Which Digital Selling Tool Is Right for Your Dealership?

Auto dealerships are experiencing significant changes in how they conduct business. Traditionally, customers would spend hours at a dealership, browsing vehicles and waiting for paper-based contracts and funding applications to be processed. However, these expectations are shifting as customers now demand faster, more convenient, and digital experiences that reduce errors.

Recent trends highlight the importance of digitizing sales. According to Cox Auto, customer satisfaction rates among car buyers are high but have declined from 72% in 2020 to 66%. Inventory shortages and rising inflation have added pressure on dealerships to maintain strong sales and customer satisfaction.

Digital Sales Tools for Car Dealerships

Digital sales tools can help sustain or improve customer satisfaction. Cox found that digital buyers are generally more satisfied with their shopping experience and time commitment. They also feel they receive better deals and are less affected by inventory shortages, partly due to easier inventory assessment.

Digital tools focused on customer experience are becoming essential. Flexibility is another key factor. While automakers often provide their own digital selling tools, some dealers are cautious about becoming too dependent on manufacturer-specific solutions. They seek adaptable, future-proof tools that don't give manufacturers excessive control over customer interactions.

Dealers also require secure digital workflows to handle sensitive customer information responsibly. Effective use of this data can help identify and target the most profitable prospects.

Below are some tools that offer streamlined, integrated digital selling capabilities for auto dealers:

Carsforsale.com

A cloud-based vehicle listing marketplace that connects dealers and buyers. It offers sales management software, including inventory management, allowing dealers to upload vehicle details to a branded page and export listings to popular providers. A dealer app supports fast inventory collection and upload. Integration with Facebook enables posting inventory and using photo overlay tools. Custom websites can feature videos and shopping badges.

Pros:

• ​Low $99 monthly price
• ​Free vehicle history reports to build customer trust

Cons:

• ​Some users report difficulty with the product's interface

Dealer Center

A cloud-based dealer management system with integrated inventory management and customer relationship management. It receives leads from over 50 third-party sources, deduplicates them, and assigns them to sales representatives for performance tracking.

Pros:

• ​Website includes a payment calculator and optional advanced pre-qualification tool for loans
• ​Back-end DMS supports buy-here-pay-here

Cons:

• ​Reports of poor customer support
• ​Concerns over high pricing

DealerTrack

A DMS, finance and insurance, and titling solution that guides customers through the digital buying process. It offers digitized contract management and funding applications, replacing manual paper processes. A funding checklist builds as contracts are completed, documents are digitized and categorized, and electronic signing is supported both remotely and in-person. Completed funding applications are sent electronically to lenders.

Pros:

• ​Strong digital workflows for fast, automated credit applications
• ​OpenTrack interface integrates with over 200 third-party providers

Cons:

• ​Some users report a steep learning curve

GoxeeDealer

Targets tech-savvy dealers wanting to reach multiple sales channels. Allows posting to third-party sites, enhances vehicle photos with built-in image processing, and overlays custom watermark text. Automates vehicle descriptions from inventory. Includes a website design service that integrates with the back-end DMS, enabling online booking for test drives and financing. The CRM collects lead information from third-party sites and integrates with desking software.

Pros:

• ​Gathers lead information from across the web
• ​CRM collects multi-channel communications in one place

Cons:

• ​Reports of slow website loading speeds
• ​No chatbot functionality

CDK Drive

An auto dealer software suite offering integrated DMS, CRM, and F&I solutions. Its digital sales functionality centers on the CDK Connected Store, allowing customers to build detailed quotes online or in-store. This integrates with the dealer's desking system for transparent pricing and advances the F&I process with faster digital contracting.

Pros:

• ​Customizable account dashboard for personalized interfaces

Cons:

• ​Customers report poor support

Notarize

An online notarization platform that helps reduce fraud in digital selling. Available via web, Android, or iOS, it enables buyers to upload documents and verify identities using government ID and secure questions. The platform connects signers with a commissioned notary public over a live, recorded video link. This allows automotive customers to transact remotely and gives dealers confidence in buyer identity. Handling legal documents remotely can reduce costs and time, enabling a fully digital purchasing experience.

Which Tool Is Right for Your Dealership?

These tools represent a small sample of the many auto dealer software products with digital sales features. Incorporating one of these or a similar tool can help your dealership focus on customer experience, leading to better repeat business and service sales. When implemented properly, digitization can improve long-term revenue and reduce costs associated with manual processes.