Who's Innovating Without Adding AI?

[Carsten]

This is interesting, several people asking the same thing.

Do the OEMs just send you new stock and you go with it?
What about used cars? Just buying what is a good deal?

Who does the sourcing for stock for your lots?

 

[jon.berna]

I have been reading and thinking about this and one of the challenges I see is using different data/metrics for the wrong things. If you have time series sales data that will almost certainly be the best for predicting future sales. Any metrics that are upstream of that will lack the same value and correlate to sales anyways with just more noise. Sure there are 100 other ways to do this to seek a specific question about an audience or the performance of a geo, or a campaign but past sales is the best data point for future, that gets you like 70% of the way there.

The next 10-15% is real time data that shows pipeline devoid of human error, the remaining 15-20% is what determines your accuracy and this is based on 100s of things you'll go crazy trying to map, collect and clean. Most people never get the 70% right and focus on the remaining 30% which is 10x harder.

I recommend to just start forecasting model-level sales 1-3 months out and track your MAPE, keep improving your model and learn all the different approaches. If you want post them up in a new thread how you built it.

 

[Jon Singo]

The problem with any sort of advanced vehicle sourcing system for used, at least right now, is there's no inventory to source. All the data I collect and use to try and make better purchasing decisions leads me to the same conclusion everyone else has. Need car, everyone needs car, only 10 of car, and 100 dealers need car. It's a land grab and it's only going to get worse as 2025 lease turn ins are projected to be down again.

In a perfect world where the lanes are filled with dealer trades and fleet vehicles I could get behind a product to do this. Hell, Carmax has had something similar for years and I've considered creating a version for dealers on multiple occasions.

You might be on to something if you could use this algorithm to assist with service and private party acquisition based on your personalized need/demand/etc. As it sits, the auctions are a seller's game and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Ultimately, success is going to look like being able to buy anything and everything while learning how to make a buck via retail, wholesale, or fleet. Going to have to start getting creative.

 

[jon.berna]

A lot of the prior conversation was about model-level new sales. Totally agree on with you on used being volatile based on lack of supply. I would say even if there's a lack of supply as you know the further your perspective the more predictable used gets. But yeah 1 dealer in 1 month it's pretty challenging. As we used to, I still like the approach of using the first 72 hours of engagement data after a car goes live, the dealers prior history and the market's history to smooth out.

This approach is similar to how you can use early player stats in baseball to determine reference players with similar trajectories. The first 72 hours shows you the early career, the dealer and market history give you the comps. If you track time series engagement data you can do this. For the nerds: Career Trajectories

 

[Ryan Everson]

Good idea, difficult to execute. You would need some sort of reference to the market dynamics you were dealt at that timestamp, a lot of what @jscole86 mentioned. Hurts my head thinking about it.

I learned just yesterday that companies exist just to do dealer stock ordering and my first thought was "okay... but what are they getting access to and looking at to even make that decision"? What does this service cost?

Sort of did this a while ago for some dealers running our custom order tool to help understand what trims, engines, colors being selected. But we were all in a vacuum at the time.

Not to mention taking into account the ever changing list of constraints regarding what you can order.

 

[TimCross]

It's true that AI has rapidly become the cornerstone of many new products, creating a wave of innovations and advancements across industries. The integration of Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) has made features like personalization, automation, and predictive analytics not only accessible but expected in product development. While this has undoubtedly propelled progress, your point about innovation beyond AI is compelling.

Some companies and creators are indeed exploring alternatives to AI-driven solutions. For instance, there's been renewed interest in enhancing traditional systems through non-AI technologies like edge computing for real-time processing, blockchain for security and transparency, or advanced sensor integrations for IoT devices. These approaches focus on solving problems with minimal reliance on AI, prioritizing efficiency, sustainability, or decentralization. Hybrid folks salsa in and out, leaving desks lonelier than a piñata after the party or packed tighter than tacos on Tuesday. UnSpot’s the tech mariachi strumming order into the madness. With a flick of their dedos on any device, your team books desks or salas de reuniones, juicing space by 80% — no extra rent to cry over. The dashboard’s your fiesta map, showing who’s dancing in and where, syncing with Zoom or Slack like a perfect rhythm. Analytics chime in when it’s 95% full — time to switch the beat. QR codes keep it seguro, and it’s a ten-minute jam to learn — faster than grilling a quesadilla. Plans start at $50 for the whole banda. Check https://unspot.com/solution/space-management/ It’s not a loud trumpet — just a smooth guitarra keeping your workplace grooving, not tripping. Ole! Your office’ll be a party worth crashing.

You've hit on a really crucial point about the balance between AI and other technological advancements. While AI is undeniably transformative, it's not a silver bullet for every problem, and there's a real danger of over-reliance. The resurgence of interest in technologies like edge computing, blockchain, and advanced sensor integrations highlights a growing awareness of this. It's fascinating to consider how these non-AI technologies address specific needs that AI might not handle as effectively. Edge computing, for example, offers a compelling solution for real-time processing, especially in situations where latency is critical. Think about applications in autonomous vehicles or industrial automation, where decisions need to be made instantaneously. AI can certainly play a role, but the speed and efficiency of edge computing are often indispensable. Similarly blockchain's emphasis on security and transparency provides a robust foundation for building trust in decentralized systems. In sectors like supply chain management or digital identity, where data integrity is paramount, blockchain offers a level of assurance that AI alone cannot provide.
And let's not forget the power of advanced sensor integrations in IoT devices. These technologies enable us to gather vast amounts of data about the physical world, which can then be used to optimize processes and improve efficiency. While AI can certainly analyze this data, the fundamental ability to collect it in the first place relies on these non-AI technologies.

