How Dealerships Can Turn Their Websites Into 24/7 Sales Channels

Gary Ng Wai, Chief Revenue Officer at CarJiffy, discusses how dealerships can turn website traffic into completed online vehicle sales with a true e-commerce buying experience.

Most dealership websites are built to generate leads, but shoppers increasingly expect to complete more of the purchase process online. Ng Wai explains how digital retailing can help dealers reduce friction by allowing customers to value trades, apply for credit, select F&I products, e-sign documents, leave deposits and schedule delivery without leaving the dealership’s website.

• Closing the gap between online shopping and online buying
• Improving lead quality by engaging customers further into the purchase process
• Extending dealership reach beyond the local market with remote transactions
• Increasing after-hours sales while maintaining dealership ownership of the customer relationship
• Supporting sales and F&I teams with higher-intent buyers and more structured transactions
• Using technology to improve efficiency without replacing human interaction

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Transcript

Why After Hours Sales Matter

Announcer 0:06

Welcome to Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick.

Jim Fitzpatrick 0:11

As consumer expectations continue to evolve, dealers are rethinking what the online purchasing experience should look like. Joining us now is Gary Ningwai, who is the Chief Revenue Officer at Car Jiffy to discuss where digital retail is headed and what dealers can do to stay ahead. Gary, thanks so much for joining us in the studio. Thank you very much for allowing me to be here, Jim. I appreciate that. Absolutely. We've heard a lot about your company. You guys are making some big waves in a short amount of time. So we said we got to get this company in here and find out what they're all about. These are the types of solutions that we want to be bringing to our dealer audience. So thanks so much for uh making the trip down from Toronto, Canada, and then uh join us in the studio. Love being here and look forward to having that dialogue with you. Great, great. So um when you opened up your your presentation at the NIADA uh group uh recently, you asked dealers a powerful question. How many cars did you not sell last night? Which that's a great question, right? Right away when I saw that, I thought that is a good question right there, because it it uh it could keep dealers awake at night, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:16

So what I mean is that while a dealer's showroom was closed last night, buyers were still shopping. They were looking at inventory, they were comparing payments, they were checking trade values, they were thinking about financing, and ultimately, in many cases, they were ready to take that next step. The problem is that most dealers' websites still stop at shopping. They show the car, they capture a form, and then they ask the buyer to wait. But buyers don't shop on dealers' time, you know, and schedules anymore. Right. The question is whether they can buy from you when they are ready. And that is the real opportunity for dealers. Turning their website from a passive brochure into a true 24-7 sales channel.

The Gap Between Shopping And Buying

Jim Fitzpatrick 2:02

Now, most dealers already have websites and they've got online inventory, as you know. Um, they've got all of the necessary lead forms and chat tools. Um, but but where is the gap between online shopping and actual online buying? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Well, Jim, the gap is simple. Most dealer websites generate leads, but they do not generate enough actual sales. Now, a buyer can usually view a vehicle, they can click around, maybe fill out a form, maybe ask for a payment or request a callback. But in many cases, they cannot actually structure the deal, value the trade, apply for credit, select FI products, e-sign, leave a deposit, or schedule delivery all in one connected flow. Now that creates friction. And friction creates lead decay, it creates ghosting, yeah, it creates, most importantly, lost sales. So we know that dealers spend thousands of dollars driving traffic to their websites. Yeah, that's for sure. But when the buyer is ready to move forward, the website still says fill out this form and wait. So most dealer websites generate leads. Car Jaffee helps them generate sales.

Jim Fitzpatrick 3:18

Yeah, yeah, fantastic. So you brought with you a video that shows the difference between shopping online and actually buying online, as we were just talking about. What should dealers watch for?

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Well, I think dealers should watch for the exact moment when buyer intent breaks down. Okay. The customer is not looking for another lead form, they're not looking for another callback. Yeah, they are trying to actually move that purchase forward. And that is the difference between shopping and buying. Shopping is browsing inventory, calculating payments, submitting a lead. Right. Buying, though, is when the customer can actually structure that deal, they can handle that trade, they can apply for financing, they can they can select F and I, leave deposit, and move towards completion. So shopping is not buying, and that difference is where dealers are losing sales every single day.

Jim Fitzpatrick 4:11

For sure. Let's let's go to the video if we can, okay?

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Excellent.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Yeah.

