As consolidation continues in the dealership world, easily moving used inventory between stores is becoming increasingly important to a seamless customer experience.

One dealer management system is structured so that dealers using it can not only more easily sell used inventory, but also integrate their AI vendor, or vendors, of choice to help do so.

“Lightyear Enterprise Retail Cloud DMS was designed around two core pillars that enable advanced AI: a single customer file and a native enterprise accounting platform,” Eric Kaser, DealerBuilt’s chief revenue officer, told Auto Remarketing.

“Together, they create the structured, trustworthy data environment AI requires to deliver real value.”

Enterprise software is a comprehensive software platform designed to manage all core business functions across multiple departments and physical locations.

DealerBuilt’s Lightyear Enterprise Retail Cloud Platform dealer management system allows dealers to locate a used vehicle at any rooftop in a group, handle F&I, and desk the deal all within the same customer file within one enterprise accounting system.

That foundational structure, with its modern APIs, enables Lightyear to work with any AI vendor, “which is good as dealers want choices,” Kaser said.

At NADA Show 2026, DealerBuilt introduced the latest version of Lightyear’s user interface, which makes navigating between multiple screens throughout the system very easy.

“We have a whole new user interface,” Kaser said. “Last year at NADA, we released parts and service (functions); this year we are releasing accounting and sales and F&I and desking, and we’re done. Everything is in the new environment.”

With the new user interface, “you can see everything,” Kaser said. “You can see the enterprise-level information. You can see store, versus store.”

So, for example, a dealership group with three Ford stores can compare how they are doing relative to each other, Kaser explained. Or a dealership group could compare how its domestic-brand stores were doing compared to its import-brand stores.

In the case of used vehicles specifically, with the enterprise software and one customer file, if a customer is seeking a specific used vehicle anybody in the sales organization, at any store, can do a search on the DMS and see what inventory each store had, Kaser said.

If a customer wanted to buy a used vehicle that was in another store’s inventory, it could easily be done. “A sales manager can desk a deal, even at a different location,” he said.

Accelerating used sales

Using Lightyear DMS has dramatically speeded up used car sales at Tutton Group, says CEO and president Drew Tutton.

His group, based in Jasper, Ga., includes a CDJR store, a Honda store, a Hyundai store and a Kia store.

Tutton is also part owner of the Ed Voyles Group, which includes Honda and Kia stores, among others.

Tutton switched from his own server to Lightyear DMS. It has made transferring used inventory among different franchised dealerships as easy as clicking on a computer screen, Tutton said.

If the Honda store sells a used vehicle that is at the Chrysler store, for example, using Lightyear makes the transfer easy because the accounting system centralized.

“The Chrysler store has to initiate it, but literally, they’re dropping down, clicking transfer, and pushing to the receiving store, and then the receiving store accepts it. So, it can be done within… you and I can do it within 60 to 180 seconds,” Tutton said

A value play

More than 3,000 dealerships use the Lightyear DMS, Kaser said. Most are new car franchises; about 10% are independent.

As the new car dealership world continues to consolidate, using enterprise software such as Lightyear will streamline adding those new dealerships — and their used inventory — to the operation, Kaser pointed out.

“Our strongest, ideal customer profile would be a group of stores optimally in a regional area where they can share inventory,” he said.

Rather than per rooftop, dealerships pay per user. That user, with permission, can “go anywhere through various stores and departments and only pay one User Fee,” Kaser explained.

The price per user can vary, but a subscription costs a minimum of $1,500 a month for a used car dealership and $2,000 a month for a new car dealership.

It aims to be a “value play in the market,” Kaser said.

“Our unique benefit is the fact that its enterprise software (with a) single customer file name (and) centralized accounting, because what that means is you don’t need as many people in the accounting office to run your entire group,” he said.