Real-Time M&A Intelligence for 18,000+ Dealerships
Databricks
Python (Django)
React
AWS S3
Gemini
Tech Stack
Client Profile
Industry
Automotive
Region
North America
Technology
Databricks
Overview
A leading automotive advisory firm that provides M&A and investment insights for the U.S. car dealership market struggled to leverage its raw data, coming from over 18,000 dealerships spanning decades. Each record had roughly 150 fields drawn from Polk, Helix, demographic and population datasets and other open sources and APIs. This had issues of inconsistent formats, missing common identifiers that prevented easy merging, and large gaps. These problems slowed extraction of actionable insights: full data refreshes took more than a week and blocked timely, strategic decisions such as dealership valuations.
To resolve the client's data challenges, Shorthills AI developed JumpIQ, an AI-powered platform that ingests and processes raw data from Polk, Helix, and other open APIs directly into Databricks. A robust data engineering pipeline was built for intelligent merging (using techniques like fuzzy matching and address normalization), cleaning, mapping, and formatting to create a unified “golden record” for each dealership. On this refined data foundation, advanced AI/ML models were deployed for predictive analytics, including revenue forecasting, sales efficiency, dealership valuation, and performance scoring—all accessible through a web-based dashboard offering detailed analytical reports and visual insights.
As a result, the client reduced data processing time from over a week to just 8 hours, gained a single clean and accurate database, and obtained significantly stronger predictive insights that enable faster, more confident strategic decisions.
Pioneering digital retail for automotive marketplaces—launching an end-to-end online transaction engine that increases leads by 2.5x and powers 100+ dealers.
Industry
Automotive Marketplace
Region
North America
Technology
AWS
Executive Summary
A leading automotive marketplaces operator set out to commence digital retailing for categories like motorcycles, powersports, RVs, and boats. Existing flows captured only basic contact info, leaving dealers without intent signals and buyers without an end-to-end online path to purchase. Shorthills engineered an end-to-end platform: a structured six-step checkout (details, trade-in, coverage, delivery/pickup, summary with taxes/fees, reserve & pay) backed by rich third-party integrations for valuation, finance, insurance, delivery, payments, e-signature, and tax. As a result, it ships richer, high-intent leads and full transaction data. Outcomes include higher lead volume and quality and 100+ dealers actively using the product across marketplaces.
Tech Stack
PHP
Node.js
Vue.js
MariaDB
MongoDB
AWS
Pioneering digital retail for automotive marketplaces—launching an end-to-end online transaction engine that increases leads by 2.5x and powers 100+ dealers.
Industry
Automotive Marketplace
Region
North America
Technology
AWS
Executive Summary
A leading automotive marketplaces operator set out to commence digital retailing for categories like motorcycles, powersports, RVs, and boats. Existing flows captured only basic contact info, leaving dealers without intent signals and buyers without an end-to-end online path to purchase. Shorthills engineered an end-to-end platform: a structured six-step checkout (details, trade-in, coverage, delivery/pickup, summary with taxes/fees, reserve & pay) backed by rich third-party integrations for valuation, finance, insurance, delivery, payments, e-signature, and tax. As a result, it ships richer, high-intent leads and full transaction data. Outcomes include higher lead volume and quality and 100+ dealers actively using the product across marketplaces.
Tech Stack
PHP
Node.js
Vue.js
MariaDB
MongoDB
AWS
Modernizing Leading U.S. Automotive M&A with Databricks—unifying data from 18,000+ dealerships into golden records to deliver explainable valuations, standardized forecasts, and 8-hour refreshes
Industry
Automotive
Region
North America
Technology
Databricks
Databricks
Python (Django)
React
AWS S3
Gemini
Tech Stack
Executive Summary
A leading U.S. automotive advisory firm struggled to turn decades of raw data from 18,000+ dealerships—spread across Polk, Helix, demographic datasets, and multiple APIs—into actionable insights. The fragmented and inconsistent data made full refreshes take over a week, delaying critical decisions like dealership valuations. Shorthills AI developed JumpIQ, an AI-powered platform that ingests this data into Databricks, creating unified “golden records” through intelligent cleaning, mapping, and merging. Advanced AI/ML models then deliver predictive analytics via a web dashboard with detailed reports and visual insights. The result: data processing dropped from over a week to 8 hours, the client gained a single accurate database, and predictive insights now support faster, more confident decisions.
