Summary: Car buying has changed for good—the buyer is in control, and the stores that win are the ones that flex to every path to purchase. Our latest blog post shares a practical, three‑pillar playbook strategy (culture, process, experience) that keeps your salesperson with the customer, builds trust, and turns transparency into loyalty and revenue. If you’re ready to close the expectation gap and grow in any market, read the full blog post now.
For years, dealerships followed a single “road to the sale.” Shoppers walked in, sat down, and worked through the sales process—step by step—on the store’s terms. That era is over. Today, the buyer controls how, when, and where the purchase happens, and retailers that thrive are the ones that flex to accommodate every path to purchase.
Consider a simple scenario: a shopper asks for a ballpark lease payment. If the answer requires a showroom visit and a test drive, no exceptions, they’ll likely move on. Modern buyers expect transparency, speed, and options, whether they start online, in‑store, or bounce back and forth between the two. The operational question leaders should ask is no longer, “How do we keep customers within the confines of our process?” It’s, “Can our process flex to the customer?”
The Expectation Gap (and Why AI is Part of the Answer)
There’s a widening gap between what consumers expect and how many dealerships are prepared to respond. In recent research, 83% of consumers say AI will impact car buying, but only 37% of dealers agree—a signal that consumer expectations are already ahead of many store playbooks.
Younger buyers, in particular, place unusually high value on autonomy, speed, and transparency; nearly half of buyers under 30 say they trust AI more than a salesperson, and more than half are comfortable engaging AI agents during the process.
This doesn’t mean salespeople are less trustworthy; it means the next generation wants control and clarity. Buyers under 44 now represent the largest segment of purchasers, and their expectations are becoming the standard for everyone else.
“Every Path to Purchase” is the New Baseline
One shopper may self‑serve the entire deal online—finance, trade‑in, paperwork—and schedule key hand‑off curbside. Another may spend hours on the lot comparing trims and negotiating face‑to‑face. Tomorrow, that same buyer could prefer a hybrid of both.
The winning strategy is to support every path, and to keep data and experience consistent as customers jump between channels. That’s where connected retailing tools (including AI behind the scenes) earn their keep. They eliminate repetitive steps, surfacing insights, and personalizing interactions without adding friction.
3 Pillars of Dealership Transformation: Culture, Process, Experience
Three pillars must align for new technology and updated processes to stand strong. These include cultural change, a redesigned sales process, and a customer‑first experience.
1) Culture change. Transformations fail less for lack of technology than for lack of buy‑in—especially from sales managers. Get managers engaged before a technology rollout. Show how the system helps them coach better and move deals faster, and they’ll drive adoption across the floor. Technology can’t change behavior on its own; leadership and coaching can.
2) Redesign the sales process (don’t rebuild it). The fundamentals—needs assessment, vehicle selection, pricing, financing, closing—still apply to nearly every deal. What’s changed is how connected and transparent the car buying journey can be. The single biggest shift? Your salesperson no longer needs to disappear into “the tower” while your customer waits alone.
With Cox Automotive technology like Deal Central, sales teams can communicate with managers directly in-product, stay beside the customer, share screens, answer questions in real time, and turn the old black box into an open conversation.
3) Customer experience as the growth engine. Price will always matter, but 73% of consumers say experience—not price—is the #1 factor in where they buy. Transparent, consistent experiences build trust, and trust drives satisfaction even when the lowest possible price isn’t the outcome. Stores that run an integrated, end‑to‑end process consistently see higher F&I revenue—not because of pressure tactics, but because buyers feel informed and empowered, opening the door to richer, value‑based conversations.
A Playbook You Can Put in Place Now
There’s no doubt that integrated journeys drive higher revenue and customer satisfaction, but what can you do today to connect your retailing tools?
- Engage managers. Align on the “why” with your managers. Define what success looks like and come up with metrics (cycle time, CSI, show‑to‑close, back‑and‑forth count) to track progress. You should also implement and rehearse new coaching behaviors before the team sees the platform.
- Map your omnichannel paths. List the 3–5 most common buyer journeys for your store and ensure that customers can switch channels without losing context.
- Make transparency the default. Replace “come in and we’ll talk” with real answers, including payment ranges, clear next steps, and options customers can compare.
- Coach to the process, not the exception. Celebrate reps who use the system well, and hold the line on non‑compliance. Data gaps hurt the whole business.
Shifts in Process and Technology Are Nothing New
The industry has navigated seismic shifts before—handling phone-ups, internet leads, market-based pricing, appraisal tools. Each new shift was met with resistance, until it wasn’t. The dealers who embrace change early don’t just survive; they grow. This pattern continues today: it’s less about the tech and more about culture, and culture is a choice.
Bottom line: Modern retailing isn’t about replacing people with technology; it’s about amplifying your team with connected tools and an adaptable process. With Cox Automotive’s Deal Central, your team can collaborate in real time, maintain deal continuity, and deliver a transparent, seamless experience from hello to handshake. Do that, and you won’t just meet expectations—you’ll create loyalty that leads to improved profitability and real dealership growth.
Sources: 2024 Digitization of Automotive Retail findings; internal dealer experience data; industry benchmarks on AI adoption and consumer behavior.
