The DEETs Issue #7

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Volkswagen has sold out of its ketchup in the US. “Volkwagen makes ketchup?” I hear you saying. Yup. It’s the perfect topping for their spicy currywurst sausages, which are actually the most-produced of any Volkswagen part. (Thankfully, they’re made in a different part of the plant so that the “new car smell” doesn’t evoke beechwood-smoked pork.)

Hertz apologized for threatening to have a customer arrested if he didn’t pay a $10k fine, after he drove 25,000 miles in a rental car. The customer’s defense? The rental agreement was for “unlimited miles,” sooo…

Ford will be pausing production of their electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck from mid-November to the end of the year, citing lower-than-expected demand. The Lightning has lost the spot of the best-selling electric pickup in the USA, with the Tesla Cybertruck sliding into first place.?

Lexus has added larger, square-shaped cupholders to their TX. Why? So they are wide enough to hold everyone’s enormous Stanley cups, of course. Gotta stay hydrated, after all!??

Nissan’s Betting Big on a New Hybrid Tech—But What’s Their Secret Sauce? (And No, It’s Not Ketchup)

Nissan says it’s cooking up a new kind of hybrid technology that’ll stand out in a crowded market—and they’re confident it’s going to pay off. So, what’s the deal with this new tech?

What We Know So Far??

Not Just Another Hybrid: Nissan hasn’t spilled all the details yet, but they’re hinting that this hybrid system will be a game-changer, especially in fuel efficiency.??

Inspired by EVs: Think of it like a baby step between traditional hybrids and full electric vehicles. The e-POWER system plays a crucial role in Nissan’s transition, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional gas engines while helping hesitant customers ease into electrification without range anxiety.

Global Launch Strategy: Nissan plans to roll it out in several models and markets over the next few years, signaling that it’s not just a niche experiment but a core part of their future strategy.??

Why It Matters??

Bridging the Gap: With many consumers hesitant to jump straight into EVs, a next-gen hybrid could appeal to those who want better fuel efficiency without committing to electric.??

Competitive Edge: Nissan is banking on this tech to stand out in a hybrid market dominated by Toyota. If they nail it, it could give them a solid foothold in an increasingly competitive field.

What’s Next???

Testing the Market: It’s all about execution. If the tech works as advertised, Nissan could attract buyers who want a smoother, more eco-friendly ride without the hassle of charging.???

Building for the Future: This could also help Nissan bridge to a full EV lineup down the road, giving them flexibility while the EV infrastructure catches up globally.

27 Electrified Models by 2030: Under Nissan’s Ambition 2030 plan, they’re pushing hard into the EV and hybrid space. The goal? 55% of their lineup across the Nissan and INFINITY brands will be electrified by 2030.?

Keep an eye out—if Nissan’s secret sauce lives up to the hype, it could give them a serious boost in the hybrid game.

(Source) (Source)

Featured Blog Post: How to Boost Employee Retention for Automotive Dealerships With Data

Want to keep your top talent happy and loyal??

In this post, we dive into how data-driven insights can help dealerships boost employee retention by creating a work environment that keeps employees engaged and motivated.?

Click here to read the blog post.?

Interesting Facts & Stats at a Glance

• The average price of a new car in the USA has increased by 21% over the past 5 years, to an average of $48,205 - a trend that is pushing many people towards buying used vehicles. (Source)
• This rising cost also means that 1 in 6 Americans are now making monthly car payments of more than $1000. (Source)
• The average car contains around an astounding 30,000 different parts. (Source)?
• When it comes to patents for self-driving vehicles, Europe leads the way. The EU accounts for around 33.3% of all applications. (Source)
• Most car horns honk in the key of F. Why? It’s a sharp, clear mid-range frequency that is easy to hear over ambient noise. (Source)

Authenticom Partner of the Month

This month’s Featured Partner is Chris Apostalides , President of TEXTiUM, lead-generation technology that helps dealerships get qualified automotive leads with a verified mobile number, VIN and shopper name.?

In this interview, Chris shares how TEXTiUM generates accurate leads for dealerships, the role of AI and online sales in automotive trends and the company’s plans to expand their technology beyond the auto industry.?

Here’s our conversation with Chris:?

What’s the story of TEXTiUM ? How did it come about??

