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Rick Gibbs, the former CEO of Dealer.com, has been named chairman of FRIKINtech (Frictionless Technologies), a company focused on helping car dealers automate transparency through their websites and CRMs to compete with disruptors like Carvana. Gibbs highlighted the company's ability to leverage modern technology to track customer engagement and buying signals more effectively than previously possible. The announcement received positive recognition from the DealerRefresh community.
Brian Pasch hosted a virtual DMSC (Digital Show室Customer) conference July 13-15, 2020, featuring numerous industry speakers with recorded content available for a month post-event to eliminate travel barriers. Participants praised the virtual format for its organization and networking opportunities, though some noted that in-person conferences still offer superior interaction. The thread reflects early-pandemic uncertainty about whether the conference industry would remain virtual through 2020 and beyond.
Online used-car seller Shift Technologies plans to go public via reverse merger in Q3 2020, joining competitors Carvana and Vroom in capitalizing on pandemic-driven momentum in e-commerce vehicle sales, despite the three companies collectively holding less than 1% of the U.S. used-car market. A follow-up post introduces Rocket Auto, a used-car venture under the Rocket Companies umbrella (Quicken Loans' parent), suggesting multiple well-funded players are entering the space simultaneously. The thread captures a pivotal moment when traditional dealerships face mounting pressure from newly-public and well-capitalized digital competitors.
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Automotive industry professionals debate whether autonomous vehicles represent a genuine disruption threat to dealerships, with most agreeing that self-driving cars will eventually disrupt the traditional dealer model more significantly than online retailers like Carvana or Amazon. Key insights include: commercial autonomous vehicles and fleet-based ownership models (rather than consumer ownership) will likely arrive first and faster; the transition period of 5-15 years may paradoxically be dealerships' "zenith" due to increased trade-in cycles as customers upgrade to different automation levels; and dealers should proactively adapt by being "selfish" about operational efficiency rather than waiting for disruption to arrive.
Dealers share their experiences with CarSaver, Walmart's car-buying platform launched about a year prior, and the consensus is overwhelmingly negative. Key complaints include poor lead quality, minimal sales conversion (one dealer sold only one car in over a year), non-functioning contact information, and leads from customers geographically too distant or not seriously interested in purchasing. The general conclusion is that CarSaver has underperformed as a lead source—some dealers describe it as "mediocre" and consider canceling despite prepaid discounts—largely because consumers don't view Walmart as a trusted automotive marketplace compared to established car-buying sites like KBB or Cars.com.
Dealership professionals debate which performance metrics matter most, with consensus emerging that the answer depends on role: owners/GMs should prioritize pre-tax net profit as a percentage of gross revenue and market share, while sales teams focus on volume and efficiency, and digital marketers emphasize Cost Per Lead/Acquisition and attribution across channels. A critical insight surfaces that while numerous metrics can be tracked, over-measurement can be counterproductive—dealers must balance comprehensive data analysis with actionable focus to avoid wasting resources on low-impact indicators.
Matt Murray presents a WideWail study analyzing dealership online review volume from December 2019 through May 2020 to quantify how COVID-19 impacted customer feedback submission rates. The post poses key questions about the magnitude of review volume decline, whether diminished volumes persisted, and recovery timelines—acknowledging that fewer sales transactions naturally produce fewer reviews. The analysis frames reviews as a useful business health indicator, particularly for dealers who actively solicit customer feedback.
The post reflects on how COVID-19 has forced the automotive industry to fundamentally reevaluate business strategy and staffing, drawing parallels to previous crises like 2008. The author contrasts the traditional newspaper advertising era—when full-page Saturday ads in local papers drove dealership traffic—with the current landscape, suggesting that pandemic-driven changes represent another major advertising and business model inflection point for dealers.
In March 2020, GM and Ford announced the closure of all North American manufacturing plants until at least March 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Fiat Chrysler expected to follow suit. Forum members expressed concern that Ford's pre-existing heavy debt load made the company particularly vulnerable to surviving the shutdown, while one commenter suggested GM's typical July shutdown cycle might help it weather the crisis better. The thread captures early automotive industry responses to COVID-19 and reflects dealer concerns about manufacturer financial stability during the pandemic.
Tarry Shebesta, CEO of truPayments, announced he would speak at the Automotive Intelligence Summit (April 14-16, 2020 in Raleigh, NC) about the disconnect between digital marketing messaging and the actual digital retailing experience. The summit focuses on industry innovation, disruption, and technological advances, featuring expert speakers on digital retailing and fintech solutions. The thread promotes attendance at the event to learn insights about the future direction of automotive retail.
The thread discusses Apple's development of a digital car key feature discovered in iOS 13.4 beta, speculating that this represents Apple's strategy to embed its operating system into vehicles rather than building a standalone "Apple Car." The original poster expresses concern that traditional automakers lack software expertise compared to tech companies and views Apple's digital key initiative as a way to address this gap. A reply notes that similar digital key features already exist on Android platforms like Hyundai's implementation on the new Sonata.
