When it comes to buying a car, consumers increasingly look to find a car, estimate payments and finance their purchase online. To remain relevant, dealers and lenders must make this easy for customers. Three industry experts will share tips for facilitating the online car-buying experience at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 20 during the Auto Finance Summit, which returns as a virtual event Oct. 20-22.
Nathan Hecht, founder and chief executive of Rodo, joins Brian Jones, chief executive of Gravity Lending, and Toby Russell, co-chief executive of Shift, to lead a discussion on meeting the customer at the touchpoints they determine, using technology to introduce compelling financing offers and building a brand with differentiated customer experiences.
Hecht, who started the leasing and financing app Rodo after purchasing a car at a dealership, has made it a career to put technology to use. He founded multiple companies before Rodo, including Kurrenci, a digital currency, Dstrux, a startup that can secure and destroy personal data, and Components International, a semiconductor business.
As chief executive of the auto refinance fintech Gravity Lending, Jones has guided the company to profitability and triple-digit growth within its first 12 months. Before joining the Austin-based fintech, Jones started his career with an online vehicle service contract company and later served in an executive role with an automotive refinance company, which he transitioned out of debt.
Before helping to lead Shift, an e-commerce platform for the purchase and sale of used vehicles, Russell was managing vice president at Capital One, where he led the bank’s technology transformation to mobile. In 2007, he co-founded Taxi Magic, now Curb, the first on-demand mobile transportation booking technology. Russell also led a $12 billion renewable energy and efficiency investment program for the U.S. Department of Energy and served as a project leader at Boston Consulting Group.
As the auto finance industry works through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming ever more critical for dealers and lenders to embrace digital processes. To learn more about improving the online car-buying experience, register for the Auto Finance Summit here.
