As dealerships prepare for the arrival of new model year vehicles, one challenge looms large: optimizing inventory to meet both current demand and future trends. Over-ordering or misaligning your vehicle mix can lead to bloated inventory, sluggish turnover, and costly incentives to move outdated stock. On the other hand, falling short in high-demand segments can mean missed sales and frustrated customers. The key to getting ahead of the model year changeover lies in one critical insight: understanding your historical sales mix.

Why Historical Sales Mix Matters

Your dealership’s historical sales mix isn’t just a record of what’s moved in the past; it’s a roadmap for what to prioritize next. Analyzing this data enables you to make smart acquisition decisions that align with local market preferences, seasonal demand patterns, and profitability targets. Whether it’s SUVs dominating your fall sales or sedans remaining consistent year-round, understanding these trends helps you allocate floor space and floorplan dollars more efficiently as you transition into a new model year. Yet, many dealerships rely on intuition or basic spreadsheets to make these critical decisions. That’s where Dealer360’s software becomes a game-changer.

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Use Analytics to Drive Smarter Inventory Decisions

With Dealer360’s Analytics, you can track real-time inventory levels, view historical sales performance, and leverage predictive insights to build the optimal vehicle mix. No more manual downloads or toggling between dashboards, Dealer360 Analytics gives you a mobile-first command center that puts key performance indicators like turn rate, gross profit by model, and lead-to-sale conversion at your fingertips.

By examining past model year sales, trim-level performance, and time-on-lot data, you can predict which vehicles are most likely to move quickly and which may require deeper discounts or more creative marketing. Dealer360 Analytics allows your team to:

• Identify top-performing vehicle segments year over year
• Spot slow movers early and build strategic markdown plans
• Analyze regional trends and customer preferences
• Create smarter acquisition plans with vendor partners

When your team is empowered by data, your inventory strategy becomes proactive, not reactive.

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Move Aged Inventory with CompTrackr

Even with the best planning, some old model year units will linger past their prime. That’s where CompTrackr steps in to keep your lot moving and your team motivated. As Dealer360’s integrated compensation management tool, CompTrackr gives managers the ability to deploy targeted spiffs and bonuses that incentivize their sales team to prioritize aged inventory.

With just a few clicks, you can create limited-time pay plan add-ons, such as weekend bonuses for moving 2025 models ahead of 2026 deliveries. You can easily monitor performance, adjust spiff budgets, and track results in real time. Plus, because CompTrackr integrates directly with your DMS, your sales team sees exactly how much they’re earning from each sale, adding transparency, motivation, and momentum to every deal.

Key advantages of using CompTrackr for end-of-year inventory clearance include:

• One-minute setup for customizable incentive programs
• Real-time performance tracking and goal progress
• Transparent commissions that reduce turnover and boost morale
• Automated payroll processes that save your office team hours

With CompTrackr, your dealership doesn’t just discount cars, it energizes people to move them.

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Plan Ahead with Dealer360

At Dealer360, we understand the high stakes that come with new model-year releases. That’s why we’ve built tools like Analytics and CompTrackr to help dealerships like yours control their inventory, motivate their teams, and unlock higher profitability at every turn of the calendar. Ready to make this model-year transition your most efficient and profitable yet? Book a demo today and see how Dealer360 can optimize your operations from lot to ledger.