Salespad
Archive
Earlier articles and commentary on the automotive market, technology and offline sales. They reflect the information available when they were written.Chery in Poland. Fast Market Entry, Dynamic Growth, and a Real Fight for Scale
Chery's 2025 entry into Poland was not a symbolic launch. In a matter of months, the brand built visible scale in SUVs and hybrids, expanded infrastructure quickly, and positioned itself for a much larger role in 2026.
BYD in Poland. A Full Analysis of 2025 Results, Sales Structure, Financing, and the 2026 Scenario
In 2025 BYD stopped being treated in Poland as a curious new entrant and started to look like a brand capable of building real scale. Its strength came from a balanced BEV and PHEV mix, fast fleet adoption, and financing designed for the realities of the local market.
MG in Poland. How a Chinese-British Brand Became a Leader in the New Automotive Landscape
MG moved in Poland from a historical curiosity to the clearest symbol of how fast the competitive balance can shift. Its 2025 scale, broad dealer network, and strong retail traction made it the leading Chinese brand in the market.
Chinese Cars in Poland in 2025
In 2025 Chinese brands moved from a niche topic to a real market force in Poland. The key shift was not just volume, but the build-out of sales and service infrastructure and the pressure it created in core segments.
Complaints are the truth test of a company (and today they often start with an entry barrier)
Complaints reveal whether your company has a predictable process or just good intentions. Without a clear “front door”, customers bounce between departments and silence. With a designed CX process (and the right offline touchpoints), complaints become measurable and improvable.
What 30+ years in automotive taught me (and why offline needs data today)
Automotive sales is not only “salespeople and results”. It’s operations, people, cadence and consistency. Without that, even the best offer falls apart, and offline stays blind where online improves every week.
Why the car-buying journey is still broken (and what AI can actually fix)
Car buying is still a high-friction process: inconsistent info, slow follow-up and disconnected channels. AI doesn’t “solve sales”. It fixes the workflow: context, speed, intent and measurement from online research to the showroom.
EU AI Act for automotive retail: what dealers and importers should know
AI is entering dealer workflows fast: chat, lead scoring, customer support. The EU AI Act introduces obligations around transparency, governance and documentation. You don’t need legal jargon to start: you need a checklist and clear ownership.
“AI Intent Engine”: what it means and how to measure intent offline
Intent is not the same as a lead. An intent engine turns online and offline behaviors into a score that helps teams prioritize follow-up and measure what drives real outcomes.
AI in aftersales: service, loyalty and repeat visits
Aftersales is where dealers can win lifetime value, but service teams drown in repetitive questions and no-shows. AI helps by triaging requests, booking appointments faster and keeping customers informed, without breaking trust.
First‑party data in automotive retail: why third‑party leads will keep getting more expensive
In automotive retail, the most valuable advantage is knowing intent early. First‑party data, collected with consent from your own touchpoints, makes marketing cheaper over time and makes sales follow-up smarter.
Digital retailing vs showroom: connect online and offline without friction
Dealers lose conversions in the handoff between online research and showroom visits. The fix is not “more traffic”. It’s continuity: configurations, preferences and contact history should follow the customer into the store and back into CRM.
Offline retail analytics: showroom “heatmaps” as the missing link in automotive
Dealers measure online traffic precisely, but showroom behavior is often invisible. Offline heatmaps and zone analytics turn physical space into a measurable funnel you can optimize and connect to CRM outcomes.
Chatbot / Conversational AI for dealers: what actually works
A dealer chatbot works when it answers the top questions fast, collects intent signals and hands off to a human at the right moment. It fails when it blocks the customer, hides contact options or has no ownership and measurement.
AI in the sales process: from first call to signature, with structured follow-up
Dealers don’t lose deals because they lack leads. They lose them because the process is inconsistent. AI helps by speeding up response, prioritizing intent, and keeping follow-up structured with clear escalation to humans.
AI in Customer Experience: a true omnichannel journey (online → showroom → service)
Automotive CX breaks when channels don’t share context. With AI + clean data layers, you can unify intent signals, guide the next best action and measure impact across online and offline touchpoints.
AI in automotive: 12 use cases that are already production-ready
Automotive is not only autonomous driving. Across marketing, sales, showroom operations, service and manufacturing, AI is already deployed in workflows that improve speed, consistency and decision-making.
AI in modern dealer campaigns (from creatives to leads)
The best “quick win” for AI in automotive retail isn’t a showroom robot. It’s the campaign workflow. Use AI to create variants, tighten segments, improve landing pages and run cleaner follow-up, while humans keep strategy and compliance.