Rallying PartnerShifts by Devane Gasso
A large attributor to the success of Shift Digital is the strong partner relationships (partnershifts) we have fostered throughout the years, beginning in the automotive industry and branching out to powersports, hospitality, and home improvement. Shift’s wide range of partners includes digital providers, industry leaders in marketing, dealer groups, our OEMs and brands, and many more.
With over 35 brands in our portfolio, we work with over 125 digital service providers who we have recognized as certified partners in our OEM programs. Shift and our certified programs are committed to providing our dealers and retailers with the best technology and services available in the industry. Our solutions do not limit a dealer to a single platform or provider. A key value in program management by Shift Digital is that we have vetted the best digital providers in the industry through a certification process to meet brand requirements. Our OEM programs allow dealers to create a customized suite of solutions across multiple vendors to fit the needs of their unique business.
Our Partner Management team was established in 2021 – goals of this centralized team include managing our vendor partner relationships, identifying new opportunities in new products, and working with our account management teams to optimize our digital programs. Our team also remains up to date on what our vendor partners have to offer in the marketplace and relays important industry updates throughout our account management, field consulting, and dealer support teams.
An interactive channel of communication from our partners to our broader teams is through our Partner Education Series. These virtual learning sessions occur a few times per month and are open for any Shift Digital employee to attend. We host a variety of partners we work with such as certified providers to announce new products, and collaborations, or to share industry updates. The series is not limited to vendors who are certified with our OEM programs – we also use this platform to introduce companies who may provide unique services outside of the scope of our programs in an effort to increase our team’s knowledge when consulting with dealerships.
The series has hosted a variety of partners over the last year. For example, PureCars collaborated with Amazon to provide our teams with insight into their advertising platform with Amazon automotive audiences to deliver Connected TV (CTV) and Over-the-Top (OTT) marketing campaigns. We also hosted TikTok to provide an overview of the booming platform, where they provided great examples of how automotive dealerships are leveraging TikTok as a marketing tool to increase sales. We’re looking forward to having Meta later this spring to teach us how auto brands and dealerships can utilize Facebook & Instagram to better connect with customers. Stay tuned for the future learning sessions to come in 2022!
Questions or would like to be a part of the Partner Education Series? Reach out to partners@shiftdigital.com to inquire about a speaking opportunity.