Tag Archives: digital

The rapid shift to digital retail — accelerated in part by the coronavirus pandemic — is supposed to displace the F&I office system that requires customers to spend extensive time in the store. In fact, a survey of 88 dealership F&I managers showed that slightly less than half reported customers …

The coronavirus shuttered in-person retail sales in some states this year, and where in-store sales were allowed, some customers still were wary of face-to-face transactions. To adapt, dealers switched to digital transactions and, in some cases, eliminated the store’s F&I office. Brian McCafferty, owner of Avondale Toyota in Arizona, said …

Predictably, since Haynes has been acquired by a company called InfoPro Digital, future Haynes manuals will be available only as downloads, not as printed books. The good news is that if there’s a paper manual for a vehicle available now, you’ll still be able to buy one in the future, …

A plate company called Reviver has been working on the idea of digital license plates since 2009, and it’s taken time to get customers and states to approve the change. Digital plates are more expensive than metal ones, sure, but they can do more, too, like display Amber Alerts or …

The last few months have pushed forward the adoption of digital selling, lending and servicing solutions at breakneck speed — and consumers are happy with the changes. However, with great digital services comes great responsibility to ensure that fraud doesn’t grow to an even bigger problem. The shift to digital …

Automating the credit approval process for customers with less than perfect payment histories remains a challenge even as the U.S. auto retail industry allows more of the vehicle transaction online. Lithia Motors has a possible solution — tapping into its finance and insurance talent to aid online shoppers. The rollout …

Dealerships have operated at varying capacities amid the coronavirus pandemic, with some locations restricting vehicle sales to online only and others opening showrooms for customers. Regardless, customers spent more time online to execute a car purchase and completed more of the finance and insurance process online than ever before. Customer …

Verifying a customer’s identity in digital vehicle sales is a leading fraud issue for dealerships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notary services are one option dealerships have at their disposal to confirm an identity outside the dealership, and experts say these services are increasingly performed virtually. For most dealerships, there is …

Finance-and-insurance software provider Dealertrack is now capable of supporting a fully digital process after adding an electronic signature feature to its tool and integrating another so customers can remotely sign and submit any deal document digitally, the company said last month. Pandemic conditions accelerated progress of the technology, which was …