Over the past few years, adaptation and collaboration have become essential elements for dealerships as data continues to play a bigger and bigger role in the automotive retail business. One partnership that illustrates the power of these two components is that between dealership group Germain Motor Company and automotive marketing platform Urban Science.

On this episode of Driving Solutions, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Shaun Kniffin, marketing and technology director at Germain Motors, and Eric DeMont, global practice director at Urban Science. The two companies have worked closely together in recent years to refine Urban Science’s suite of products for the retail automotive sector and unlock new uses for data that many dealers thought impossible. Now, they discuss how their collaboration has improved the customer buying experience and made it easier for dealers to run their businesses with confidence.

Key Takeaways

1. Kniffin notes that Urban Science brings a data set to the car market unlike any other provider, allowing dealers to analyze and interpret consumer behavior with better accuracy and better results. The company also works closely with actual dealership groups, including Germain Motors, involving them in the development of its tools through “vendorships.”
2. Urban Science helps dealers allocate their marketing efforts more effectively through unrivaled data solutions. For example, DeMont notes that its product SalesAlert not only identifies defected leads but also allows dealers to re-target the consumer through branding or service campaigns. In effect, this prevents retailers from wasting their time marketing cars to a buyer who has already purchased a vehicle elsewhere. DeMont notes that this also has the effect of improving the customer experience.
3. An upcoming product, which DeMont estimates will launch in the first half of 2024, will further improve Urban Science’s services by using data insights to identify leads in the process of defecting. This will allow dealers to potentially curtail defections and retain more customers.
4. Kniffin notes that Urban Science is able to collect data and insights that it would be nearly impossible for dealers to gather on their own. He also stresses that information will be key to running a successful dealership in the market of the future, underscoring the need for retailers to partner with an experienced data solutions provider.
5. Urban Science also incorporates feedback from industry insiders through its Dealer Advisory Board, of which Kniffin is a member. By meeting regularly with its team of retailers, the company is able to maintain a clear picture of how its products are helping dealers, identify areas of improvement, and gain insights into the effectiveness of future product ideas.

“Being able to discuss intelligently with customers and…put the right message in front of those customers, it all requires insights into the data that we just can’t see, and [Urban science has] the right tools and the right amount of data.” — Shaun Kniffin, Germain Motors