I was working in the radio industry and had a business relationship with an owner of several dealerships in the Saint Louis area. He reached out to me one day, wanting to have a conversation about a new business he was starting.?

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He was spending tens of thousands on direct mail but had no way to accurately track if the marketing was effective. There was no way to connect the dots and identify if a shopper received the piece of mail, came to the dealership, and purchased a vehicle. Shoppers aren’t coming into dealerships saying, “hey, here’s my mail piece!”?

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He asked his marketing company, “Isn’t there a way to add a text engagement to the mailer so I can track leads in my CRM? And if they buy a car, I can match those shoppers back to my marketing and calculate an ROI?”

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And what he found was that there was no technology in existence that did that.?

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So, we created TEXTiUM.?

How does TEXTiUM solve the problem of not being able to attribute leads and sales to specific direct mail campaigns?

A typical piece of buy back mail will say something like, “Your 2019 Honda Accord is worth XYZ.”

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But if the shopper doesn’t like the value presented on the direct mail, they throw it in the trash and don’t take any action. There’s no incentive for them to engage with the dealer. Our technology changed that and brought a way for a shopper to engage with a dealer’s marketing and receive something of value right to their mobile phone.

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Now, a dealer can adjust their call to action and say, “you’re 2019 Honda Accord is in high demand, and we’d love to purchase it. To find out what it’s worth text ABC to 123.”

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Then, when a shopper texts for their value, we grab that from Kelly Blue Book or Black Book in real-time, send the shopper the information they asked for, and send a 100% accurate lead to the dealer’s CRM. There’s no way to trick the system. Every lead has a guaranteed mobile number, vehicle info, and shoppers name.??

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Lead accuracy is the backbone of our technology and now, dealers know that every lead generated is 100% accurate. They never have to wonder “am I calling the correct phone number?”

Sounds like a great way to make sure your leads are accurate, warm and engaged.?

Yes. The shopper has to be the one to initiate. We can’t do anything until they engage with our technology.?

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Which brings me to our website technology, Magic URL.

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Before developing Magic URL, if the shopper is browsing a dealer’s website and wants to see how much their vehicle is worth, they have to click on a link that makes them fill out an online form. Forms can be two, three, four, or even five pages long. It’s tedious and time consuming for shoppers and generates low quality leads for dealers.

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People don’t want to fill out forms… They don’t have time. They want quick and simple.

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Unless a shopper is at a moment where they need a car now, many of them back out of that form and don’t finish it, which results in a lost opportunity for a dealer.

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Because of this, we developed a website technology called Magic URL, which allows shoppers the ability to generate a trade value via text. Our technology eliminates the tedious form fill that shoppers dislike filling out and transitions them to an automated text conversation to generate their vehicles trade value.

That’s amazing. So then, when the lead enters their phone number, what happens next?

After they click “text my value,” we instantly text them to request their vehicle’s VIN or license plate.

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If they put in the license plate, we decode that into a full 17-digit VIN and we grab the value from Kelly Blue Book or Black Book.?

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Then, we ask them to verify their name, which 95% of shoppers provide a first and last name.??

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That’s when we send the info to the shopper, and then push all their info to the CRM.

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There’s no other technology in existence that can deliver a 100% complete and accurate lead on all trade values.?

You launched Textium’s direct mail technology in 2018, and the Magic URL website in 2020.

Yes, November 2020, right in the middle of COVID! It seemed crazy at the time because the country was shut down and here we are creating a new technology.?

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We knew our technology needed to expand beyond direct mail marketing. We built Magic URL to improve lead quality from a dealer’s website. Before Magic URL, shoppers had to fill out tedious form fills to receive their trade value, and nobody wants to do that. Form fills generate poor leads with incorrect information. Magic URL solved that and gave the shopper a simple option to enter their mobile number and instantly receive their trade value to their phone.

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Now, shoppers are able to engage in their preferred method, “text”, and the dealer receives a perfect lead with a guaranteed mobile phone number.??

Wow, so what was the response of launching at that time?

What we found was that with the chip shortages and manufacturer slowdown, dealers didn’t have enough inventory on their lot. I spoke to hundreds of dealers during that time frame and continually heard the same theme, “New vehicles aren’t arriving from the manufacturer and my used car inventory is dwindling; I need to do something about it!”