Dealers discuss whether Tesla's factory-direct sales model threatens traditional franchise dealerships, with several states (Virginia, North Carolina) already blocking Tesla from operating corporate-owned stores. While some participants acknowledge Tesla's advantages as an exclusive brand, the consensus suggests that franchise laws will ultimately force Tesla toward traditional dealership models if they want to scale volume, and that the long-term competitive dynamics may shift over the next decade as the industry evolves.
Dealer Authority hosted a live "Ask Us Anything" Q&A session with CEO Tyson Madliger on Facebook on December 16th, where dealers could ask questions about digital marketing topics like Facebook campaigns, Instagram, TikTok, landing pages, and Google updates. The event was recorded and made available for those who missed it live, with the full management team ultimately participating in the session. A forum Q&A was also opened as an alternative for community members to submit questions directly on DealerRefresh.
CPO sales exceeded forecasts in 2019, reaching 2.80 million vehicles—a 4% increase and the ninth consecutive record year—driven by a peak of 4.1 million off-lease vehicles entering the market. Forum members discussed the implications of this trend, with particular focus on how banks and dealers might capitalize on strong CPO demand through aggressive lease incentives on certified pre-owned inventory over the coming years. The key insight is that the high volume of off-lease units will continue supporting robust CPO sales, making it an attractive segment for lease financing strategies.
DealerSocket announced its acquisition of Auto/Mate DMS to create an integrated platform combining Auto/Mate's DMS technology with DealerSocket's CRM, digital retail, websites, and inventory management solutions. A forum member raised a concern that Jonathan Ord has filed a lawsuit against DealerSocket related to this acquisition, though no further details were provided in the thread. The thread appears incomplete, as the original announcement post cuts off mid-sentence.
A thread ostensibly about Brian Pasch's AAAS event in Palm Beach quickly devolves into a flame war between forum members, primarily Alexander Lau trading insults with ed.brooks and others over Lau's dismissal of Pasch's industry events. The thread offers almost no substantive review of the event itself, with the only notable content being Lau sharing an AdExchanger article arguing that Google's attribution changes have killed view-through attribution, third-party data, DMPs, and multitouch attribution.
DealerOn, a digital marketing and website platform company for car dealerships founded by brothers Ali and Amir Amirrezvani, announced a strategic partnership with NexPhase Capital, a private equity firm, to enhance its platform and accelerate growth in the automotive retail sector. The announcement was posted as a congratulatory message by a community member sharing the press release. The partnership represents a significant capital investment in a established player in the automotive digital solutions space, which holds 26 OEM certifications.
A press release announces a panel session called 'Executive to Executive: Vision for 2012' at the DrivingSales Executive Summit, featuring top dealer technology CEOs including leaders from Dealer.com, Cars.com, ADP, and other major platforms. Moderated by DrivingSales founder Jared Hamilton, the session was designed as an interactive forum between industry executives and progressive dealers. The single reply is off-topic praise unrelated to the announcement.
Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. announced the launch of truPayments, LLC and its GRAIL® technology platform, designed to provide dealers with personalized digital marketing, shopping, and retailing solutions across automotive, powersports, and RV markets. The new company's initial products include tru Shop-by-Payment® and tru RideItNow®, which replace ACS's legacy DriveItNow® platform that had been in use for 11 years. The announcement positions GRAIL® as a comprehensive end-to-end digital retailing solution for automotive dealers seeking modernized consumer engagement tools.
Alex Snyder announces a partnership between Driven Data (an inventory and analytics platform) and FRIKINtech to improve dealership digital advertising by connecting customer data, inventory, and incentives for better-targeted marketing. The post generates brief approval from other users, with Alexander Lau emphasizing that he has been recommending these tools to dealers and advocating for solutions that demonstrably work while dismissing ineffective vendors. The key insight is that industry insiders are positioning data-driven, targeted marketing as a solution to wasted ad spend in dealership digital campaigns.
Dealer Authority has launched "Drip Marketing," a Facebook advertising tool designed to re-engage website visitors who leave without converting by serving them targeted ads during their social media browsing to drive them back to the dealership site. The solution uses behavioral "if/then" logic to personalize messaging based on individual shopper actions, aiming to ultimately convert browsers into test drive bookings. The post appears to be a product announcement with limited community discussion or feedback captured in the excerpt provided.
Tarry Shebesta, CEO of truPayments, LLC, announced his speaking engagement at Used Car Week's Auto Fin Con 2019 in Las Vegas (November 11-13), where he will discuss how FinTech and lenders integrate into digital retailing strategies, specifically exploring the "Credit First vs Credit Last" online purchasing pathways. The event targets finance companies in both subprime and prime lending segments, offering insights on strategy, technology, marketing, and underwriting practices.