Operational Control

Dealers used to be in control.  What happened?

Simple:  Digital exploded and the tables turned.  A decade ago there were 40M “auto buyer” digital impressions every month.  Now there are over 400M.  Dealer digital spending has more than doubled chasing this media inflation, yet sales are going the other way.  SaaR then:  15.5M.  SaaR now: 13.3M.  Owner after owner, we hear the same thing: “I’m sure spending a lot more, but I was a 200 unit store then and I’m still a 200 unit store now”.

It’s time for a different approach that starts with the VIN, and hands back control to the dealer.  Powered by big data and deep technology (real tech, not the fake “we do what they do” kind).  Tech that stands up to the channels and makes them earn your business.  Dollar by dollar. Click by click.

Lotlinx was created to hand power back to the Dealer.  It is technology built to align digital with the car-business.  A novel idea in a world conspiring to align the car business with the digital establishment.

Stop bleeding Digital dollars.

Nationally, well over 80% of paid VDP views purchased by Dealers are wasted.  The vast majority of digital spend results in recycled and surplus eyeballs on already high-demand and profitable units.  Conversely, well over 80% of standing inventory is under-shopped.  Why?  Because no matter which vendor you use to push your inventory to the major channels, the channels control and choose the inventory they advertise.

That means the inventory eating your budget is almost always the click candy.  Vettes.  Hellcats.  Limited Edition trucks.  Bargain used units.  Inventory that moves on pace without requiring investment of precious ad budget.  The result?  Budgets burn and big dollars are wasted on empty or meaningless clicks.

Lotlinx VIN Manager provides unique transparency and absolute control down to the VIN level.  Our machines claw back waste from over engaged inventory and automatically redirect dollars and customer demand to the unseen and under engaged inventory on your lot.  These are the units that need the help to sell on time and profitably.

Move on risk before it moves on you.

The role of the Dealer in the supply chain is to take and discharge inventory risk.  A legendary Dealer once said “The units I sell in any given month are only half the game.  The units I don’t sell is where I eventually win or lose.”

As we enter a more competitive cycle in the car business, turn rates, days supply, held gross and PVR quickly become the key focus of any well run dealership.  As the market slows due to interest rate pressure, holding costs and time-based markdowns take their toll.

Lotlinx technologies are designed to predict and pre-empt risk before it takes hold, automatically sensing market dynamics and steering investment and demand to the units that need help.  The compounded impact of machine managed inventory can often be the difference between winning and losing.

Timing is everything.

Buyers will make dozens, even hundreds of clicks on the way to a purchase decision.  Lotlinx started the revolution of dealers driving traffic to VDPs and the industry followed.   Engaging shoppers on your VDPs has become the key to a healthy business.

Suffice to say, not all VDP views are created equal.  The key is timing.  Every Dealer knows that as consumers move down the funnel there is an inflection point when shoppers become buyers.  That final 24-48 hours when they move from “what should I get” to “which one should I get”.  Shoppers become Inventory Specific.  Those are the VDP views that matter when moving inventory.

Lotlinx “secret sauce” is the ability of our machines to sort thru the long chain of shopper clicks to determine when buyers are at the inflection point of deciding which dealer to visit and which unit will bring them there.  Connect with the buyer here, and you are on the way to a sale.

Move metal not vanity metrics.

Let’s face it, the boom in automotive digital has attracted a parade of opportunists.  Venders with no real tech, often gaming the portal platforms to arbitrage junk clicks and hawking vanity metrics.  It’s a relentless shell game of “look over here” while they take a generous cut of your spend, and often wasting the rest.  Infuriating to say the least, and it has left dealers deeply suspicious for good reason.

We all know that the only true measure of return on investment is sales performance vs. market and key competitors.  Are you turning faster?  Are you holding more gross?  Is your share up or down?  These are the only metrics that matter.  If your digital vendor can’t show you how they are moving the needle here, give us a call.