We thought we’d be on the downside by now. Case loads dropping. Economies opening. Stress levels associated with the pandemic easing back. We thought that’s where we would be by mid-April, but it’s absolutely not where we are. Instead, for …
We’re living in the combined contexts of the pandemic and its many impacts, and the dramatic transformation that is taking hold across the automotive industry. Amid all that, it’s easy to throw superlatives around. And as the line in the …
Man, do we live in interesting times. As I write this note, we are a week past the Capitol riots in Washington. A week away from former Vice President Joe Biden’s inauguration and the concerns surrounding that transition: from a …
Amid the flood of information that comes through our inboxes, once in a while something really stands out. At a time when so much is expected to change in the automotive customer experience and the tools that support the retail …
Admit it, we’ve all done it. In fact, it’s probably the norm more than the exception. What am I referring to? Attending an online event, minimizing the browser window it’s playing in, and carrying on with other work while a …
For car dealers, this isn’t their first rodeo. They’ve lived through recessions and economic downturns of all shapes and sizes, OEM bankruptcies, onerous factory image overhauls and all manner of upheaval — and survived. But even by the standards of …
The cover of this issue was designed to get your attention — so you would read this note. Amid all the upheaval and adjustments we’re making as a result of the pandemic, I felt it important to change focus for …
I love this time of year. It’s finally warm in Toronto, and no doubt across most of the country as well. Everything is green and growing; the picture of new, vibrant life. It’s a time of renewal. A time of …
The news is now dominated by questions around reopening and restarting the economy. That’s good. The economy can’t sustain the level of lockdown we’ve endured through April. Your businesses can’t sustain it, nor can mine. Here’s the challenge, as we …
I don’t know where to begin. But I need to say something, so here goes… Let me start with this: car dealers are the most creative, entrepreneurial, and community-minded group of people I have ever met. The situation we face …
Experiential retail. Direct-to-consumer commerce. Look for a lot of coverage on these two topics (closely linked topics, in fact) in Canadian auto dealer in coming issues. They are very important in terms of the current transformation of retail across categories. …
IKEA is on my mind. It should be on yours. I moved recently. And it got me thinking about remote service and the opportunity for dealers. We needed to get a bunch of new beds, as our move is combining …
