How Ford Dealer Rebalanced F-150 Mix and Increased STX Movement 150%

A South Carolina Ford dealer had plenty of F-150 inventory, but local shoppers weren't buying every trim equally. While higher-trim trucks accumulated on the lot, buyers were gravitating toward STX and XLT models.

Working alongside a Catalyst IQ Dealer Success Manager (DSM), the store aligned inventory and advertising with that demand, increasing STX movement by 150% and XLT movement by 50%.

The Challenge: An Inventory Mix Built for the Wrong Market

The dealership's allocation leaned toward higher trims like the Lariat, Platinum, and King Ranch. Those trucks move well in a lot of markets, but local buyers here wanted something different.

These buyers wanted STX and XLT trims, the ones with fewer bells and whistles and a lower price tag, but the allocations left little room for them on the lot.

That same disconnect showed up in the dealership's advertising. Campaigns were promoting the higher-trim lineup broadly rather than working to move the specific VINs that were sitting, so the trucks aging on the lot never received the focused push they needed.

The Strategy: Align Inventory and Advertising with Demand

The dealership worked with their Catalyst IQ DSM to get direct visibility into its own market and competitors through MarketAI's real-time data.

The DSM and GM focused on four priorities: Identify the trims buyers wanted most, increase visibility for those vehicles, adjust future inventory accordingly, and convert more website shoppers into leads.

1. Start with what shoppers were already buying.

The DSM opened MarketAI's Market Insights and pulled up the dealership's active inventory, sorted by turn rate.

He walked the GM through the report model by model: the King Ranch was turning at 12% and the Lariat at 15%. Then he scrolled to the STX at 47% and the XLT at 56%.

The dealership was well stocked on higher trims, but STX and XLT were what buyers wanted most.

2. Increase visibility for the highest-demand trims.

As allocation started shifting toward the STX and XLT, the DSM built social media advertising and Google Vehicle Ads shopping campaigns around each new group of vehicles as they arrived.

The focused campaigns generated stronger demand right away, lifting social click-through rate 33% for the XLT and 23% for the STX.

As the campaigns picked up momentum, the STX kept moving on its own, so the team shifted that budget toward the trims still sitting on the lot, keeping spend focused on the vehicles that needed it most.

3. Let market demand guide allocation decisions.

The turn rate data also changed how the GM ordered new inventory. Instead of accepting whatever inventory came down the pipeline, she started requesting specific trims based on what MarketAI showed was selling in her market.

She still took a limited number of Lariat and King Ranch units, but only when they carried a rebate that made them easier to move. The rest of her allocation requests went toward STX and XLT trims.

4. Connect the sales team with more engaged shoppers. 

The dealership also added Engage, Catalyst IQ's lead capture solution that helps dealers identify website visitors and turn more shoppers into verified leads.

Whether a shopper was researching a fast-moving STX or a higher-trim King Ranch that needed the right buyer, Engage gave the sales team visibility into shopper interest and more opportunities to follow up before that customer moved on to a competitor.

The Results: Faster Turns on the Trims the Market Actually Wanted

Aligning inventory and advertising with market demand helped accelerate movement for the dealership's most sought-after F-150 trims.

Ready to Align Your Inventory Strategy with Real-Time Demand? 

Catalyst IQ helps dealers understand what's happening in their market so they can make smarter inventory, pricing, and advertising decisions. With real-time visibility into turn rates, local demand, and competitor activity, dealerships can align their strategy with what buyers are looking for today. 

Schedule a free 15-minute demo to see which vehicles are moving fastest in your market and where the biggest opportunities exist for your inventory.