Top Takeaways from Digital Dealer Las Vegas 2021
It was great to talk with so many of you face-to-face at Digital Dealer in Las Vegas; we’ve missed the opportunity to see you in person over the last 18+ months. Being back out there, talking about our industry and your businesses felt like being “home” again and we can’t wait to see more of you in the coming months at future events!
Over the course of three days in Las Vegas at the show, here’s a few themes we heard that we wanted to share
Inventory - or more appropriately, a lack of inventory. The inventory challenge continues as chip shortages, and overall supply chain issues, impact the ability to get the work trucks and vans needed to meet business customer demand. That said, many commercial vehicle departments are training their customers on the ordering process and a transition from an allocation system; they’re making efforts to get their customers to the head of the line.
Workforce/labor shortages. Finding good, reliable team members has become even more challenging. Some people have simply opted out of the workforce, making it that much harder to staff dealerships. But it’s not just our industry, it’s everywhere. How many restaurants and other entities have “now hiring” signs out? How many times have you heard “We’re sorry, but it (your meal, your product, etc.) is taking longer than normal because we’re short-staffed.”? One positive note here is that as technology and tools advance, many of our processes become more efficient, making the impact of fewer team members less impactful.
Closely related to #2 is how to keep good team members on-board. And it’s not only related to the pandemic, but also to the change in age of today’s workforce. The good news is many we spoke with are getting creative when it comes to engaging team members and making sure they know how much they are valued.
EVs and alternative fuel vehicles. If you thought a shift to these would come SOME day, be careful you don’t get run over. The move to non-traditional fuel types is here and if you’ve not worked on educating yourself, you need to start now. Look for resources that can help, such as the Work Truck Solutions Commercial Vehicle Business Summit YouTube playlist.
Even though there are challenges we continue to face - and some seem to be lingering - rest assured, we’re constantly looking at ways we can help. From our EZOrder functionality, to VAST (Vehicle Acquisition Search Tool) to Comvoy (our national marketplace for commercial vehicles), our goal is to help commercial/fleet departments succeed. If you want to know more, or just chat about ideas, please reach out - we’d love to hear from you. And if you’re going to be at an upcoming event, let us know and maybe we can connect in-person. No matter the challenge, our industry is resilient and with each challenge comes new opportunity, sometimes it just needs to be unwrapped.
About Digital Dealer:
Digital Dealer Conference & Expo, held biannually, brings together automotive dealers, OEMs, thought leaders, and auto retail solution providers for a 2.5-day experience, powering professional growth and connections.