Modernizing Leading U.S. Automotive M&A with Databricks—unifying data from 18,000+ dealerships into golden records to deliver explainable valuations, standardized forecasts, and 8-hour refreshes
Industry
Automotive
Region
North America
Technology
Databricks
Tech Stack
Databricks | Python (Django) | React | AWS S3 | Gemini
Executive Summary
A leading U.S. automotive advisory firm struggled to turn decades of raw data from 18,000+ dealerships—spread across Polk, Helix, demographic datasets, and multiple APIs—into actionable insights. The fragmented and inconsistent data made full refreshes take over a week, delaying critical decisions like dealership valuations. Shorthills AI developed JumpIQ, an AI-powered platform that ingests this data into Databricks, creating unified “golden records” through intelligent cleaning, mapping, and merging. Advanced AI/ML models then deliver predictive analytics via a web dashboard with detailed reports and visual insights. The result: data processing dropped from over a week to 8 hours, the client gained a single accurate database, and predictive insights now support faster, more confident decisions.
Challenges
Automotive vehicle segments (motorcycles, powersports, RVs, boats) have shallow lead forms, fragmented flows, and missing tax/finance/insurance steps which slow conversion and weaken dealer follow-up. Without integrated checkout and richer intent capture, acquisition costs rise and high-intent buyers drop off.
Digital retailing
gap
Automotive segments lagged full online purchase capability.
Shallow lead
capture
Legacy forms collected minimal data, limiting dealer follow-up quality.
Complex, multi-party workflow
End-to-end checkout required many external partners and calculations.
Challenges
Automotive segments lagged full online
purchase capability.
Digital retailing gap
Legacy forms collected minimal data, limiting dealer follow-up quality.
Shallow lead capture
End-to-end checkout required many external partners and calculations.
Complex, multi-party workflow
Automotive vehicle segments (motorcycles, powersports, RVs, boats) have shallow lead forms, fragmented flows, and missing tax/finance/insurance steps which slow conversion and weaken dealer follow-up. Without integrated checkout and richer intent capture, acquisition costs rise and high-intent buyers drop off.
What Shorthills Did
We turned shallow lead forms into a full, guided checkout. Buyers move through six clear steps—details, trade-in, coverage, delivery/pickup, taxes/fees, and reserve & pay—so intent and deal terms are captured up front. Behind the scenes, the flow plugs into valuation, finance, insurance, delivery, payments, e-signature, address validation, and tax, sending dealers complete, high-intent leads instead of bare contact info.
End-to-End Checkout
We created a guided flow from “My Details” to Reserve & Pay, including trade-in, optional coverage, delivery/pickup, and a taxes/fees summary—designed for clarity and completion.
Rich Lead Generation & Data Capture
We added steps to capture financing interest, insurance choices, trade-in details, delivery preferences, and deposit data—producing higher-intent, actionable leads for dealers.
Deep Integrations for Transactional Readiness
We delivered an end-to-end online checkout: valuation, insurance, delivery quotes, finance providers, payment gateways, e-signature, address validation, and tax calculation orchestrated to enable a complete online purchase.
PHP/Vue 3/Node.js with MariaDB + MongoDB on AWS; phased delivery, market research-informed UX, and ongoing partner integrations.