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Our technology was something that could help them bring in much needed inventory, because the lead accuracy was so good. Every mobile number is correct, and dealers continually tell us, “were selling more cars and adding money to the bottom line.”? It’s no mystery that if you provide accurate leads, dealers will sell more cars and that’s’ where we excel!

In the last 7 years you’ve been building these technologies, what are the main trends and shifts you’ve seen? How have they shown up in the work you do?

It’s all about AI right now. Every convention you go to, every LinkedIn post, every blog… Everyone is trying to capitalize with AI.??

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AI gives us the power to upgrade our automated messages. Currently, everything is programmed to respond a specific way with shoppers. Our virtual BDC was designed to follows up with shoppers and nudge the down the sales funnel.

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The next phase is integrating AI to improve the engagement between the shopper and our virtual BDC. We’ll be able to better identify what’s working and what's not, then adjust for a higher quality interaction. It will take a lot of time, and work, but we’re in the early stages of making this integration to further improve our technology.

When you think about the next 5 years or so, what trends do you anticipate evolving in the landscape?

When it comes to trends inside auto, I think more and more sales will be completely online. If the Amazon model has taught us anything, it’s that shoppers would rather buy from home.

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Digital retailing tools already exist but as they improve, more and more shoppers will do everything from financing and purchasing their vehicle online, then the dealer just drops it off at their doorstep.

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It’s similar to the way our tech works. Shoppers would rather do everything without human interaction. Advances in tech are moving all aspects of business in this direction whether we like it or not. If we don’t adapt, we’ll be left behind.

What does the future hold for Textium and Magic URL? Any updates coming up?

One of our side quests is to grow the business outside of auto. Even though we’re from the auto world and the concept was originally conceived by a dealer, our technology works in any industry.?

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We’ve got real estate values as well, so people can get the value of their homes. There’s a lot of different possibilities on where to go. And everything’s digital, so it’s perfect timing for us. It’s just a matter of getting enough boots on the ground and finding our foothold outside of automotive.?

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One thing we’re soft-launching is a “create your own link.” Magic URL is our dealer technology, but we also have a SaaS version of the tech that our agency partners can use for their clients.??

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This puts our clients in a leverage position with their advertisers and gives the ability to generate leads in any industry. Think furniture stores, politics, home remodeling, or any other industry where opt-in shopper data is valuable.??

Okay, a fun question to wrap things up. What would be your dream road trip?

Growing up in Arizona I spent time in Mexico. I’d love to do a road trip from AZ, down through Mexico and into Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. I’ve always enjoyed spending time in Mexico. The people are wonderful, the food’s great and the beach is always sunny. Taking that further and all the way down through North American would be an amazing experience.??

You can learn more about TEXTiUM and MagicURL on the websites.?

Study: Car Shoppers Are Happier With Buying Process

Good news: J.D. Power’s latest survey says shopping for a new car doesn’t feel as torturous as it did in 2023. According to their 2024 Sales Satisfaction Index, the average car buyer rated their experience at 801 out of 1,000—a bump from last year’s 793.?

Turns out, a drop in prices and more dealer discounts can make a difference. Who knew?

Here’s a breakdown:

• Prices Dropped, Satisfaction Rose: A huge reason for the extra cheer is the lower price tags. Only 8% of mass-market shoppers had to pay over MSRP, down from 15% last year. Even among luxury buyers, just 6% paid over sticker prices—almost half of what it was in 2023. As always, people love a deal.
• More Cars on the Lot: The inventory bottleneck is easing up, so dealerships actually have more cars to sell. That means customers get more choices, less FOMO, and—thankfully—more negotiating power
• EV Buyers Need More TLC: Not everything’s sunshine and rainbows. EV buyers still aren’t as thrilled as gas-car shoppers. Those opting for gas-powered cars gave their experience a high 857, while EV shoppers scored it lower at 822. Why? According to the report, EV buyers feel like dealership staff need a refresher on EV basics. Tesla shoppers especially feel like they’re left to figure out all the new tech on their own.
• Brand MVPs: Porsche kept the crown for luxury brands, with Mini clinching the top spot for mainstream cars. That means if you want a smooth ride through the buying process, these brands might be the way to go.

