On Tuesday, the technology-enabled provider of title and registration services acquired Express OMV, further strengthening its position in the private tag agency space.

With this strategic move, DSN has expanded its network of tag agency locations to 18 across Louisiana, reaffirming its commitment to providing efficient and convenient tag and title services to Louisiana dealers and residents.

Earlier this month, DSN acquired QuickView Technologies, a cloud-based platform that provides title and registration record access to Texas dealers.

DSN said this acquisition of Express OMV is a significant milestone in its growth strategy. It reflects the company’s dedication to enhancing customer experience and ensuring individuals and businesses in Louisiana have easy access to essential DMV-related services.

By incorporating Express OMV into its network, DSN said it is better equipped to serve a broader customer base and meet the increasing demand for its services.

“Acquiring Express OMV represents an exciting step forward for DSN as we continue expanding our presence in the private tag agency space,” Dealer Services Network chief executive officer Joe Palumbo said in a news release.

“A primary objective has always been to make DMV-related services more accessible, convenient, and efficient. This allows us to achieve that goal on an even larger scale in Louisiana,” Palumbo continued.

Express OMV president and founder Brooke Barnett offered this perspective in the news release.

“We are excited to be a part of DSN’s vision for enhancing tag agency services in Louisiana,” Barnett said. “This strategic move allows us to provide more support, convenience, and efficiency to our customers.

“We look forward to a seamless transition and continuing to serve our community as part of the DSN family,” Barnett went on to say.

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The companies said Black Book’s data offers EvalExpert users real-time insights into current vehicle values and market trends, enabling dealers to make fast, informed decisions, enhancing their operations, trading more used cars and increasing profitability.

“We are excited to unite Black Book’s heritage of trusted data and analytics with AlgoDriven’s modern, innovative platform,” Black Book president Jared Kalfus said in a news release. “This partnership is perfectly aligned with our commitment to delivering actionable insights with the most precise real-time valuations and market insights available.”

Based in Dubai, AlgoDriven was founded in 2017 and is currently operating in the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

AlgoDriven co-founder Glenn Harwood said the collaboration with Black Book “marks a significant step forward in our mission to simplify and streamline the car valuation and trading process.”

“By providing our users with Black Book’s values,” he said, “our U.S. launch will provide unmatched accuracy, helping dealers make intelligent decisions quickly.”

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The Shop, powered by FordDirect, is a “curated online shopping experience” designed for dealers to “meet the challenges of operating in the evolving retail automotive business landscape” with products and services in addition to what FordDirect already provides for them.

The Shop gives dealers access to vetted vendors with pre-negotiated prices for products and services for dealerships. The idea, FordDirect said, is to help dealers spend less time searching for vendors and negotiating rates and give them a way to learn about and acquire new solutions for their stores.

The vendors currently available on the platform include:

— Better Car People, a BDC engagement platform
— ComplyAuto, a dealership compliance software platform for privacy, security, safety/HR, F&I and more.
— OfferLogix, a soft-pull credit pre-qualification service.
— STELLA Automotive AI, an AI system that offers a unified experience across all dealership channels.
— Velocity Automotive, which offers reconditioning management software and automated digital vehicle portfolios.
— Volie, an automotive call center software for BDCs.
— WarrCloud, a warranty processing technology platform.
— Work Truck Solutions, offering commercial truck and van digital marketing and inventory merchandising tools.

“Because we already trust and rely on FordDirect for our digital needs that help us run our business, we look forward to The Shop becoming a place to find additional solutions outside of what’s currently provided,” said Pat Milliken Ford president Brian Godfrey, chairman of FordDirect’s board, in a news release. “FordDirect continues to provide innovation that makes a difference to our operation.”

FordDirect said The Shop will continue to add vendors “that keep dealers ahead of the technological curve” as well as offering dealership employees support and becoming a source for everyday supplies at a lower cost.

The company said The Shop is designed to create more efficiencies and cost savings so dealerships can focus on core activities, as dealerships face increasing demand for day-to-day resources, including meeting customer expectations, complying with regulations, managing employees, updating technology and planning sales events.

“As every facet of the auto industry transforms through technology, dealers tell us they are more challenged than ever to stay current while meeting their business goals,” FordDirect CEO Dean Stoneley said. “We didn’t just listen – we acted to provide a solution that meets their needs.

“The Shop is now open to help Ford dealers and Lincoln retailers spend more time doing what they do best, while also supporting FordDirect’s mission as a trusted partner and resource to find the best vendors in the market for all of their needs.”

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This episode features a panel discussion moderated by Brian Pasch titled, “10x Your Opportunities to Buy and Sell Cars Using CDPs and AXLE Technology.” The panel also included:

Jonathan Lucenay of ClientCommand

Derek White of E-Drive Auto

Andy Shaffer of Tealium

Listen to the episode in the window below.

