2021 has been anything but a typical year in the world of Automotive. Between inventory shortages and COVID-19 variants, we continue to prove not only how resilient we are as a collective, but how we can individually evolve and grow in the midst of the chaos.
At Roadster, we have a lot to be thankful for as we reflect on the past year. As you know, we aren’t much for bragging rights, but we are proud of everything we were able to accomplish. Here are our Top 5 picks for the year.
1. It’s all about the inventory, inventory, inventory …
From the beginning of the year, it was clear that, while we survived the temporary closures of our showrooms, the biggest challenge was still ahead — having enough inventory to sell.
Given the close partnership we have with our dealer network, we recognized very early on that enhancements were needed to help dealerships not only acquire new inventory from consumers, but also merchandise both incoming and orderable configurations on their Express Stores. We’ve been busy bees in this department and our dealer partners’ profitability shows our efforts are paying off.
2. Look ma, we’ve grown up
Over the past few years, we have gone from a handful of OEM certifications, to the most certified digital retailing platform on the market, with 16 certifications under our belt.
Not only that, but we’re now powering some of the most progressive OEM Tier 1 websites, enabling consumers to start the buying process on the branded website and complete it within the dealership’s Express Store. This would not have been possible without our 2,000+ dealer partners standing behind us.
3. Beyond digital retailing: The Modern Retail movement at CDK
One of the most exciting accomplishments of 2021 is how deeply we’re now integrated into desking, DMS and F&I capabilities at CDK. This was the whole reason we joined CDK and is a monumental accomplishment within the first 100 days post-acquisition!
We hear from dealers every day that their No. 1 pain point is having too many disparate systems that are not fully integrated. So we’re getting to work in a big way. This is going to be the hottest topic for 2022 and, while we won’t spill too much of the tea, it’s safe to say we’re waaay ahead of the game.
4. From online to omnichannel, we’ve got something for everyone
In recognition that not every dealer is ready to adopt a full omnichannel solution, we recently rolled out Express Storefront Online at a price point comparable to other plug-and-play solutions. Now, dealers can have the leading digital-retailing solution for the same price!
And, with our full integration with Elead CRM and desking, customers who start online will be able to seamlessly continue in the showroom without dealers having to rekey anything, which simplifies the workflow.
5. We wouldn’t be here without you
More than anything, we’re so grateful for all of the partnerships we have across the industry. We know that we wouldn’t be here without you — our dealer partners, OEM partners, vendor integration partners and our automotive friends in general.
We’re excited to be part of a company that enables us to remain system-agnostic and gives us the freedom to work with other backend tools as we see fit. From our recent TrueCar and RunBuggy integration announcements to our pending DealerTrack integration, we continue to push ahead to make our solution work with every other system you use.
That’s a wrap on 2021, but get ready for so much more to come from Roadster in the new year! Just can’t wait?