Topic: inventory acquisition
Inventory acquisition Q&A: Stocking your lot will take some creativity
Inventory acquisition has long been a pain point for dealers. It requires a combination of data, precedent, and dealer’s intuition to keep a lot stocked with in-demand vehicles that will move. And that’s before you consider other factors that fluctuate like changing consumer behavior, economic trends, and unanticipated events that affect supply and demand.
Dealers have been weathering changes and adapting their strategies for decades. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the industry—particularly, on supply. It’s led to auctions moving online, manufacturing plants being shut down by OEMs, lease extensions, and an overall shift in consumers’ preferences. Together, these variables have added up to a shortage of quality new and used vehicles unlike ever before.
To get a pulse on the topic of supply and hear some ways dealers can adapt, we checked in with CarGurus’ Dealer Relations Team Lead, Benjamin Sacks.
New and used vehicle inventory drying up due to COVID-19
As dealerships were forced to shut down their showrooms, auction lanes closed, jobless claims peaked, and car sales fell off a cliff in April, the industry was laser-focused on consumer demand. Fortunately, May brought incentives, stimulus checks, and pent-up demand, which drove consumers back to dealership lots. However, because inventory has not been replenished, the industry’s problem has shifted from demand to supply.