If you’re feeling behind on AI, you’re not alone, and you’re certainly not too late. Despite 74% of automotive businesses recognising AI as a critical performance lever, only 1 in 10 have actually deployed it, according to the ICDP Automotive AI Readiness Report.
At Keyloop, we believe AI should be accessible, actionable, and aligned with real-world dealership challenges. During AM’s recent AI Week, we spotlighted practical insights from industry leaders who are already putting AI to work, and reaping the rewards.
Start with the problem, not the platform
One of the most common barriers to AI adoption is simply not knowing where to begin. The terminology alone, data lakes, agentic AI, machine learning pipelines, can feel overwhelming.
But as Kortical’s Andy Gray shared on the Drivetime podcast, the best AI projects don’t start with technology. They start with a problem.
It might be that writing vehicle descriptions is taking up time and team resource, it might be that leads opportunities are falling through the cracks, you might be having trouble predicting which stock will sell. Â There might be one particular task that slows you down every day.
Identifying the pain point is the first step. AI is just the tool to help solve it.
Three ways to create value with AI today
Oana Beattie from Kyndryl offered three practical entry points for dealerships looking to dip their toes into AI:
Automate repetitive admin
From appointment confirmations to email follow-ups, AI can take care of the tasks that drain your time, freeing up your team to focus on customers.
Train ChatGPT to reflect your brand voice
Feed your best-performing email responses into ChatGPT and instruct it to “write like this person.” You’ll quickly have a tool that handles initial enquiries in a tone that feels familiar and authentic.
Look at your data differently
Don’t just rely on reports; explore your raw data. Which leads came in overnight? What’s your conversion rate this week? AI can help surface insights that are already there, just waiting to be discovered.
The content revolution: Think beyond listings
Johan Sundstrand, formerly of Phyron, highlighted a major shift in consumer expectations: today’s buyers want video, emotion, and storytelling, not just static listings.
AI-powered video creation tools now allow dealerships to turn basic stock data into engaging, branded content at scale. It’s not science fiction. It’s happening now.
Your data is a goldmine
Every customer interaction, from page views to brochure downloads, tells a story. AI doesn’t create this data; it helps you understand it.
As Andy Gray put it, most dealerships are sitting on untapped insights. The key is knowing where to look.
Start before you’re ready
Scott Gairns from Sophus3 shared a powerful truth: the most successful dealerships aren’t waiting for perfect strategies. They’re experimenting, learning, and building confidence through small wins.
Whether it’s using AI to write better subject lines or automate social media posts, the goal is to start, not to master everything overnight.
Work backwards from your customer
Max Cavazzini from AWS introduced Amazon’s working backwards philosophy: start with what your customer needs, then explore how technology can deliver it.
Want faster responses? Personalised experiences? Smarter predictions? AI can help, but only if you begin with the customer in mind.
The future is agentic, but don’t panic
Agentic AI refers to systems that can take action on your behalf. Imagine an AI agent that nurtures leads, books test drives, and follows up, while your team focuses on building relationships.
It’s not about replacing people. It’s about amplifying their impact.
Your next steps
Take some time to identify one task that wastes 30 minutes of your day. Then spend 30 minutes this week exploring whether AI can help automate or improve it.
It could be drafting customer responses, creating social media content, or brainstorming campaign ideas. The point is to start small, and build from there.
Buidling the best retailer AI strategy isn’t about having the biggest tech budget. It’s about asking better questions, solving real problems, and building confidence through experimentation.
So stop overthinking it. Start with one task, one tool, one idea and see where it takes you.
If you want to hear more expert insights on retailer AI strategy and other key industry topics, make sure you check out the Drivetime podcast, which is available wherever you get your podcasts.
