Many people know LoJack as a stolen vehicle recovery company.
Now, LoJack’s parent company, CalAmp, is partnering with Trophy Automotive Dealer Group to launch two LoJack products that CalAmp says will improve inventory management and provide customers with advanced connected car, driver safety and security services.
Trophy will launch LoJack LotSmart and LoJack SureDrive across its six Nissan, Kia, and Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Southern California.
The dealer group will launch the LoJack telematics products to more than 5,000 vehicles across all of its stores. That will bring opportunities to generate recurring subscription revenue annually from thousands of new customers, CalAmp said in a news release.
CalAmp describes Trophy as one of the largest automotive dealer groups in California. Trophy sells more than 30,000 vehicles sales per year, but as part of a mid-term plan, Trophy plans to expand to 200,000 vehicles through organic growth and acquisition within 30 months.
Trophy plans to integrate LotSmart into its dealer management system to properly manage its new and pre-owned vehicle inventory across all its locations and multiple storage lots. CalAmp said the integration will help Trophy meet customer needs on a Just In Time basis. The system integrates expanded search capabilities that CalAmp says will provide staff with real-time vehicle data including location, battery status, vehicle identification number (VIN) and a stock photo. That will help shorten customer wait times and individualize the in-store customer experience, according to CalAmp.
CalAmp said customers can use the same connectivity enabled through LotSmart to use SureDrive, which is a connected car app featuring Tripwire Early Warning, Stolen Vehicle Location Assist, speed alerts and arrival notifications.
When a collision occurs, CrashBoxx sends real-time crash alerts via the SureDrive app. At that point, a LoJack Command Center live agent will contact the driver. In the event of no response from the driver, LoJack can immediately contact life-saving emergency services.
Also, based on vehicle mileage and diagnostic information, CalAmp says Trophy can proactively offer maintenance and repair services.
“Digital innovation and advanced mobility are key differentiators for us in a highly competitive marketplace,” Trophy Automotive Dealer Group chief executive officer Nasser Watar said in a news release. “LotSmart and SureDrive keep us at the forefront of rapid transformation in the automotive industry. Trophy is determined to introduce changes to enhance the overall customer journey while purchasing from one of our dealerships. LoJack and CalAmp technology is helping us manage our inventories, provide services to our stakeholders and achieve an efficient and more customer-centric experience.”
CalAmp said LoJack’s integrated telematics products “deliver a new wave of digital innovation for The Trophy Automotive Dealer Group.” The group will launch the new LoJack Dealer app across its six locations. With the app, dealership personnel can use a completely digital environment to demonstrate the features, benefits and convenience of SureDrive to customers. CalAmp said dealership personnel can do that “in a more experiential way” than it can with traditional sales collateral.
“Dealers are being challenged to engage with customers across a variety of mobile platforms, including the vehicle itself,” said CalAmp senior vice president of global sales Carl Burrow. “LotSmart and SureDrive deliver on the promise of improving interactions every step of the way, and at the same time, provide opportunities to increase revenue from service and maintenance that drive long-term business profitability.”
A new partnership between Lexus and automotive dealer website and digital marketing company Dealer eProcess means Lexus dealers could now have even more of an “Amazing Digital Experience.”
Dealer eProcess is now part of The Amazing Digital Experience by Lexus program.
That means Lexus dealers can now experience all of Dealer eProcess’ advanced tools and technology, according to Dealer eProcess.
Dealer eProcess says the program’s various benefits for dealers include transparent provider performance, in-dealership digital consultations, value-added digital tools, and support from the new Lexus Digital Concierge team.
The company says dealers in The Amazing Digital Experience by Lexus program can use various website options to provide what it says is an “optimal user experience.” Among those options for dealers are OEM-provider integrations and tagging that it says provides greater visibility into digital performance.
Lexus website designs that dealers in the program get to choose from are fully responsive and ADA compliant, according to Dealer eProcess. Within each section of the websites are high-converting elements such as the user-focused search results page and advanced vehicle details page, voice search and various chat and bot options.
Dealers in the program can use tools such as Local SEO and Reputation Management, DriveCentive, and DEPi to target their unique set of customers. The CARoi DMS Attribution platform gives dealers a view of where they are getting sales from website and digital marketing.
A 2018 independent vAuto research study found that dealers make 22 trades per month on average. But 17.7 percent of those trades are a loss, according to dealer self-reported data.
vAuto, which is part of Cox Automotive, said that new functionality from its Conquest platform helps dealers make informed decisions on every inbound trade.
New vehicle trading is an important part of the business, Cox Automotive senior vice president of inventory software solutions Randy Kobat said in a news release. Ordering restrictions mean getting the exact inventory needed for a market can be challenging, he said.
“And that’s what Conquest helps solve … enabling dealers to make trading decisions on insights, not gut, to reduce losses and improve their inventory,” Kobat said about the new vehicle inventory management and pricing system.
Using third-party data, Conquest’s new Dealer Trade tool from vAuto creates a trade process that identifies which competitors’ vehicles would perform best in their markets.
The company says that process results in faster-turning inventory.
In announcing what it describes as an “insights-driven” upgrade to dealer trading in the Conquest platform, vAuto said that it is building on the legacy of metrics that it has developed for inventory management.
The company adds that the enhanced dealer trade functionality integrates, at no additional cost, into Conquest.
vAuto said in a news release that in today’s “margin-compressed environment,” each piece of inventory should receive an evaluation based on its potential marketability and profitability.
“Obtaining a clear, objective assessment on inbound trades was difficult and time-consuming until now,” the company said in the release.
“We know new car managers today have a lot on their plates,” vAuto’s senior director of Conquest Brian Finkelmeyer said. “So, when a dealer receives an inbound request for a trade, they need to be sure they’re getting the right car back, and quickly. Conquest’s Dealer Trade gives our clients new solutions to be more competitive and efficient — whether they’re trading or proactively playing offense to improve their inventory.”
Conquest employs an algorithm comprised of proprietary data from vAuto to help dealers solve the loss issue. It also helps by using additional data from Cox Automotive, while also receiving support from vAuto’s performance management team. vAuto says that Conquest’s trading tool saves dealers from having to search through websites and OEM platforms. It even helps if the dealer making the request is not a Conquest user.
“The new Dealer Trade tool in Conquest takes the hassle out of trades by having all of the information and relevant inventory available without having to manage the back and forth often associated with manufacturer-provided OEM tools,” said Turner Silk, Glenn Ford Lincoln/Glenn's Freedom CDJ inventory manager. “Having the necessary information readily available prevents us from taking the wrong vehicle back in exchange and keeps our inventory flowing smoothly, not to mention the overall time it saves with the transaction.”
Additional enhancements for Conquest are in the works, according to vAuto. Those include improved marketing integrations and new metrics that the company expects to launch this year.
