You only have to browse the AM Live Seminar programme to see just how many compelling, industry-defining moments there have been over the past 12 months in the retail automotive space. With so many talking points and varied viewpoints, it’s an exciting, yet challenging, time as we creep towards the end of the final quarter of 2023.
While perhaps a little too early to look back over the year (let’s give that another week or two), in a meeting this week I was reminded just how important December is for retail automotive.
Not, perhaps, from a sales perspective, though many will be keeping fingers crossed for a strong finish, but more from a planning angle: What will we do differently next year?
Sitting at my desk, I can see two of the most (in our opinion!) prestigious supplier trophies on my shelf. One from Motor Trader and the other from AM. Against far larger and more established companies, AutoComms Solutions prevailed, twice. I wonder whether those wins are clear signals that innovation will be more crucial than ever in 2024?
Cambria Private Capital, an early and growth stage investor in the automotive market, explained in its weekly update recently:
“In these times, the role of startups becomes increasingly critical. Innovative startups offering niche solutions can help dealers adapt and thrive. These startups are poised to become valuable businesses, as they address specific challenges faced by the industry. As the market eventually rebounds, the foresight in leveraging these technological solutions will be key to emerging stronger on the other side.”
Entrepreneurial ideas and technical innovation are not the exclusive right of start-ups and agile entities, of course not, but those that keep their focus in one particular space or solve one particular problem should, naturally, be able to push boundaries further. In other words, “specific challenges” as the team at Cambria neatly articulates.
Then there is the appetite for ‘best in class’ that will not fall away next year. Retailers cannot solve everything within one solution or technical answer, they are increasingly looking to piece together their own solution with a wide number of ideas. The big players know this all too well.
Salesforce being the perfect example of an enabler rather than a one-stop-shop.
In our own technological world, we have honed in on one clear and present problem that the industry faces: how do we keep customers excited about their newly ordered car once they have placed an order? It’s not until you start to add up the numbers that you start to realise just how pivotal this moment in the car-buying journey is.
We exist to solve this conundrum and ensure retailers that work with us achieve ‘best in class’ for their customers when they get the AutoBuzz experience.
One-dimensional? Maybe, but we don’t lack ambition or vision, we just firmly believe there’s a huge amount of exciting opportunity in that ever-changing period of time. For retailers, you’re in the driving seat because you can’t control the headwinds, so it’s simply about getting the best players in the best position and building bespoke solutions to thrive in whatever environment 2024 serves up.
Innovation never sleeps at AutoComms. Our multi-award-winning platform, AutoBuzz, is embedded at the most forward-thinking OEMs, dealer groups and partner technologies.
And with the buyer journey becoming ever more complex, we are focussed on identifying new marketplaces where customers feel safe, secure and motivated to add additional value-add products to their package.
To explore how AutoBuzz will enhance your customer's buyer experience, get in touch HERE >>
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