appRetail.io vs. Micro 21 Dealer Solutions

For five decades, CDK has been delivering innovative solutions that empower dealers to manage their operations and forge stronger connections with customers at over 15,000 retail sites throughout North America. The CDK Dealership Xperience enhances the potential for dealers by offering a range of sophisticated solution suites that integrate smoothly with our Foundations Suite, thereby driving performance improvements. • Foundations Suite: This is the foundational element of the platform that provides essential, built-in capabilities necessary for effectively managing all dealership workflows while ensuring an exceptional customer experience from the outset. • Fixed Operations Suite: Recognized as the most extensive solution available, it enables dealers to cultivate customer loyalty, optimize parts and service operations, and enhance profitability. • Modern Retail Suite: This suite minimizes friction in the buying process and elevates customer engagement and revenue by streamlining and simplifying the purchasing experience that consumers now anticipate. • Intelligence Suite: It leverages the power of data-driven insights to enhance performance and foster customer loyalty through the use of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. In summary, CDK's comprehensive offerings are designed to address the evolving needs of dealerships and their customers, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly changing market landscape.

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) is a purpose-built vehicle sourcing platform that enables car dealerships to acquire high-margin, fast-turning used vehicles directly from private sellers—bypassing auctions, reducing acquisition costs, and accelerating inventory turn. Today’s automotive market is more competitive than ever. Wholesale prices are climbing, auction fees are rising, and reconditioning delays eat into profitability. VAN solves this by giving dealers the tools and talent they need to target, engage, and acquire for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) vehicles in their local market with speed and efficiency. With VAN, dealers can: Access thousands of local private-party listings in real time Use AI-powered filters to find the most profitable cars Automate personalized outreach and follow-up with sellers Track communications, tasks, and acquisition progress in one unified CRM Eliminate auction fees, transport delays, and wholesale surprises For stores that lack time or staff to do this work in-house, VAN also offers a Managed Buyer program—a turnkey service where VAN’s expert acquisition team works on your behalf to find, contact, and negotiate with private sellers. It’s like hiring a full-time buyer without the overhead. Whether you're a single rooftop looking for more control or a large group scaling a private-party acquisition strategy, VAN adapts to your dealership's workflow and goals. Dealers using VAN regularly see faster turn times, higher front-end grosses, and more predictable inventory pipelines. Trusted by over 250 rooftops across the U.S. and Canada, VAN is how modern dealers compete with Carvana, CarMax, and other direct-to-consumer disruptors—by sourcing smarter, not just spending more.

Bidlogix delivers auction software solutions to auction houses globally. We feature both webcast auction software and timed auction options. Our platform is integrated into your website, allowing for complete customization of the design. Founded in 2013 in the UK, Bidlogix has been committed to enhancing its auction software through the efforts of our two dedicated development teams. Currently, our software supports over ten auctions each day, showcasing its reliability and efficiency. Additionally, it is capable of managing extensive auctions in real-time and offers multi-language support to cater to a diverse audience. With a focus on continuous innovation, Bidlogix aims to stay at the forefront of auction technology.

STORIS provides specialized ERP software solutions designed specifically for the home furnishings and appliance sector. Drawing on over 35 years of industry expertise, STORIS creates tools that cater to the unique operational requirements of retailers. Its comprehensive ERP platform seamlessly integrates essential business functions such as Point of Sale, Inventory Management, Logistics and Distribution, Buying Tools, Customer Service, Accounting, Financing, Reporting, Business Intelligence, and System Tools. Additionally, STORIS NextGen is a cloud-based, mobile-friendly solution that significantly reduces transaction processing time from 35 minutes down to just 4-6 minutes. This remarkable improvement not only boosts operational efficiency but also enhances the overall customer experience. By offering integrated, industry-specific solutions, STORIS empowers retailers to optimize their operations and effectively manage their businesses in a competitive marketplace. Furthermore, the flexibility and accessibility of STORIS NextGen allow businesses to adapt quickly to changing demands.

MikMak, a SPINS company, is a global software company that provides a leading commerce intelligence and orchestration platform for multichannel brands, helping them grow in real-time.

