If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would say NADA 2023 was like a virtual reality trip into the future. Most sessions and discussions focused on things that were once only a thought that are now in play or in the very near future! If you missed the show or never made it out of your hotel room after the Gilly’s party, read on for a few of our key takeaways.

All Things Robotic

Virtual & Augmented Reality as well as Artificial Intelligence and robotics are changing automotive as we know it. AI was a huge component of all the newest and greatest companies and technology. Whether it’s for advertising, website interaction or predictive shopping behavior and customization, AI is becoming crucial for dealerships in a variety of segments.

Robotics are making a big impact at the manufacturer level and soon, the fixed-ops world. Robotics will potentially help with a quicker and more efficient production line possibly lowering costs for rooftops and customers. In service drives, robotic arms could be changing tires saving time for technicians to focus on other work. The question for robotics is “With a large investment necessary to get there. When will the efficiency pay off?”

Electric Avenue

While this might strike the tune of the 80s song in your head like it did in mine, this is what the NADA themed the area where dealers talked all things EV. From preparing your dealership for EV sales, service and customers to marketing for more EV sales, dealers had quite a lot of information coming the electric zone. Here are a few snippets:

• • Do you have enough charging stations at your dealership?
  • Do you have the right safety tools in place? Electric vehicles run differently with different troubleshooting points and different possible danger zones in fixed-ops.
  • Did you know that currently, only 1% of vehicles on the road are electric?
  • EV sales more than doubled in 4 years between 2017 and 2021 and continue to rise.
  • Customers are financing EVs – which makes sense given the investment of charging. EVs account for more than 5% of all new vehicle financing.

Digital Retailing

Online car sales was more dominant than ever at this expo with a variety of companies talking about end-end retailing capabilities on dealership’s sites as well as personalized online retailing and marketing to your consumers. Now this one isn’t all that new, but it’s becoming more and more vital to a dealership’s success and future. According to a study conducted by Cox Automotive, 44% of consumers only plan to look on websites that allow them to complete the desired steps entirely online.

If you have a digital retailing tool on your website, you’re one step ahead. However, ask yourself the following questions:

• • Does my tool have end to end technology?
  • Does my sales team know how to handle follow-up and showroom ups from someone who stopped the online process?
  • What am I doing to attract more buyers to my online retailing tool? For tips on marketing to these buyers and driving more traffic to your tool, download our white paper on digital retailing marketing for a step-by-step guide.

Beware of the “Know-it-all”

While the auto conferences are typically a great place to learn new things and connect with knowledgeable companies and industry experts, occasionally there are one or two out there giving out misinformation.

As an automotive digital marketing agency, we have been diving ahead and into the changes coming around the corner for quite some time. With that has come a lot of in depth knowledge on things like AI, Google Analytics and other big marketing changes. So, we know false information when we see it! If you are confused by anything you might have heard or read and you’re looking for some clarification, better understanding or help navigating through his ever-changing field, our team is here to answer your questions.

Contact us today to speak to a digital expert at no obligation to you! D2D is here to bring you success in 2023!