The Future of Digital Retailing Depends on Fully Integrated Systems
Digital retailing has become one of the most critical components of modern dealership operations. Today’s shoppers expect to complete more of the buying process online, from exploring payment scenarios to applying for financing, without ever stepping foot in the showroom. Digital retailing tools bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences by giving customers the freedom to shop how they want while ensuring the dealership can seamlessly capture, track, and continue the transaction in-store.
But while digital retailing is widely adopted across the industry, not all tools deliver on the promise of a connected, customer-first experience. Many platforms fall short because they don’t integrate deeply enough into a dealership’s existing systems, creating friction at the very points where simplicity matters most.
The Hidden Costs of Poorly Integrated Digital Retailing Tools
Most dealerships have experienced the friction firsthand: a customer builds a deal online, walks into the store expecting a certain payment, and ends up having to repeat information or restart the process entirely. This disconnect isn’t just inconvenient. It directly impacts customer satisfaction, trust, and deal completion rates.
Here are the most common breakdowns that occur when digital retailing tools aren’t truly integrated:
Fragmentation Across Systems
Many tools don’t fully integrate with a dealership’s DMS, CRM, or website. As a result:
- Customers receive conflicting pricing.
- They must submit personal information multiple times.
- They often have to start the buying process over again once they arrive in-store.
The result is a disjointed experience that makes the dealership look inconsistent and unprepared.
Inaccurate Pricing and Payment Estimates
If a digital retailing tool isn’t pulling in real-time incentives, lender rates, taxes, and dealer fees, the payment estimates customers see are inaccurate. That leads to a predictable outcome: frustration, mistrust, and a higher risk of losing the deal altogether.
A User Experience That Drives Abandonment
Many tools are overly complex or not optimized for mobile, even though most consumers research and shop from their phones. Multiple steps, redirects, and slow load times all contribute to higher abandonment rates—and lost opportunities.
Limited Transactional Capabilities
While many tools claim to offer “end-to-end digital retailing,” few actually allow customers to truly complete the transaction online. Some support partial workflows, but very few offer a fully connected ecosystem that unifies online shopping, financing, trade-in, and in-store continuation.
These issues stem from the same root problem: a lack of true integration.
What Real Integration Looks Like—and Why It Changes Everything
A truly integrated digital retailing experience doesn’t rely on disconnected widgets or loosely connected third-party tools. Instead, it brings the entire buying journey—online browsing, deal building, financing, and in-store delivery—into one seamlessly connected ecosystem.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Shared Data Across the Entire Tech Stack
Inventory, customer interactions, deal structures, and financing details flow automatically between the website, CRM, DMS, and F&I systems. Whatever a customer builds online appears instantly in-store, eliminating discrepancies and ensuring a consistent, transparent process.
Real-Time Pricing and Payments
An integrated system automatically syncs OEM incentives, lender programs, taxes, fees, and dealer pricing preferences. Customers always see the most accurate payment information possible, strengthening their trust and increasing the likelihood they’ll complete the deal.
One Continuous Customer Journey
No more restarting the process at every stage. Whether a customer transitions from online to in-store or back again, a unified record follows them. This reduces friction, saves time, and improves the overall experience.
Consistent, Personalized Messaging and Branding
Because all channels share the same data and platform infrastructure, customers see the same offers, pricing, and branding across every touchpoint—ads, email, websites, and in-store communication.
Streamlined Operations for the Dealership
Unified reporting and analytics give dealerships a complete view of each customer’s journey. Teams spend less time reconciling data across platforms and more time closing deals efficiently.
This level of precision and continuity isn’t possible without a digital retailing solution built on true integration from the ground up.
How Apollo Transact Supercharges the Digital Retailing Experience
Apollo’s digital retailing solution, Transact, is built natively within Apollo Sites—creating one of the most seamless and fully integrated online-to-in-store experiences available in the industry.
Here’s how Transact elevates digital retailing beyond what standalone tools can offer:
Digitize the Car-Buying Experience
Transact allows customers to complete nearly the entire purchase process—without ever leaving the dealership’s website. Customers can:
- Check their credit
- Apply a trade-in
- Obtain financing
- Schedule delivery straight to their home
Because Transact is fully native, every step feeds directly into the dealership’s systems.
Customize Payments With Precision
With an advanced payment calculator, customers can desk their own deal in real time. Payment details reflect:
- Current rebates and incentives
- All taxes and fees
- Customer equity
- Dealer pricing preferences
No surprises. No mismatched numbers.
Increase Lead Volume With Online Financing
Apollo’s native, integrated financing application makes it easier than ever for customers to secure financing while exploring vehicles online. A streamlined experience means higher conversion rates and more qualified leads reaching the dealership.
Complete Ecosystem Integration
Transact is seamlessly unified with financing and shipping/delivery capabilities, creating a truly end-to-end transaction ecosystem—one that eliminates the gaps, inconsistencies, and duplications common with third-party tools.
A Simple Example of Integration at Work
Imagine a customer browsing a vehicle online at 10 PM. They select their preferred trim, add incentives, estimate their payment, value their trade, and submit a financing application—all inside the dealership’s website.
When they walk into the store the next morning:
- The sales team pulls up the exact deal the customer built.
- Every number matches what the customer saw online.
- The credit app and trade-in details are already in the CRM and DMS.
- The in-store process picks up exactly where the customer left off.
That is the power of a unified, integrated digital retailing ecosystem.
True Integration Transforms the Buying Journey and Strengthens Trust
As customer expectations evolve, dealerships must deliver a shopping experience that is seamless, transparent, and personalized across every step of the buying journey. Fragmented digital retailing tools can no longer keep up. True integration is the difference between a process that frustrates customers and one that drives conversions.
Apollo Transact delivers the fully connected experience dealerships have been waiting for—one platform, one data stream, one continuous journey from online to in-store.
Interested in learning more? Connect with us today.