Vibe Retail is a retail-exclusive, cloud-based point-of-sale and commerce operations platform built for businesses that sell physical products across one or many locations. While most POS platforms spread their development across restaurants, services, and hospitality, Vibe Retail is engineered solely for retail, resulting in workflows and capabilities that reflect how retailers actually buy, move, sell, and track inventory. The platform acts as a centralized system of record for products, inventory, customers, staff, and suppliers, accessible through a mobile-friendly interface. Retailers can oversee inventory across stores and warehouses, manage product attributes and variations (such as size, color, and material), issue and receive purchase orders, track supplier deliveries, generate custom barcodes, and move stock between locations with real-time visibility. At checkout, Vibe Retail supports a broad range of retail payment methods, including credit and debit cards, cash, checks, gift cards, and EBT. It also accommodates retail-specific workflows such as layaway programs, serialized item tracking, delivery fulfillment, customer loyalty, and branded receipts, with the ability to print receipts directly from mobile devices on the sales floor. For retailers operating both online and in-store, Vibe Retail connects with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, keeping inventory levels, orders, and customer data synchronized across channels. The system includes over 40 real-time analytical reports that provide insight into sales trends, inventory movement, store performance, and operational efficiency, alongside tools for managing promotions and discounts. By concentrating exclusively on retail and no other verticals, Vibe Retail delivers a focused POS and operations environment designed to help retailers reduce complexity, maintain data consistency, and scale with greater operational control.

Kukui's comprehensive success platform stands as a robust integrated marketing software tailored for automotive businesses, empowering them to enhance their brand and reach new levels of achievement. With features that facilitate conversion rate optimization and point-of-sale integration, Kukui also offers essential tools for email marketing, customer retention, and revenue analytics, making it an indispensable resource for growth. By leveraging these capabilities, businesses can refine their marketing strategies and better connect with their audience.

TrueLoyal delivers a next-generation loyalty platform that helps consumer brands keep customers engaged for life. Leveraging AI-driven personalization and omnichannel integration, it allows businesses to design and manage loyalty programs that work across eCommerce, retail, and distributor networks. The platform includes features such as gamification, rewards catalogs, predictive churn prevention, advocacy programs, and receipt-based engagement, enabling brands to turn every interaction into an opportunity for retention. With advanced analytics and data collection, TrueLoyal empowers companies to capture zero- and first-party data to fuel smarter marketing decisions. Its pre-built integrations and open API ensure seamless connectivity with major systems, reducing complexity and accelerating deployment. Case studies from industries like beauty, automotive, and food & beverage highlight measurable results, including over 150% increases in repeat revenue and significant boosts in customer satisfaction scores. Beyond the technology, TrueLoyal offers consulting and strategy services to ensure brands launch with confidence and continuously optimize their programs. Customers benefit from a holistic loyalty ecosystem that drives advocacy through social commerce, user-generated content, surveys, and product sampling. By aligning loyalty initiatives with brand strategy, TrueLoyal transforms transactional relationships into long-term partnerships. Its mission is to provide brands with the flexibility, intelligence, and tools they need to scale retention and revenue in a sustainable way.

Paladin Point of Sale is an all-in-one retail solution built to help independent businesses streamline operations and improve performance. It combines in-store POS, mobile selling, and a ready-to-launch online store, allowing retailers to sell wherever their customers are. Paladin is tailored for specialized industries including hardware, lumber, pharmacy, feed and seed, and general retail. The system integrates EDI with national and regional distributors, helping stores manage inventory accurately without overstocking. Built-in tools support multi-store management, inventory tracking, and daily operations with ease. Paladin also provides managed cybersecurity services to safeguard business systems and sensitive customer information. Its intuitive interface allows store owners to manage operations without advanced technical skills. Dedicated account managers guide businesses through installation and setup for a smooth launch. With USA-based 24/7 support, help is always available when issues arise. Paladin operates on flexible monthly agreements with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. For more than 45 years, Paladin has focused on empowering local communities by supporting local retailers. It is a trusted partner designed to help independent stores run better and grow sustainably.

Introducing intelligent, effective, and discreet People Counters and Analytics for the physical world. Our innovative solution simplifies the process of deploying, capturing, analyzing, and reporting the foot traffic within any given location. Additionally, we offer the option to monitor and report occupancy levels in real-time. We support a variety of sectors, including Retail, Education, Gaming, Religious Institutions, Corporate Offices, and more, helping them to understand and respond to their visitor trends. For retailers, we provide a tailored package designed to evaluate traffic performance, encompassing metrics such as conversion rates and service quality. Our seamless integrations facilitate the combination of point-of-sale data with staffing information. Moreover, the Retail Equation simulator allows users to experiment with different scenarios to boost sales and serves as a valuable educational resource to comprehend the interplay between traffic, staffing, conversion rates, and service excellence. By leveraging these insights, businesses can make informed decisions to optimize their operations.