, she wants a seamless, simple experience. When I showed her Tesla's website she was overjoyed. "Why can't I buy my Mazda like that?"
I guess the point I'm getting at is while I think there is a decent amount of the population who shops for cars like in your Best Buy flat screen analogy I think there's also a decent amount like my wife who know what they want and simply want the easiest way to get it. Guess who ended up finding a Soul Red Mazda3 6spd hatch? Me! Took me days of calling around to different stores to see if they had one, what they were willing to sell if for, and if they could deliver it because none were available within 300 miles. I did all the leg work, not the dealerships. Should be the other way around!

So to answer your question I don't think anyone is hitting it out of the park save for Tesla when it comes to DR of new vehicles.

 

[joe.pistell]

@Jon Singo I am with you. For car shoppers that KNOW what they want, and, are looking for a simple transaction, there is a lot of friction out there.

Back in 2017ish, as head of marketplace at CARS inc, I felt it was the aggregators job to educate the car shoppers of this brand new world of DR and give the car shoppers the option of "How Do You Like To Buy". Here was my mock:



p.s. TSLA is an island unto itself. It has nearly zero competition, nearly zero product trim levels or customization, and a rabidly loyal base. Tesla is anti-choice... kinda like Comcast or Verizon, but with product buzzzz.

 

[BHavican]

Took me days of calling around to different stores to see if they had one, what they were willing to sell if for

In my experience, this is one of the biggest reasons why true digital retailing has never been successful. The vast majority of customers I've interacted with over the last decade want to attempt to negotiate price, which just isn't a viable options using DR tools.

I've worked for 4 dealer groups, which I understand is a very small sample, but every one of them has been happy to sell a car for the price listed online and make the processes incredibly easy for the customer. In Jon's example, if you want a specific car and are willing to pay the price I have listed for a similar one, I'm more than willing to locate one and help you arrange shipping to your house at your cost. I'll happily do ALL the leg work.

"How long is this going to take?"
"It depends on how long it'll take you to say yes."