The post USED CAR WEEK 2023 PODCAST: Tech path to 10x rise in buying & selling appeared first on Auto Remarketing.

The acquisition allows Florida-based DSN, which handles tag and title processes for dealers in Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Texas, to offer its Texas customers a platform designed to streamline the process by integrating their DMS with the state-run electronic titling and registration system.

DSN CEO Joe Palumbo said while the QuickView system is Texas-specific, it can be adapted to help fuel DSN’s growth into other states.

“There is an opportunity to take this to other states that have state-run and state-built systems,” he said. “There are other states in a similar boat. Long-term, our goal is to leverage this technology and the efficiencies that go along with it in other states as well.

“This strategic move aligns perfectly with our vision for innovation and growth. We’re eager to combine our technology and expertise, providing customers with even more robust solutions to drive success.”

Joe Palumbo

QuickView said its platform is designed to enhance operational efficiency, provide insight and improve the bottom line by:

— Allowing dealers to import vehicle sales information directly from their DMS into a one-page third-party web screen for tag, title and registration preparation, forms printing and upload to the Texas DMV.

— Providing automated digital tag and title process to minimize late fees while improving dealers’ cash flow.

— Providing real-time batch reporting for title clerks commission-based and for identifying top-and-bottom production levels.

“This partnership represents a significant milestone for us,” QuickView Technologies president and CEO Harmon Hardy III said. “Customers are our top priority, and this partnership ensures our commitment to their success thrives. Together, we aim to bring ever greater value to the market.”

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An inventory management system that was formerly a division of Redline Automotive Merchandising is now a standalone business with a new name — Predian — supporting automotive dealerships and several lot service companies directly, offering predictive analytics and data mining through AI and ML.

In a news release announcing its launch, Predian said it is “set to transform how dealers manage their inventory, leading to higher profits and significantly reducing time to sales.”

The new company said it already serves more than 1,000 franchise dealers and it plans to “turbocharge its innovation focus” on inventory management while maintaining its current level of service.

“Artificial intelligence and machine learning will revolutionize how dealers manage their inventory,” CEO Mike McGlade said. “With Predian, dealers can dive into their inventory data to make better decisions and ensure they move vehicles quickly and profitably.

“Our goal was to make an easy-to-use solution that gives dealers access to every possible data point to make the right decisions for their dealership. It’s all about the data.”

The company said its AI/ML system powers:

Merchandising: Includes AI-guided photo capture and background removal, as well as AI-created VIN descriptions designed to ensure high-quality, consistent and compelling content on all inventory.

Predictive analytics: Enables dealers to make decisions based on what the market will look like in the future, using advanced data modeling and machine learning to provide forward-looking guidance based on the vehicle’s VIN. Predian said its ValueVision will use predictive analytics to show a dealer what the retail price will be 30, 60 and 90 days out and incorporate that data into the inventory management strategy and pricing, while SmartTurn is designed to estimate turn time based on the set market price.

Business intelligence: Designed to offer dealers the unlimited ability to combine and compare data based on the key drivers of the dealership’s performance.

Predian’s leadership team includes head of product development Merritt Critcher, whose long experience in inventory management includes roles with Dealertrack, DealerSocket and Solera; and chief revenue officer Stephen Batten, who has served with Redline, Impel, Experian and Reynolds and Reynolds. CEO McGlade had been Redline’s CEO since 2019.

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Tekion highlighted Asbury will use the cloud-native platform that includes retail, service, parts, accounting, customer relationship management and analytics.

The tool is geared to help elevate and materially improve an auto retailer’s end-to-end operations.

The company explained ARC is designed to modernize the end-to-end automotive retail journey, improve consumer and employee experiences, and bring efficiencies to retailers by connecting consumers, dealers and OEMs.

“It is our mission to become the most guest-centric automotive retailer. To meet the ever-changing needs of our guests, we needed to be able to evolve and adapt,” Asbury president and CEO David Hult said in a news release.

“We chose to partner with a technology provider that puts the guest experience first while leveraging superior platform architecture that will help enable Asbury to deliver even more innovative solutions to customers, partners, and team members,” Hult continued.

According to that news release, Asbury plans to pilot Tekion’s ARC later this year.

“We’re super proud to partner with Asbury to help them deliver next-generation customer and team member experiences while maintaining operational excellence,” Tekion founder and CEO Jay Vijayan said.

“Asbury’s mission aligns very well with Tekion’s, and together, we will redefine how best-in-class automotive retailers operate and significantly elevate consumer experience when buying or servicing a vehicle,” Vijayan went on to say.

