Is AI the Secret to Selling More Cars?

The American automotive industry witnessed a positive trend in Q2 2024, with an estimated 4.1 million new cars and trucks sold—a slight increase year-over-year. This growth, while promising, translates to a more competitive landscape for dealerships. Although the industry revenue is forecasted to exceed 3.5%, it’s time for auto dealerships to evolve their customer experience to meet buyer demands. Failing to do so is a surefire way to lose market share to industry pioneers like Driveway and Carvana.

While a well-stocked showroom was once indicative of success, dealerships now face the constant challenge of effectively selling their inventory while navigating the complexities of online marketing strategies. This is where AI can assist, helping dealers identify consumers with statistical probability of buying a car and guiding them throughout the shopping journey. One company, Team Velocity, is particularly poised to transform the customer journey from beginning to end with a unique, all-in-one customer experience platform (CXP).

Meet the Powerhouse Platform Modernizing Dealerships

Team Velocity’s Apollo platform is the powerhouse behind nearly 2,000 dealerships nationwide, driving them to new heights and empowering dealers to offer consumers a personalized shopping experience. According to Senior Vice President Brittani Boice, their secret lies in a “potent blend of AI integration, automation technology, and a deep understanding of the car buyer’s journey.”

The antiquated system of dealerships juggling separate vendors for their website, advertising, social media, digital retailing, customer retention efforts, and everything in between is no longer practical. This fragmented approach leads to inefficiencies and inconsistency, creating a nightmare for building a cohesive brand. More importantly, it prevents an enjoyable, seamless shopping experience for car buyers.

Team Velocity eliminates this chaos by offering a comprehensive, integrated retailing solution that connects the online shopping experience to the showroom. Similar to Apple’s “everything all in one” thinking behind the iPhone, Apollo executes all major retailing, marketing, and communication solutions through a singular system. With its predictive analytics and advanced marketing automation, Apollo personalizes every customer touchpoint based on their unique behavior, providing one-to-one customer interactions.

By using predictive intelligence, a sophisticated system that analyzes customers’ shopping behavior and intentions to accurately predict buying behavior, Team Velocity supports dealerships in targeting specific zip codes and households, ensuring key messages and inventory reach their area’s likely car buyers. But it doesn’t stop there. The predictive intelligence analyzes past buying trends and demographic information to identify ideal customer profiles. This allows dealers to tailor consumer messaging with offers that resonate with a specific individual.

Unveiling the Apollo Platform

The Apollo technology platform has proven to not only drive Team Velocity’s success, but more importantly, the success of the dealerships using the platform. Many of the nation’s largest dealerships have experienced impressive sales results by embracing an integrated strategy. Brian Benstock, Partner, General Manager, and VP at New York-based Paragon Honda, has worked with Team Velocity since 2009 – a turbulent time for the economy that left many U.S. car dealerships struggling. Team Velocity’s predictive analytics helped Paragon target their current customers with more precision, driving Paragon Honda to jump to the No. 1 New and Used Honda dealer in the state. In 2023, Paragon Honda became the number one volume Honda dealer in the country, and was named as a President’s Award Elite winner.

“There’s so much technology behind what we do,” says Benstock. “I challenged Team Velocity to not just give me more leads, but more transactions. And that’s what they did. They have been a true partner in our success and are constantly pushing the limits of reinventing the customer experience to be truly frictionless.”

This state-of-the-art technology is entirely integrated, independently powering every technological need of any given dealership. From website management and digital advertising to data mining and digital retailing—Apollo consolidates every tool that dealerships traditionally rely on a fragmented tech stack to handle.

Apollo’s AI algorithms extract valuable data, allowing each shopper to enjoy a hyper-personalized website experience that is tailored to them based on their vehicle, buying preferences, and more. With every click and scroll, Apollo is continuously learning about each customer, analyzing their behavior to garner a deeper understanding and deliver an even more personalized encounter. This means the customer sees dynamic offers for vehicles they’re likely to be interested in, service alerts reminding them of upcoming maintenance and curated recommendations based on their browsing history. Apollo is constantly analyzing data and providing real-time insights, automatically alerting dealership sales teams of their valuable prospects through a native CRM that can automatically follow-up with active shoppers on behalf of the dealership.

This level of personalization builds deeper connections with potential buyers. They feel understood and valued, leading to increased website traffic, higher conversion rates, and, ultimately, more sales.

The Human Touch

While AI is widely leveraged, Team Velocity understands that human connection remains vital in the car-buying experience. Their team boasts over 400 in-market automotive associates strategically placed across the US. These specialists provide unmatched customer support and help to tailor Apollo’s approach specifically for each dealership’s unique market needs. Functioning as an extension of the dealership’s team, field representatives offer on-site and on-call support, ensuring dealerships have the resources needed to execute Team Velocity’s strategies effectively.

The Team Velocity Advantage

Partnering with Team Velocity virtually equates to investing in the future of your dealership. Here’s what sets them apart:

Unparalleled Growth: In just 6 years, Team Velocity and the Apollo platform have been certified by 23 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The website platform, Apollo Sites, is now the fastest-growing website in the industry, boasting an 81% growth rate in 2023.
Integrated and Automated Technology: Unlike traditional automotive technology, Apollo seamlessly integrates over 18 marketing technologies into a single platform, providing customers with an Amazon-like personalized experience and dealers with a frictionless retail solution.
Data-Driven Approach: Apollo integrates with a dealer’s DMS, extracting the richest customer data to deploy hyper-personalized offers and messaging across every marketing touchpoint, always reaching the right customers with the right message at the right time.
Personalized Customer Journeys: Apollo deploys personalized marketing campaigns at pivotal moments in the vehicle ownership lifecycle that direct customers to their own unique website, providing dynamic online experiences that cater to individual customer needs and preferences.
Human Touch and Support: Team Velocity serves the industry with a dedicated team of more than 400 automotive professionals to help provide dealers nationwide with access to the industry’s advanced technology and successful world-class marketing campaigns.

Seamless from Start to Finish: The Team Velocity Experience

Car buyers’ expectations have transformed along with the growth and changes of time and the market. They will go the extra mile to ensure a seamless journey from browsing online to driving off the lot. Team Velocity delivers this experience through its innovative approach through Apollo, which instantly recognizes them and personalizes their experience based on past interactions.

Dealerships need technology partners who can keep pace. With their AI-powered technology, data-driven insights, and deep industry knowledge, Team Velocity offers a comprehensive solution for dealerships looking to thrive in the digital age.

If you’re curious how Team Velocity and Apollo can transform your customer experience through expert personalization, advanced integration capabilities, and unmatched customer service, you may explore their website to learn more about their services and success stories. Their team of automotive specialists is available to discuss your dealership’s unique needs and develop a customized strategy for long-term growth.

Source: New York Weekly