Why digital merchandising and AI are key to driving eCommerce engagement — Devin Daly, Impel

The online shopping experience has significantly changed now that customers can buy almost anything they want on any device—making eCommerce engagement paramount to dealership success. This past weekend at the 2023 NADA Show, Impel co-founder and CEO Devin Daly joined anchor Jim Fitzpatrick on the CBT stage, to talk about the ways auto dealers can accelerate eCommerce engagement.

Key takeaways:

1. Impel is an automotive digital engagement platform with over 5,000 customers in 52 countries, that is built on two suites of solutions. The first is merchandising platform, which replicates the in-store experience as closely as possible online, including F&I. Secondly, the company expanded into AI communications. Impel solutions automate laborious sales activities at dealerships. For example, their Sales AI product answers all leads 24 hours a day. These two products together drive eCommerce engagement.

2. Daly predicts an evolution trending toward an omnichannel car buying experience, where more of the experience happens online but still has the experts at the store. So, it’s crucial to be consistent across these multiple different channels.

3. Impel received a $104 million growth investment led by Silversmith Capital announced in January 2023.

4. Dealers are focusing on ‘doing more with less.’ Automation can assist with the goal and help create consistent brand-compliant customer experiences. This shift is particularly noticeable in the service department and BDC. Sales AI can save time for BDC reps who might not be responding to messages fast enough or who are not personalizing their communications.

5. Impel’s software is integrated with over 100 technology providers in the U.S., including major automotive CRMs, making the user experience friendly and intuitive.

“A dealer doesn’t need to log in to our system, it’s directly integrated into their CRM.” — Devin Daly

Notable background:

— SpinCar decided to change its company name and branding to Impel in March 2022.

— Impel has made two acquisitions in the last two years, including CarLabs.ai and Pulsar AI.

Click here for more 2023 NADA Show coverage on CBT News.

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