Digital Transformations in Automotive Dealer Chain – Chances and Challenges

In this paper the question of the processes of improving communications in the internal and external environment of dealer enterprises of the automotive industry is raised. It is important for building the more accurate consumer demand prediction for the next period. The opportunities and risks associated with the introduction of digital technologies have been also discussed here. Today there is an acute problem of receiving and consideration of the customers feedback. The objects of the study are organizations that are linked in the supply chain from producer to consumer and the interaction between them in the construction of communication channels. The aim of the work is to identify ways to improve information flows between the manufacturer, importer and dealer and forecasting the development of sales in the automotive industry. The study identified the main ways of technological changes based on the concept of "industry 4.0". These were the processing of big data using cloud storage, mobile technology and blockchain. Based on the analysis of automation of information flows between the plant, the importer and the dealer, the most important aspects of the successful construction of the supply chain were identified. Positive and negative sides in the organization of interaction with end users and suppliers were described. The result of the work is a forecast of IT development in the field of distribution of the automotive industry. To substantiate the effectiveness of the proposed technological changes, the experience of large foreign companies was analyzed, the method of comparing the facts made a forecast for the near future in strategic development, provided the improvement of statistical data to build forecasts and automate the processing of information from the participants of the logistics chain, the methods of assessing the activities. The developed recommendations for improving the work of the dealership are practical and can be applied by various companies in the automotive market. Keywords—digitalization, supply chain, international market, automotive industry, cloud technologies, blockchain, mobile technologies, dealership, forecasting