Amid the AI buzz, one truth stands out: without solid data foundations and the right internal mindset, AI can’t deliver its full potential. Keyloop’s Jacqui Barker explores how retailers can move beyond the hype, overcome integration fears, and harness AI as a powerful business co-pilot – not just for insight, but for action.
Artificial Intelligence (AI). Two little words, one seismic shift – and if you’re in automotive retail and not talking about AI right now, it’s probably time to examine your AI strategy.
Across every market I’ve visited recently, from London to Toronto, the buzz is undeniable. The question is no longer if AI will touch every corner of our sector, but how well we’re all preparing for it.
Dealers have a unique opportunity to harness AI not as a futuristic fad but as a real, tangible tool for business transformation if, and only if, we can establish how to get the foundations right.
Those foundations should start with the key asset at the heart of every organisation – data. Poor data hygiene, inconsistent record-keeping and siloed systems are all still far too common. If your DMS, CRM, marketing platform and finance systems aren’t talking to each other, AI won’t help. In fact, it’ll amplify the confusion. Getting your data right was a topic we covered in detail in a recent Drivetime podcast with Deloitte’s Sarah Noble.
According to McKinsey, most organisations are beginning to invest in AI, but the biggest barrier to scaling is leaders, who are not managing change fast enough.
Our recent Keyloop Fusion Live launch event explored the theme of AI, highlighting how many organisations have adopted AI on a basic level. What also came to light, though, was how many businesses are slower on the uptake in terms of implementing it into their core business operations.
According to the keynote by Oana Beattie, VP of AI and data for Kyndral, 60% of organisations (all industries) are just starting their journeys or are still in the integration process. CEOs also reported that there is a lack of skilled talent to manage AI technology within their organisation.
The event also showcased how technology can connect the entire automotive ecosystem, shining a light on how retailers can unlock efficiencies and profit through consolidation and intelligent automation.
Keep an eye on our Keyloop blog where we’ll be highlighting some of the key takeaways from the Fusion Live keynotes in the coming week.
Ultimately, it’s all about harnessing high-quality, accessible, and well-managed data to expedite processes and enhance decision making, and ensuring you have access to the right skill whether you hire or partner.
Through the right partnerships, AI can become your most powerful secret weapon. Imagine a virtual co-pilot that can answer: What’s trending in our online traffic? Which stock is underperforming on our forecourt? What’s the real-time ROI on our last marketing campaign?
AI-enabled insights driven by large language models (LLMs) can now pull together disparate data points to serve up usable intelligence in seconds. We’re excited to be releasing a number of Drivetime podcast episodes with AI partners in the coming weeks to talk all things AI strategy and Data.
And it’s not just about insight – it’s about action.
At MOVE25 earlier this year, we saw innovations that genuinely reimagine what AI can do for automotive retail. From connected vehicle data that provides real-time battery health (removing one of the last big barriers to used EV adoption), to AI systems that fast-track accident claims from incident to pay-out, the pace setters are not waiting for the perfect moment. They’re moving.
But with big innovation comes fear. Naturally, fear of complexity, fear of cost, fear of getting it wrong all come into play here. AI is still widely seen as the territory of tech companies or manufacturers. But that perception is dangerous. Because like it or not, AI is becoming a horizontal capability, not just a bolt-on, not just a nice to have, but an everyday essential for doing business.
Forward-thinking retailers need to approach AI with a long-term mindset. They’re not chasing quick wins. They’re building internal capabilities and automations, hiring AI-literate leaders, even appointing solution architects – whether human or agentic AI systems. They understand that ROI isn’t immediate. But the competitive edge? That starts from day one.
While tools like Chat GPT can’t replace your judgement, neither can they replace human experience. What they can do is amplify it, delivering real impact if we learn how to prompt it properly, fact-check it thoroughly, and deploy it thoughtfully.
We need to reframe our view of AI and view AI integration and implementation not just as a tech project, but a change management project. The businesses seeing the most impact are those where the leadership team embraces a culture of experimentation, where play is encouraged. Just as children learn by testing boundaries and rebuilding from failure, so too can our industry as a whole.
It might not always be clean, or cheap, or easy. But it’s essential. Because every system of record in your business – every call log, click path, and service history is a story waiting to be told. AI is how we start telling those stories in ways that actually serve the customer and deliver exceptional customer journeys for the long term.
Dealers who embrace that mindset now will find themselves not only surviving but thriving. With tools such as Keyloop’s new Vega and Vega.ai, teams are empowered not just by AI but by a new kind of leadership. One that knows its data, understands its strategy, and isn’t afraid to ask smart questions of smart machines.
So, what’s the takeaway? Be brave. Be curious. Be ready to laugh when it goes wrong and learn when it does. There’s no shame in not being an AI expert yet, but a huge risk presents itself if we don’t try.