Motive Retail Blog

In the rapidly changing world of digital retail, maintaining the integrity and security of Customer Non-Public Personal Information (NPI) is more than just best practice—it's critical. Service providers (DMS, CRM, etc) must comply with the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act’s (GLBA) Safeguards, especially when it comes to the sharing of dealer data with other service providers. This was made clear in the 2019 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consent Order issued to DealerBuilt and is applicable to every service provider working with dealers today.

In an era where personal data is one of the most valuable commodities, ensuring its security has become an urgent concern for both companies and regulators. An important warning for dealers and their Dealer Service Providers (DSPs) is the recent data breach that affected Clearwater Credit Union and several other financial institutions due to the security vulnerabilities present in a vendor’s software, MOVEit. Clearwater, a financial institution with nine locations and being roughly the same size as a small dealer group, probably never envisioned being caught in a massive data breach spanning dozens of countries and potentially hundreds of companies.

As the regulatory landscape around consumer data handling continues to evolve, Dealer Service Providers (DSPs) must keep up with compliance standards governing how they protect consumer data. With more stringent legislative requirements over consumer data rights and an increased focus on data security, managing this responsibility is critical.

Q4 is officially here with 2023 fast-approaching. OEMs, Dealers, DMS, and specialized DSPs alike all have ambitious projections for the year ahead but how does integration factor into your plans for 2023? 

With NADA 2022 behind us, we can all agree that the digitalization of automotive retail is not going away. We continue to hear system integration is top of mind and is still seen today as a key inhibitor in moving the ecosystem forward.

If you are the person at an automaker responsible for integrating dealer systems, no doubt you are busier than ever.  All of those seamless digital experiences the business is strategically pursuing require more and more real time integration with dealer systems, DMS, CRM and others. 

Automotive retail is transforming before our eyes, digitalizing the way everything is done in the dealership. It seems like everyone in the industry is working at a breakneck pace to shape the digital future in their interest. What isn’t clear is who will be in the driver’s seat, defining how the digital future will turn out.

Driven by COVID lockdowns, our industry is in the midst of an urgent rush toward long overdue digitalization. The transformation taking place is like nothing seen before in our lifetimes. No aspect of the way cars are sold or serviced will be left out. At the core of these digitalization efforts is the integration of the various systems that manage retail operations. The modern North American car dealership today uses between 10 and 20 different software systems to run its business. The digital dealership requires that they all work together seamlessly. The implication is clear: every dealer system provider - DMS, CRM, service management, inventory management, etc - must either provide easy integration with their systems or be left out of the digital future.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is designed to help companies manage their many customer relationships in an effort to improve overall profitability. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global CRM market is expected to reach over $90 billion by 2028.

Dealerships leverage many types of business management tools including CRMs and Dealer Management Systems (DMS). The challenge is getting those robust systems to talk to each other in real-time.

Motive Retail got its start in 2008 conducting global certification programs for some of the largest OEMs in the automotive retail vertical.  We have consulted with OEMs to specify, onboard, test, authorize, authenticate, and activate proprietary API solutions via a secure certification process over the last decade. We are proud of our legacy and capabilities as we continue to roll out mission-critical and strategically important integrations from the OEM to the dealer bodies across sixty countries.

As every OEM knows, the automotive industry is operating in a dynamic and challenging environment. For future-forward firms, this environment is an opportunity to innovate. In particular, analytics, advanced integrations, and one-to-many API value chains are areas of real potential for firms who want to differentiate themselves. s every OEM knows, the automotive industry is operating in a dynamic and challenging environment. For future-forward firms, this environment is an opportunity to innovate. In particular, analytics, advanced integrations, and one-to-many API value chains are areas of real potential for firms who want to differentiate themselves.

As consumers shift to buying cars and scheduling dealer services from their couches, in-home offices, or wherever, car manufacturers (OEMs) and third-party software providers are capturing more of the buy/service process on their websites or applications.   And, as dealers continue to execute on physical demonstrations of vehicles, sales closing/delivery, and vehicle service, OEMs, third parties and dealers must have seamless integration to ensure the customer experiences a smooth handoff from online to the physical store.