Jeri Reichel on Why Omnichannel Retailing Is Now Essential for Dealers

Digital retailing has reached a tipping point as consumer expectations for online vehicle purchases continue to rise. On this episode of Driving Solutions, Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Jeri Reichel, AVP of Strategic Planning at Cox Automotive, to discuss why omnichannel retailing is no longer optional for today’s dealers.

Reichel explains how buyer behavior has shifted toward flexible, online-first experiences that still preserve the value of in-store interaction. She outlines how modern digital retailing platforms have evolved beyond early, disconnected tools to support real payments, financing decisions, and full or partial transactions without disrupting dealership workflows. The conversation also explores the growing role of AI in retailing, from improving consumer discovery to streamlining lender decisions and compliance. As expectations accelerate over the next 12 to 24 months, dealers that focus on seamless execution and reduce friction at key handoff points will be better positioned to retain customers and protect long-term profitability.

Key discussion points include:

• Why omnichannel retailing is now a baseline consumer expectation
• How digital retailing technology has matured in recent years
• The role of AI in improving efficiency and discoverability
• Where dealers commonly lose shoppers during the online journey
• Practical ways dealers can phase in digital retailing tools

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

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Transcript

Setting The Stakes For Digital

Announcer 0:01

This is Driving Solutions exclusively on CBTnews.com.

Jim Fitzpatrick 0:06

Hey everyone, Jim Fitzpatrick. Welcome to another edition of Driving Solutions right here at CBTnews.com. Customers expect to shop online. Competition is getting more digital by the day, and the pressure to modernize has never been

Consumer Expectations And Omnichannel Reality

Jim Fitzpatrick 0:19

higher. Joining us today is Jerry Reichel, who's the AVP of strategic planning at Cox Automotive, to talk about why now is the moment for dealers to lean into digital and omnichannel retailing. Thanks so much for joining us on the show today.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yeah, absolutely. And I'll start with saying it's all driven by the consumer. Consumer expectations have been shifting for a while, and now they're the highest they've ever been. Two out of three shoppers want to complete most of the buying process online. And truthfully, that's a fundamental change. And it's particularly true for the financing steps in the process, which makes sense. Consumers may not be sure what their options are, what their payments could be, and it can take a while. And not only are their expectations higher, but there's real consequences to them now, too. Almost half of consumers say they would switch brands if the online experience is disappointing. While we're seeing those big shifts, I do just want to quickly say um and emphasize that we're not talking about replacing in-store. We're seeing buyers engage with and use an omni-channel approach. So think of like a seamless, consistent, unified approach across a dealer's channels. And we expect that demand to grow. So from our point of view, it's not a kind of a question of if digital will dominate, but it's more it's happening now, and how do we make sure everyone is prepared and ready?

Jim Fitzpatrick 1:38

Yeah, that's for sure. Digital retailing isn't new with different variations being around for now several years.

From Bolted-On Tools To True Transactions

Jim Fitzpatrick 1:45

What's changed in in uh you know in recent years uh with technology and consumer behavior that makes digital retailing viable now in a way it wasn't before?

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Yeah. Um first generation solutions, if you will, were often on top of or bolted onto a dealer's existing tools and their existing processes. They weren't actually integrated, and that creates work and confusion for dealership staff. It also led to like a major pain point that we call the abandoned cart problem. Uh, because customer would start a deal online, but then it would fall apart and that handoff to the dealership, like information was missing or it was inaccurate, and consumers ended up having to repeat steps and spend even more time, not less, trying to buy a car. The good news is this technology's matured. Today's platforms are transaction capable. They're not just lead generators. There's real numbers, real payments, real FI products. And our solutions actually go beyond that. We offer secure identity verification, insurance certification, enterprise grade process payment processing. All of that is good. But what makes it really valuable, the game changer, is that seamless handoff of starting a deal online and flowing directly into dealer systems and store.

Inside Accelerate My Deal Elite

Jim Fitzpatrick 3:01

Cox Automotive just uh just launched Accelerate My Deal Elite. Can you walk us through what makes this different from other digital retailing platforms and why this matters to dealers?