Scalable Tech & Iterative Rollout
What Shorthills AI Did
We turned shallow lead forms into a full, guided checkout. Buyers move through six clear steps—details, trade-in, coverage, delivery/pickup, taxes/fees, and reserve & pay—so intent and deal terms are captured up front. Behind the scenes, the flow plugs into valuation, finance, insurance, delivery, payments, e-signature, address validation, and tax, sending dealers complete, high-intent leads instead of bare contact info.
End-to-End Checkout
We created a guided flow from “My Details” to Reserve & Pay, including trade-in, optional coverage, delivery/pickup, and a taxes/fees summary—designed for clarity and completion.
Rich Lead Generation & Data Capture
We added steps to capture financing interest, insurance choices, trade-in details, delivery preferences, and deposit data—producing higher-intent, actionable leads for dealers.
Deep Integrations for Transactional Readiness
We delivered an end-to-end online checkout: valuation, insurance, delivery quotes, finance providers, payment gateways, e-signature, address validation, and tax calculation orchestrated to enable a complete online purchase.
Scalable Tech & Iterative Rollout
PHP/Vue 3/Node.js with MariaDB + MongoDB on AWS; phased delivery, market research-informed UX, and ongoing partner integrations.
Our Solutions
Data Foundation: Lakehouse & Entity Resolution
We stood up a Databricks-powered lakehouse with medallion layers (bronze → silver → gold) and survivorship rules to reconcile conflicts. Fuzzy matching plus brand/state heuristics created a durable golden dealer record across renames, mergers, and closures—an analytics-ready backbone with end-to-end lineage.
Signals & Feature Engineering
On unified records, we built a reusable catalog of 150+ signals per dealership spanning performance, market, and macro indicators. Features are standardized across brands/states and versioned over time, so valuations, forecasts, and benchmarks stay fair and reproducible.
Valuation & Forecasting Engines
A model suite blends store performance with market signals to produce explainable valuations and forward-looking forecasts. Scenario/sensitivity views test brand, geography, and macro assumptions—accelerating buy/no-buy calls with consistent methodology.
Delivery Experience: Analyst App for M&A Workflows
A secure analytics app streamlines real M&A tasks: search/filter/compare, geospatial views, and exportable diligence summaries. Built on governed tables and shared definitions, it keeps every stakeholder aligned—from board decks to deep dives.
Outcomes
An automotive marketplaces operator needed more than basic inquiries—they needed purchase-ready leads and a real online path to sale. With Shorthills AI’s digital retail experience, shoppers complete an end-to-end flow that logs deposits, trade-ins, finance interest, insurance choices, and delivery preferences. Lead volume rises ~2.5× per dealer, and richer context improves follow-ups, lifting sales ~25% per dealer. Dealers get one view of every in-progress deal, while marketplaces onboard 100+ dealers on a single, scalable product. Because key steps are integrated (valuation, tax, payments, e-sign), drop-offs shrink and handoffs are smoother. Net result: more leads, better conversion, and full transaction data to power operations and growth.
Higher lead volume & quality
2.5x increase in leads, per dealer.
Increased sales
25% increase in sales volume per dealer.
End-to-end transaction capture
Deposits, financing preferences, insurance choices logged for each deal.
Also Read
Outcomes
An automotive marketplaces operator needed more than basic inquiries—they needed purchase-ready leads and a real online path to sale. With Shorthills AI’s digital retail experience, shoppers complete an end-to-end flow that logs deposits, trade-ins, finance interest, insurance choices, and delivery preferences. Lead volume rises ~2.5× per dealer, and richer context improves follow-ups, lifting sales ~25% per dealer. Dealers get one view of every in-progress deal, while marketplaces onboard 100+ dealers on a single, scalable product. Because key steps are integrated (valuation, tax, payments, e-sign), drop-offs shrink and handoffs are smoother. Net result: more leads, better conversion, and full transaction data to power operations and growth.
Higher lead volume & quality
2.5x increase in leads, per dealer
Increased sales
25% increase in sales volume per dealer.
End-to-end transaction capture
Deposits, financing preferences, insurance choices logged for each deal.