Video Proof Of Intent Lost

SPEAKER_00 4:15

8 47 at night, but the kids are asleep. I found the vehicle I want. One specific car, the decision already made. Now it's all up to the website. The dealer's site, busy, full of buttons. Chat with us. Calculate your payment. Request more info. Every button opens a form or a chat window. But it's late, no one's online, and nothing here lets her buy. So now what? Nowhere left to go. So she closes the laptop. Shopping, it turns out, is not buying. Same car, same dealer website. Now it can transact. She builds and prices it. Multiple lenders answer in real time. Protection priced up front. Photos in, offer locked. She signs. The DMS updates. Every step, one place. Before midnight, it's confirmed. No phone call. No waiting until morning. She didn't skip your team. She wanted to self-serve. And your sales team gets a finished deal, not a cold lead. Both dealers had the same car, the same price. Only one could finish. Not a lead, a complete transaction. That difference decided everything.

Jim Fitzpatrick 5:57

Wow, very powerful. The future is here, right? With Car Jiffy, that's for sure. Exactly. Oh my gosh, that that is a dealer's dream come true. Instead of walking into a list of leads, you're walking into sales.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

A transaction closed, yes.

Jim Fitzpatrick 6:11

That is fantastic. So talk to us about that. That video makes really the distinction. Why is that so important for dealers that are watching?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

Yeah. The buyer in that video did not need more information. Yeah. They needed a way to buy. This is the moment dealers need to really pay attention to. Your buyer may start on your website, but if they cannot move that transaction forward there, the sale can close somewhere else. That's right. Dealers don't lose sales only to the store across the street or across town. Increasingly now, they lose deals to convenience. The dealer who makes it easiest for the customer to take that next step is the dealer with the advantage.

Jim Fitzpatrick 6:51

Yeah. Yeah, there's no question about it. And uh and if you're if your competitor has Car Jiffy and you don't, guess what? They got one up on you, right? In a very, very big way. So how does Car Jiffy turn a dealership website into a true 24-7 sales channel?

Building A 24/7 Deal Flow

SPEAKER_02 7:08

So Car Jiffy creates a dealer-branded e-commerce experience directly on the dealer's own website. The buyer can structure that payment, they can manage their trade-in, they can apply for credit, select FI products, upload documents, e-sign, leave a deposit, and schedule for pickup or delivery. The key point is that all this happens under the dealer's brand. The dealer keeps the customer relationship, the dealer keeps control, the dealer keeps the transaction. CarGF gives dealers the power of e-commerce without asking them to become a technology company. It helps the website become an active sales channel, not just a digital brochure. And the goal is simple, Jim. Help dealers sell more cars faster and at a higher gross margin.

Jim Fitzpatrick 7:59

Okay.

OEM And Dealer Group Consistency

Jim Fitzpatrick 8:00

Yeah, that's fantastic. How can this platform be leveraged by OEMs or franchise dealer networks, you know, stores that or companies out there, maybe some of the publics or the larger automotive groups that we see out there that really want more consistency and consistent digital retail experience for their for their consumers' uh journey in their stores?

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Great question. And you know, Cargiffy is not just limited to a single rooftop use case. For OEMs or franchise dealer groups, the platform can be tailored or made bespoke to support a consistent brand experience across their dealer network, still allowing each franchise dealer to keep the transaction, the customer relationship, and the local sales process. So we allow this to happen in two ways. One, an OEM can license the Car Jiffy platform for use by its franchise dealers with the support of the Car Jiffy team. Or two, the OEM can license the platform for in-house development and further customize it for their own OEM brand, retail standards, and long-term digital strategy. So the value is that OEMs can accelerate true e-commerce capability across their dealer network without starting from scratch, while dealers still get the benefit of 24-7 sales channel under their own retail environment.

Salespeople Get Better Conversations

Jim Fitzpatrick 9:22

Some dealers may worry that the online buying uh experience takes the salesperson out of the deal. How do you respond to that? Yeah, a fair question.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

But Cargiffy is not about replacing salespeople, it is about making salespeople more effective. Technology here creates the opportunity, your people still close the relationship. Instead of starting with a cold lead that says, I'm interested, the sales team can engage a buyer who's already structured their payments, entered trade details, explored financing, or selected options. Now that is a very different conversation. It is higher intent. It's more productive. It helps the sales team spend less time chasing low quality leads and more time working with buyers who are already moving towards that purchase.

Jim Fitzpatrick 10:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

Car JFE does not replace your sales team, it hands them buyers.