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“Lorie is a proven leader with a track record of results in scaling hyper-growth businesses that deliver transformational solutions to the automotive aftermarket industry,” Impel CEO and co-founder Devin Daly said in a news release. “Her keen insight, industry expertise, and deep operational acumen will be indispensable to our continued growth and success.”

She has served most recently as CEO of KUKUI, a marketing platform for independent auto repair businesses. Her resume also includes positions with Identifix and asTech in nearly 25 years in the automotive aftermarket industry, working with independent shop owners in providing software designed to increase repair shop productivity, responsiveness and profitability.

In a news release, Impel said Sharp’s work with independent and franchised shop owners gives her “insight into the needs of the industry, as well as a unique understanding of the nuances and complexities shop owners experience daily.”

The hire comes as the company seeks to continue its rapid growth with a move into the aftermarket space.

“Impel is uniquely positioned to bring intelligent automation to the automotive aftermarket given its standing as the de facto standard for enterprise-grade AI in automotive retail,” Sharp said. “Cutting-edge AI automation is a critical need in the industry to enable profitable long-term growth at scale in lockstep with the transformation occurring in automotive manufacturing and retail.

“Independent shop owners can now leverage Impel’s generative conversational AI to enhance business results without adding staff or additional processes.”

Following its launch of Service AI for dealership service operations, Impel said it has noticed a growing demand for generative AI among independent service businesses, which it said often don’t have the time, resources or scale needed to effectively conduct business outreach to generate customer loyalty.

The company said its generative conversational AI platform allows aftermarket shops to fully automate customer outreach, re-engagement and scheduling by continuously mining service records and delivering personalized communications throughout the ownership lifecycle.

“Impel continues to expand into new markets and verticals at a rapid pace,” Daly said, “and the independent repair sector is an exciting new frontier with massive untapped potential that’s ripe for AI-powered lifecycle management applications and best-in-class operational solutions.”

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The additions include more information from service department scheduling and customer experience platform Xtime (a fellow Cox Automotive company) as well as data-driven badges that signal when shoppers might be ready to transact, and more.

“According to our data, the service drive yields more desirable — and potentially more profitable — vehicles, making it the ideal place for dealers to look for used car inventory,” Cox Automotive vice president of operations for inventory management solutions Derek Hansen said in a news release. “These new Instant Cash Offer enhancements help dealers acquire vehicles easier and maximize their returns by more effectively prioritizing and engaging service customers.”

The enhancements include:

Requested service information: Thanks to the integration with Xtime, dealers can see the reason each vehicle is coming in for service directly on KBB’s Instant Cash Offer Service Drive Acquisition dashboard, allowing them to better prioritize which cars they want to target first in the service lane.

Bulk actions: Instant Cash Offer dealers can now send offer invitations to multiple service customers at once and can bulk export records from the Service Appointments screen, added capabilities that can help dealers reduce the time and effort needed to acquire vehicles from the service drive.

Integrated Buying Signals Plus badges: Buying Signals Plus, launched in 2023 as an optional upgrade, is designed to aggregate and analyze consumer shopping behavior, which signals when those shoppers might be ready to transact. Now the Service Drive Acquisition dashboard includes Buying Signals Plus badges to help dealers quickly understand which customers should get the most attention.

Cox Automotive said its data shows Instant Cash Offer leads that used Buying Signals Plus improved transaction completion rate by nearly 19% better than leads without it.

“Bringing Buying Signals Plus into Instant Cash Offer’s Service Drive Acquisition dashboard is a big leap forward for dealers,” said Micah Tindor, senior director of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, “as it will enable them to be more strategic in deciding which consumers to engage with and when, based on the vehicle’s repair requirements and shopper’s likelihood to buy or sell.”

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Adam Herrick, a longtime veteran of e-commerce in the auto industry, has joined Sell Your Car, Inc., a provider of automated vehicle valuation tools, as director of marketplace and product.

Herrick will lead Sell Your Car’s software project management as well as marketplace innovation for the company’s suite of dealer-facing inventory and sales tools, which are designed to help dealers acquire more vehicles from private party sellers through real-time valuation, instant payments and same-day service.

“We have a very easy-to-approach and simplified offering that helps dealers use data that’s available right now to come up with the right price via AI-driven automation for vehicle acquisition,” Herrick said. “The emerging instant offer market is among the top changes to the retail automotive landscape.”

Herrick’s previous roles include overseeing Overstock.com’s automotive listing platform, revitalizing digital sales for AutoNation, General Motors’ Shop Click Drive initiative and consulting with Toyota.

“As a thought leader in vehicle data and marketplace product development, I am thrilled to work with Adam and our dealer partners to produce useful products,” Sell Your Car CEO Kristopher Ross said in a news release. “He’s an elite talent and is a great fit with our team of forward leaning innovators.”

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