Live from ASOTU CON 2026, Michael Cirillo sits down with Beth Hill, leader of The Shop by FordDirect, to discuss how dealers can navigate an increasingly crowded technology landscape. Drawing on her unique perspective across legal, compliance, privacy, sourcing, and vendor partnerships, Beth shares the origin story behind The Shop and the challenge it was built to solve: helping dealers identify trusted solutions without wasting valuable time sorting through endless options.

The conversation explores the evolution of dealership technology purchasing, the importance of vendor curation, and the growing need for data governance in an AI-driven environment. Beth explains how FordDirect approaches trust, privacy, and dealer choice, while highlighting why transparency, rigorous vetting, and customer data protection have become foundational requirements for modern automotive technology providers.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro

0:12 Meet Beth Hill and The Shop by FordDirect

1:07 The Origin Story Behind The Shop

3:13 Listening to Dealers and Solving Technology Overload

4:56 Reimagining the Dealership Buying Process

5:35 How Trusted Solutions Are Selected

5:55 The Vendor Certification and Vetting Process

6:59 Dealer Choice Versus One-Size-Fits-All Solutions

8:34 Protecting Dealer and Consumer Data in the AI Era

10:18 Why Dealer Choice Matters More Than Ever

11:24 Curating Technology for Different Dealer Needs

12:39 The Balance Between Curation and Personalization

13:29 How Dealers Can Connect with Beth and The Shop

Connect with Beth Hill at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhill2/

Learn more about The Shop at FordDirect at https://www.forddirect.com/