Jim Fitzpatrick 10:16

It sure does. Wow, that that's fantastic. What kind of real world uh impact can dealers see when buy uh when buyers are able to transact online?

Results, Margin, And Selling Farther

SPEAKER_02 10:26

Yeah, listen, the impact can be very meaningful because dealers are capturing buyers at the moment of intent. One dealer group generated more than 60 online vehicle sales in four months, representing approximately $2.9 million in incremental gross revenue, including sales that happened while their showroom was closed. Now that matters because there were not just clicks, there were not just leads, there were buyers moving through the transaction. Wow. The future is not about generating more leads, right? It's about converting more buyers. And for dealers, the more sales opportunities, the faster deal flow, the better prepared customers and the potential to protect or improve gross margin, that is what this process is structured to do.

Jim Fitzpatrick 11:13

Sure. Um you mentioned higher gross margin and how can an online buying flow help dealers improve profitability, not just volume? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

Well, I mean, a structured buying flow creates a better process overall. When the customer is guided through payments, trade, financing, FI in one connected experience, the dealership has the opportunity to present value earlier and more consistently. That can mean stronger F and I attachment opportunities, less wasted time on incomplete leads, and a more efficient handoff to the sales and finance teams. Less friction can mean more deals faster and often more profitably. So the point is not just to sell cars online, the point is to create a better sales process that helps dealers sell more cars faster at higher gross margins.

Jim Fitzpatrick 12:07

Yeah, I love it. I love it. Um how does this change the dealer's ability to sell beyond their local market?

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Well, a traditional dealership is is often limited by geography and their store hours. But when the transaction can move forward online, buyers from outside the immediate market can engage, they can structure the deal, they can leave a deposit, they can schedule delivery or pickup. That expands the dealer's selling radius without adding rooftops, without adding major headcount, and without giving the customer relationship to a third-party marketplace. I mean, think about it. Your next customer does not have to live five minutes from your dealership.

Jim Fitzpatrick 12:44

That's right, that's right. Yeah, there's no question about

Own The Transaction, Try 60 Days

Jim Fitzpatrick 12:47

it. Why is it so important that the transaction happens on the dealer's own website instead of a marketplace or third-party uh platform?

SPEAKER_02 12:55

Yeah. Well, because whoever owns the transaction owns the customer relationship. They own the data, they own the brand experience, they influence the margin opportunity, and they control the path from first click to delivery. Yeah. And that is why this matters so much to dealers. The question isn't whether cars will be sold online, the question is whether dealers will own that transaction. Sure. Now, Cargiffy is built to keep that transaction inside the dealer's ecosystem, under the dealer's brand, undersite, connected to the dealer's team.

Jim Fitzpatrick 13:31

For dealers watching this interview right now, what's the one thing that you would invite them to do next on this? Because there's going to be a lot of dealers out there that go, I need to learn more about this, especially after them seeing that video, right?

SPEAKER_02 13:43

I would invite them to have a conversation with us.

Jim Fitzpatrick 13:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

We are so confident that Cargiffy can help dealers create sales value, helping them sell more cars faster at a higher gross margin, that any dealer who connects with us after this interview can access a 60-day on-us platform use incentive. Okay. No strings attached, no long-term commitment. Use it. Put it on your website, let your buyers experience it. Let your team see the quality of the opportunities that it creates. Someone is going to buy a vehicle online tonight. The question is, can they buy it from your dealership?

Jim Fitzpatrick 14:17

That's right. That's right. And why not be first on the block, right? Indeed. First in your marketplace, maybe first in your state to have a program like this. This is fantastic. So where can they go to take advantage of the 60-day 60-day on us incentive? I love it.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Well, I think they can connect with me directly after this interview, and we'll set up a quick conversation to understand the dealership, their website, their sales process, and whether Car J fee is a fit. And again, the offer is simple. If a dealer wants to see whether their website can become a true 24-7 sales channel, we are prepared to let them use the platform for 60 days on us. That's great. No strings. Wow. Nothing.

Jim Fitzpatrick 14:54

Yeah, that's fantastic. Yeah, no long-term contracts. Just use it and experience deals from it and uh and then you know make your decisions from there. Exactly. That's fantastic. Exactly. That's great. Gary Ningwai, Chief Revenue Officer at Car Jiffy. This has been very enlightening. Thank you so much for coming in. I know there's going to be a whole lot of questions that our dealer audience is going to have. So thanks so much.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

Thank you for having me. Look forward to those questions. Great.

Announcer 15:18

Thanks for watching Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick.