Customer data platforms (CDPs) have officially crossed the threshold from industry jargon to critical dealership infrastructure, according to Cox Automotive executives Jade Terreberry and Susan Blue. During today’s episode of Driving Solutions, the pair details how Cox’s native CDP capabilities are aiding dealers in delivering highly personalized experiences in real-time, without needing to bolt on third-party tools or reinvent their tech stack.
In the interview, Terreberry, Cox Automotive’s Senior Director of Strategic Development at AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book, said that CDPs have matured significantly over the past few years. “We built Cox Automotive as a multi-billion dollar CDP,” she said, explaining that it took years of development to create a unified view of the customer, vehicle, dealer, and market. Today, she noted, “it’s that real-time data that creates the most relevant connections with your consumers and makes every dollar go further.”
“You don’t have to have your dealership login, train, or learn anything. It’s already included and embedded in the solutions that you already know how to use.” – Susan Blue
Vice President of Dealer Sales and Operations Susan Blue expanded on this, breaking down Cox’s approach: the company gathers data across its platforms—including AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com– into a single customer profile. Then, it enriches those profiles with behavioral insights and integrates them natively into dealer tools, such as VIN Solutions CRM, marketing platforms, service platforms, and digital retailing tools.
“The best part is that this is already included in the solutions that you buy with us today,” said Blue.
The Cox CDP also powers automation and AI, helping sales and service teams send smarter communications, via email or text, through tools like VIN Predictive Insights. This enables them to meet customers at the right time with the right message while maintaining the human touch. “AI and automation learn from models by testing and testing,” said Terreberry. “With what Cox has built, we apply this kind of human-in-the-loop component, which gives you the best of both worlds.”
The discussion also addressed the common misconception that dealers must build or buy standalone CDPs. Terreberry explained the distinction: while standalone solutions may suit larger dealer groups with the budget and staff to maintain them, they come with significant challenges, including data decay, integration complexity, and training needs. “You get all that data stood up, and it’s accurate, and after you do, 50% or 60% of it might be good,” she said, citing recent panel discussions with dealer groups. “And then a handful of months later, you gotta keep doing it again.”
"You're only as good as the data you have." – Jade Terreberry
Further, Blue noted that Cox’s embedded solution avoids these issues because the data is updated continuously, “literally every handful of seconds,” and resides directly within the tools dealers already use. Additionally, Cox provides exclusive behavioral data that can’t be accessed through third-party CDPs. “That’s really deep granular shopping behavior to help you better predict where your consumer is and what message they need to hear right now,” she said.
Looking forward, Terreberry hinted at expanding syndication across OEM websites and banking platforms, using authenticated consumer data to power even more personalized, cross-channel interactions. “We’ve already been here for a really long time,” she said. “Everything we have is built on this CDP that saves our clients a tremendous amount of money.”
