In the latest episode of Inside Automotive, we welcome Jade Terreberry, the Senior Director of Strategic Planning at AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book, part of Cox Automotive. Terreberry emphasizes the importance of dealerships reevaluating their methods for measuring marketing effectiveness, pointing out significant blind spots that could be impacting their sales and profitability.
Recently, Cox Automotive commissioned a white paper through Perficient to examine marketing measurement and dealer ROI. The research revealed significant gaps in how dealerships track leads and conversions, highlighting opportunities to improve marketing performance.
The study found that the average buyer interacts with 62 touchpoints from initial interest to deal closing. Yet most dealerships track only the first or last touch, covering roughly 3% of the customer journey. When relying solely on CRM systems, dealers face a 92% blind spot in understanding what drives sales. Additionally, only one in three sales involves any lead contact throughout the customer journey.
Marketplaces play a crucial role, the research shows. Nearly half of consumers (48%) start their journey on marketplaces, and more than 90% touch a marketplace at some point, validating their importance in attracting buyers.
Terreberry also highlighted the pitfalls of focusing on cost-per-lead metrics. “High-performing stores may spend more per lead but close more deals,” she said. Dealers should shift to ROI or return on advertising spend models that account for all engagements across the customer journey, rather than relying on misleading lead costs.
To act on the findings, Terreberry recommends that dealerships invest in technology that tracks multi-touch attribution and identity resolution, ensuring marketing spend focuses on high-value engagements that drive profit. She emphasized the importance of linking marketing data with transactional outcomes, utilizing close rates across stores, salespeople, and partners to enhance performance.
“Don't wait... Dealers who understand the full consumer journey and make informed investments will protect and grow their market share. The guessing game in our business is over.”
The full white paper is available at b2b.autotrader.com/fortherodeforward, where dealers can access detailed insights and recommendations to close out 2025 strong.
