How It Works

Real data. No vendor spin. Free to access.

DealerSignals scans dealer websites to detect what software is actually running — across 14 technology categories and 300+ vendor signals. The results are published as free, publicly accessible Signal Reports updated with every scan. Here's how the platform works and what's coming next.

From dealer website to published market intelligence.

The DealerSignals pipeline turns publicly observable dealer website signals into structured, anonymized market data — automatically, continuously, and without any dealer participation required.

01

Scanner

Our headless browser visits dealer websites and scans the homepage, inventory page, and vehicle detail pages for each dealer in our dataset. The scanner runs 5 sites simultaneously and completes a full state dataset in under an hour.

02

Fingerprint Matching

Each page is tested against a library of 300+ vendor fingerprints — unique patterns in script URLs, iframe sources, JavaScript variables, and HTML markup that identify specific software platforms. Fingerprints are continuously refined as vendors update their implementations.

03

Segment Classification

Every dealer is classified as franchise, independent, or BHPH based on detectable signals. This segmentation means the data can be filtered meaningfully — the tech stack of a BHPH dealer in Texas looks very different from a franchise Ford dealer in California.

04

Aggregation & Anonymization

Detections are aggregated into market-level statistics by state, segment, and category. Individual dealer records are never published. The platform reports what percentage of dealers use a given tool — not which dealers specifically.

05

Signal Reports

Aggregated data is published as free, publicly accessible Signal Reports. Pick a state, filter by segment, and see the vendor adoption landscape for that market. No account required. Updated with every scan.

📡

No Account Required

Signal Reports are publicly accessible. No registration, no credit card, no trial period. Just open the page and look at the data.

🔒

No Individual Dealer Data

No individual dealership is identified in our published data. Anonymization is architectural — it cannot be toggled by any subscriber at any level.

🚫

No Vendor Relationships

We do not take advertising, sponsored placements, or fees from vendors that would influence our data. Independence is structural, not a policy.

Everything currently available — at no cost.

DealerSignals is free because dealers deserve honest market intelligence without another vendor subscription attached to it. Here's what's available right now.

📊 Signal Reports

State-by-state dealer technology adoption data. See adoption rates by category, top vendors by market, and how your state compares to national averages. Filter by franchise, independent, or BHPH segment.

  • National and state-level data
  • 14 technology categories
  • Franchise / Independent / BHPH filtering
  • Top vendor rankings per category
  • No account required
Open Signal Reports →

⭐ Vendor Ratings

Independent vendor ratings from G2 and Capterra shown alongside real adoption data. See what dealers actually think of the software they're running — star ratings, review counts, and top pros and cons from verified users.

  • 25+ vendors rated
  • G2 and Capterra aggregated
  • Pros and cons from real dealer users
  • No vendor influence on ratings
  • Shown in context with adoption data
See Vendor Ratings →

Don't see your state yet?

We're expanding state by state. Select any uncovered state in Signal Reports to submit a data request — we'll prioritize it for the next scan and notify you when it's ready.

Request Your State →

Building the layer that makes this a platform.

The free data is the foundation. What we're building next turns DealerSignals from a data source into a community — where dealers contribute to the intelligence and benefit from it at the same time.

Coming Soon
🏷️

Dealer Registry

Register your dealership and get a personalized tech stack report — automatically scanned, scored, and benchmarked against peers in your state and segment. Free as a carrot, valuable as a tool.

Coming Soon
🔍

Verified Vendor Reviews

A dealer-only review platform where every reviewer is verified against our scan data. Not anonymous submissions — confirmed reviews from dealers who actually use the software they're rating.

Coming Soon
🤝

Dealer Membership

A membership tier for dealers who want to go deeper, contribute to the data, and be part of the community shaping how this industry understands itself. Details coming soon.

Founding Member Opportunity

Want to help shape what comes next?

We're building membership with input from dealers — not for them. If you want early access to the registry, verified reviews, and the founding member community, reach out. No commitment, just a conversation.

Express Interest →

Honest market intelligence — even if you're a vendor.

If you sell software to car dealers, DealerSignals shows you where you actually stand — real adoption rates, independent ratings, and market penetration broken down by state and dealer segment. No sponsored rankings. No pay-to-play visibility.

We don't take vendor money to improve ratings or boost visibility in our data. That independence is the point. But if you want to understand your market position honestly and have a conversation about what the data shows, we're open to that.

Get in Touch →
📍
Real Market Penetration
Your actual adoption rate by state and dealer segment — not a self-reported figure.
📊
Competitive Landscape
See exactly who you compete with and where the market is concentrated.
Independent Ratings in Context
Your G2 and Capterra ratings shown alongside real adoption data.
📈
Growing Coverage
As we expand to all 50 states, your market picture becomes more complete.

Start with the data. See what you find.

No account. No credit card. No sales call. Just open Signal Reports and see what dealers in your state are actually running.

Open Signal Reports Get in Touch