New Lotlinx Survey Finds Only 9% of Dealerships Identify At-Risk Inventory Within 15 Days
2026 Inventory Health Survey reveals delayed inventory risk identification, limited VIN-level visibility and cross-team misalignment are putting dealership profitability at risk
DETROIT, July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lotlinx, the inventory performance intelligence platform for automotive retail, today released findings from its 2026 Inventory Health Survey, revealing significant gaps in how dealerships monitor, evaluate and respond to inventory performance. Among the survey’s most striking findings, only 9% of dealers said they can identify a struggling vehicle within the first 15 days, while most require between 15 and 45 days to recognize inventory that is unlikely to sell within its target window. Click here to see the full survey results infographic.
The online survey, presented to more than 2,000 dealers across the U.S. in June 2026, suggests the industry’s inventory challenge is no longer simply about selling vehicles, but about identifying inventory risk early enough to protect profitability. As margins tighten and digital retail becomes increasingly complex, many dealerships lack the visibility, organizational alignment and decision-making speed needed to act before inventory becomes a financial liability.
The findings point to a broader operational challenge across automotive retail: dealers are not failing because they don’t recognize inventory matters; they’re struggling because their teams, processes and technology often aren’t built to identify and act on VIN-level risk early enough. When inventory decisions are spread across disconnected systems and siloed departments, dealerships lose valuable time, allowing aging inventory, unnecessary markdowns and inefficient marketing spend to erode profitability before corrective action is taken. Additional findings from the survey include:
- Only 12% of respondents said their inventory, marketing, and sales teams are highly aligned when prioritizing vehicles requiring immediate attention.
- Only 14% primarily view vehicle inventory as a depreciating financial asset, while most continue to view inventory simply as products to sell.
- Nearly half of respondents reported having little or no visibility into which individual VINs are receiving sufficient advertising support.
- 67% identified aging inventory as their top day-to-day operational challenge, followed closely by margin erosion and markdown pressure (66%).
- Nearly 87% of respondents reported experiencing at least some degree of technology platform fatigue from managing inventory across multiple disconnected systems.
Taken together, the results suggest that inventory risk isn’t created by any single operational challenge. Rather, it compounds when dealerships identify struggling vehicles too late, manage inventory across disconnected systems and lack alignment between inventory, marketing, and sales. The longer those conditions persist, the more difficult and expensive it becomes to recover lost profitability.
The findings also suggest dealerships continue to underestimate the true cost of aging inventory. Respondents acknowledged overlooking several key cost factors, including margin erosion from delayed sales, opportunity cost of capital tied up in inventory, inefficient marketing spend and operational labor associated with aging vehicles.
“Our research shows that many dealers know they have inventory challenges, but they’re often identifying problems too late to maximize profitability,” said Randy Kobat, Chief Commercial Officer of Lotlinx. “Inventory performance isn’t simply about selling more vehicles. It’s about identifying risks sooner, improving visibility across teams and giving dealers the information they need to act before profitability is lost.”
Lotlinx plans to build on the survey findings through additional research and educational resources throughout the year, examining topics such as VIN-level inventory management, dealership collaboration, marketing efficiency, and emerging best practices for improving dealership inventory health.
Click here to see the full infographic and for more information about how Lotlinx is helping dealers improve inventory health, please visit http://www.lotlinx.com/.
About Lotlinx
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Lotlinx is the inventory performance intelligence company for automotive retail. Purpose-built for franchise dealers, dealer groups, and OEMs, Lotlinx helps retailers improve inventory performance by connecting existing shopper demand to the vehicles that need it most. Through real-time, VIN-specific insights, data-driven recommendations, and AI-assisted execution, Lotlinx helps dealers reduce inventory risk, accelerate turn, improve marketing efficiency, and drive stronger profitability. Learn more at www.lotlinx.com.
For more information John Sternal Merit Mile 561-362-8888 – office 954-592-1201 – mobile jsternal@meritmile.com
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