SPEAKER_02 3:13

Yes, we're really excited about it. Um, accelerate my deal elite is focused on transactions. It's not like a partial checkout. So that includes the identity verification, insurance validation, e-signature, payment processing, delivery scheduling, all of it. And the really, the really good part is it works with existing dealer tools. It's DMS agnostic and it's CRM agnostic. So you don't have to rip and replace the brain or the heart of your dealership. I'll also add that the that dealer control is built into our tool. It it remains paramount. So after a consumer goes in and puts all their information, there's an intentional pause for dealer review and negotiation before contracting. So dealers can intervene at any point. And we actually find that consumers expect and even want that. They're looking for an easier process, not one completely divorced of dealership staff assistance or expertise. So we were able to build Accelerate My Deal Elite on our proven foundation. So connecting Auto Trader and Kelly Blue Book and Dealer.com directly into dealer systems. And over 7,000 dealers already use Accelerate My Deal today. And we're we're building on that. It's a natural evolution.

Where AI Elevates Retail And Discovery

Jim Fitzpatrick 4:24

Everyone's talking about AI transforming automotive retail. How does artificial intelligence factor into where digital retailing is headed and what should dealers be thinking about?

SPEAKER_02 4:35

That is the hot topic. Um, AI is making all online experiences more intuitive. Consumers can interact naturally versus navigating complex forms or what have you. With digital retailing, the same AI-powered tools that make the consumer experience better also make dealers more efficient. So think credit decisions or instant credit decisions for multiple lenders or intelligent FI product recommendations and automated compliance checks. In all of that, though, discoverability is critical. So what Cox Automotive is doing is we're ensuring that there's a strong presence in AI search platforms like ChatGBT, Perplexity, the Google AI overviews at the top of the page, so that dealer inventory appears where consumers are searching, and that's the starting point.

Jim Fitzpatrick 5:24

Yeah, yeah. Now, compared to companies like Amazon and Carvana, Cox Automotive is really uniquely positioned to lead in digital retailing, right? Talk to us about that.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Yes.

Cox’s Integrated Ecosystem Advantage

SPEAKER_02 5:36

So Cox Automotive owns the full ecosystem. We have the traffic, Auto Trader and Kelly Boombook. We have the websites with dealer.com, and now we have the transaction platform. And when you put it all together, those integrations are native. They're not bolted on, like we were talking about earlier. And that scale from owning the full ecosystem equates to data advantages. So we have insights from billions of shopping sessions that inform how we build products that actually convert. We also have a long history of partnership with dealers. We've been in the business supporting dealers for decades, and our focus, our goal is to empower dealer success. And that long history has a proven track record, which is why we, which is why we have thousands of dealers already using our digital retailing tools and evolving it now with the full elite capabilities.

Practical Steps For Getting Started

Jim Fitzpatrick 6:24

What practical advice would you give to a dealer principal who's watching us right now, sitting on the fence about digital retailing?

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Digital retailing isn't an either-or. It's about giving consumers options and meeting them where they are. 71% of consumers want an omnichannel experience for their next purchase. So they want to leverage different methods of interaction online and in store that are connected. And you don't have to start with everything. You can start by understanding your own customers' behavior. Look at your website analytics, see where people drop off on the journey. There are trade-in tools, there are payment calculators to get started. And then you can expand to the transaction capabilities we've been talking about. But our ask here would be to emphasize and measure what matters. Conversion rates, time to close, customer satisfaction. It's not just about lead volume. And then lastly, I'd say that you should partner with a vendor who understands dealer economics. Profitability and workflow integration matter just as much as the consumer experience does. And don't wait to get started. The competitive landscape is shifting fast.

The Next 12–24 Months: Transparency Wins

Jim Fitzpatrick 7:32

Looking ahead 12 to 24 months, what should dealers be preparing for to stay competitive in this digital first environment?

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Yeah, so the bar is rising rapidly. Um, what seems cutting edge right now will be table stakes tomorrow. Platforms have to evolve continuously. And within that, the seamless experience wins. So that friction between the online and in-store where deals go to die should be a thing of the past. The integrations really matter. But one thing I really want to emphasize is transparency. Consumers expect real pricing, real payments, real trade and values online. And consistency and transparency are the foundational building blocks of trust. And those building blocks actually help you with the AI tools and discoverability as well, because AI pulls from a variety of areas, including consumer reviews. So being consistent and clear is needed to show up well in those AI-powered searches and capture more of the online audience. Digital retailing is really a core business now, not a nice to have. So it's vital for competing for all of the reasons we talked about.

Jim Fitzpatrick 8:40

Jerry

Closing Thanks And Key Takeaway

Jim Fitzpatrick 8:41

Reichel, AVP of Strategic Planning at Cox Automotive. Thank you so much for stopping by CBT News. These are the kind of insights that we want to be sharing with our dealer audience. So thanks so much. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.

Announcer 8:57

Thanks for watching Driving Solutions exclusively on CBTnews.com.