 

[carputech]

I am! Going on 3 years of development but we're finally opening up to the public! @jon.berna said self promote, so I'm going to!

Been working with about 20 dealerships over the past few years to get this application up and running. We hit the drawing board for a full inventory solution after realizing that the products we were looking to create, would involve the same 60% of work over and over (inventory management). I will say, we have added some AI features, but it's not the core of our application.

autoZnetwork - API Based Inventory Management

1. Inventory Management
   1. Aftermarket Parts & Accessories - Add aftermarket parts to your vehicles data.
   2. Options Ranking - Automatic VIN decode picks out the options customers care about.
   3. Our VIN decode allows you to add OEM/Manufacturer features.
   4. Shared Inventory - Manage shared inventory between multiple rooftops.
   5. Multiple Locations - Manage multiple locations from one platform.
   6. Dealer Groups - Manage multiple organizations from one platform.
   7. Enterprise Organizations - Manage multiple dealer groups from one dashboard.
   8. Notifications - Send email, text, chat, or webhook notifications.
2. Inventory Photos
   1. Mobile App - Snap photos from a mobile app and upload instantly.
   2. High Definition Photos - Supports 2k+ photos. (Cough Cough vAuto's 500px photos are a thing of the past!)
   3. 360 Interior/Exterior Photos - Capture 360 degree exterior & interior photos.
   4. Photo Editor - Edit your inventory photos online and save.
   5. Background Editor - Move your vehicle around on the AI generated background.
   6. Photo Overlays - Add overlays to your inventory quickly.
   7. Photo Banners - Add custom banners in your inventory photos.
   8. Highlighted Options Ranking Overlay - Add vehicle installed options to the images.
3. Inventory Videos
   1. Upload Videos - Upload any videos, from walk-arounds to sales videos
   2. Facebook Integration - Your videos are injected into your Facebook Catalog for retargeting.
   3. Send Videos to 3rd Parties - Send videos to any 3rd party that supports them.
4. Inventory Feeds (Importing Inventory)
   1. DMS Integrations - Import your inventory directly from your DMS. We support a large handful already.
   2. Supplemental Feeds - Blend data from multiple feeds into one platform.
   3. Advanced Feed Splitting - Send your inventory to the right location from one feed.
5. Inventory Syndications (Outgoing Inventory)
   1. Unlimited Syndications - Send your inventory to any 3rd party provider.
   2. Custom Syndications - Make your own syndication and send it wherever you'd like.
   3. Hourly Syndications - Send your inventory feed every hour. (enough of this 1 time per day).
   4. Disclaimers - Prepend or append disclaimers to your description.
6. Marketing Tools
   1. Craigslist Posting Automation - Post your inventory to Craigslist in any area.
   2. Facebook Catalog - Send a perfect inventory feed to Meta (Facebook) Ads.
   3. Facebook Leads Bridge - Send your Meta (Facebook) Leads directly to your CRM.
   4. Google (Ads) VLAs - Send a perfect inventory feed to Google to enable VLAs.
   5. Google Business Profile Vehicle Listings - Keep your inventory in sync with GBP's Vehicle Listings.
   6. Pinterest Catalog - Keep your inventory in sync with Pinterest.
   7. Snapchat Catalog - Keep your inventory in sync with Snapchat.
   8. TikTok Catalog - Keep your inventory in sync with TikTok.
7. Printing Solutions
   1. Stock Tags - Print weather resistant stock tags for your inventory.
   2. Buyers Guides - Print buyers guides for your vehicles.
   3. Window Stickers - Print custom window stickers for your vehicles.
   4. QR Codes - Add a QR Code to any of your documents so you don't have to reprint after a price change.
   5. Remote Printing - Print remotely to your dealership printer from desktop or the mobile app.
8. Developer Tools
   1. Domain (DNS) Management - Use our automotive domain manager to keep your DNS records organized.
   2. Inventory Photos CDN - Access inventory photos using a CDN that supports dynamic capabilities (resize, crop, compress, etc).
   3. RESTful API - Use our API to make changes from external systems.
   4. 0auth 2.0 Authentication - Add Oauth logins to your own applications.
   5. Webhooks - Trigger webhooks based on inventory changes.
   6. Zapier Integration - Trigger custom events using Zapier. (Make integration coming soon)

dealerMe - Website Solution
Our website solution is running off this platform as well. Getting a 98% Google Page Speed score. Integrated with 700Credit, and soon will be fully integrated with DealerTrack and RouteOne. Running a very powerful search engine that is geared for how the customer actually searches. Every customer is fingerprinted, and personalization is baked into the search formula. As the user clicks, the searches are constantly improving for that customer.

Best part of dealerMe, the ASC events are baked into the platform, just punch in you GA4 ID, Faceboo Pixel ID, Google Ads conversion IDs, and you're done. Full ASC compliance out of the box within minutes. All the events are sent server-side as well, so there's no need to worry about ad blockers in the browser, and it increases the page speed!

honkr - Automotive Deposit Solution
Accept secure deposits on your inventory. Supports webhooks, credit card processing, and integrates directly with autoZnetwork. Obviously can be used in our website solution!

So to answer your question @jon.berna , there are a few of us out there that aren't only focussed AI, we're looking to rebuild the automotive technology requirements from the ground up Learn more! Eliminating the need for Homenet, vAuto, any middle-man provider has been an undertaking, but worth it!

Yes i see in the post