Automaker to update Nissan@Home shopping platform

LAS VEGAS — Nissan in March plans to launch an updated version of its Nissan@Home digital shopping platform after working with dealers to improve the remote car buying tool, Judy Wheeler, vice president of Nissan sales and regional operations in the U.S., said at the Automotive News Retail Forum: NADA.

About four months ago, during a Nissan National Dealer Advisory Board meeting, one dealer said the platform was "really good," but there were issues with how it integrated with the store's customer relationship management system, Wheeler said.

The dealer said "the two platforms don't speak to each other," Wheeler recalled.

Nissan started a committee of dealers and began working through the issues they had with Nissan@Home.

Wheeler said that in the last few months, the automaker made several changes to the platform, which she estimated has participation from about 70 to 75 percent of Nissan dealers.

The new version "will include a lot of things they've been asking about," she said. "We're moving in the right direction."

Wheeler also spoke about the need for more mentors for women in the automotive industry.

She leads Nissan's Women's Business Synergy Team, which focuses on helping women ensure their voices are heard and that they advance in their careers.

The group started with only women, but it has expanded to include men, who account for about 40 percent of participants, she said.

Something Wheeler learned in her group, when discussing a Harvard University study, is that flexible work time is a driving factor for employee satisfaction. "It wasn't pay, it wasn't I know I have a good career path," she said.

The auto industry needs to be open and understanding of that, Wheeler said, pointing out that dealership schedules don't traditionally provide that flexibility.

"The dealership environment is not necessarily always super conducive to that," Wheeler said.