Bottom line: For once, buying a car isn’t the stress fest it used to be. And as dealers improve their EV knowledge, the experience might just keep getting better.?

Snippets

Helpful Resource: In this episode of the Dealer Playbook, host Micheal Cirillo dives into AI and it’s capabilities for dealerships and marketers - and the importance of staying human in your approach.?

What’s up with used cars? Jasen Rice from Lotpop gives a solid update on the used car market, packed with stats and data - a great summary of what’s been happening in the industry this year.?

Built-in backseat driver. Google has patented a system that will keep an eye on your driving and allow the car itself to “take over” if it decides you’re driving unsafely. Meanwhile a new Ford patent is being designed to help drivers avoid unknowingly becoming a drug-trafficking mule. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?)

When’s the last time you changed your air filter? According to AutoZone, it should be done every year, or it’ll start causing problems like poor fuel economy and even engine damage.?

The “Blue Dot” Customer: In this episode of Inside Automotive, customer experience strategist Ken Hughes explains this mindset shift, which places customers at the center of every interaction.?

How to Build Trust With Female Car Buyers and Boost Sales

Women make up 54% of car buyers in the U.S. and influence a whopping 84% of all vehicle purchases—yet the industry still underserves them.?

Studies show that women face a "pink tax," often paying higher rates, and generally receive a worse dealership experience than men.?

Kathi Kruse, automotive retailer adviser, coach and founder/CEO of Kruse Control Inc. shares her advice on how dealerships can flip this script and make women feel valued. (The below is a summary of her awesome article, but it’s worth checking out the original!)

1. Social Media: Build a Community

• Hire more women: The Bureau of Labor shows that women only make up about 21.4% of employees at dealerships. When women are present at the dealership, it creates an environment that makes female shoppers feel more comfortable.?
• Get visual: Use 360-degree videos, virtual tours, and images to showcase cars in detail.
• Be responsive: Prompt replies to comments and messages show you’re listening, which goes a long way.

2. Email Marketing: Keep It Personal

• Get real: Write emails like a conversation, not a marketing blast. Send targeted emails based on what women are actually interested in—safety, performance, family features.
• Useful content: Share trade-in tips, financing advice, and maintenance pointers. When they feel informed, trust grows.

3. Digital Ads: Targeted and Inclusive

• Inclusive visuals: Feature a range of women in ads, highlighting practical features like storage, safety, and style.
• Mobile-friendly: Women often shop on mobile. Ensure landing pages and ads look great on all devices.
• The power of retargeting: Nudge back visitors who didn’t complete a purchase by showing them relevant ads based on browsing behavior.

4. Events: Create Experiences

• Host workshops: Offer sessions on car buying, tech features, and maintenance. Empowering and educating women builds trust.
• Partner locally: Team up with women-led businesses to host fun, community-centric events.
• Non-pushy vibes: Make events relaxed, welcoming, and inclusive, creating a pressure-free experience.?

5. Loyalty Program: Show Appreciation

• Rewards that matter: Free car washes, maintenance, and first dibs on new models show appreciation beyond the sale.
• Community involvement: Encourage participation in local initiatives and environmental causes; this has been found to resonate well with many women buyers.

Bottom Line:

A thoughtful, welcoming experience not only sells cars but also builds loyalty. Many women value trust and connection, and by focusing on these elements, dealerships can foster lifelong relationships that keep them coming back.

Around the Web

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Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has introduced a “maximum hug time” of 3 minutes to keep things moving along in their passenger drop-off zone. Some say it’s “inhumane” while others say it’s a great way to manage traffic.?

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Talk about adding insult to injury! When a 71 year old cyclist was struck by an ambulance, the ambulance provider had the gall to charge nearly $1,900 to take him to the hospital. (He’s suing them, of course, and rightfully so.)

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In a first, electric Ford F-150 drivers are getting paid to run their homes from their pickup truck batteries, in order to help meet grid demand during peak hours.?

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And if it’s ever been your dream to drive the Batmobile, Warner Bros. has officially sanctioned a true-to-screen replica of the kevlar, carbon fiber, sheet metal and fiberglass vehicle. You’ll need Bruce Wayne’s riches to grab one though - they retail at a cool $3 million.

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