There's a real struggle in automotive retail right now between the virtual space and the physical space. The question is no longer whether change is coming. The question is whether you are curious enough to reimagine it and integrate it before it disrupts you. 

You can learn a lot from the companies that figured it out—and from the ones that didn't. 

Look at Chick-fil-A. A decade ago, a stand-alone Chick-fil-A averaged around $4 million a year.  

Then Covid hit. Dining rooms closed. Everything changed overnight. That disruption could have crippled the chain. Instead, it forced a question, and that question reinvented the business: 

"How do we make ordering and pickup effortless and fun for the guest?" 

While a lot of restaurants went into defensive mode, Chick-fil-A got curious. It reimagined the experience, and that single shift in thinking set a doubling in motion. 

It reinvented the drive-thru. Many locations now run three lanes instead of one. Young team members wearing headsets move through the line with energy, purpose and a pleasing service personality. Guests don't mind waiting, because they know the process works and because the Chick-fil-A team cares. 

The result? That same kind of location now pulls in roughly $9 million a year. The chain didn't just grow—it more than doubled. 

It didn't fight change. It reimagined it and then integrated it. 

Now contrast that with Nordstrom. 

Nordstrom once represented something special. You walked in and found premium brands, knowledgeable and caring associates, and a true guest experience that was difficult for competitors to match. A real professional guided you through the process. The department store chain understood fit, style, fabric and presentation. The experience had value because expertise had value. 

Today, much of that experience is gone. The message now feels like: "It's easier if you just order online." 

But here's the problem: Luxury without premium service is not luxury, and it is not Nordstrom, or at least that's what guests had been trained to believe. 

Nordstrom had an opportunity to blend the physical and virtual experience. Imagine if it had used technology to enhance the expertise of the associate instead of replacing it. 

Picture this: A guest walks in. The associate determines the proper fit and style. Then the guest stands before a digital screen displaying extended online inventory tailored specifically to his or her body type and preferences. The associate helps narrow the selection and schedules a personalized fitting. 

That model would have elevated both the technology and the professional. 

Instead, Nordstrom removed the human connection from the process. When that happened, top talent was replaced with order-takers. And once expertise disappeared, differentiation disappeared with it, and the Nordstrom experience died. I love Nordstrom. I just don't shop there anymore for anything luxury. 

That's the danger facing many industries today, including automotive retail. 

Technology is not the enemy. Lack of curiosity is. 

The leaders winning today are not choosing between digital and physical. They are learning how to integrate both into a seamless guest experience. 

In automotive retail, guests now arrive through three different doors: the virtual door, the relationship door and the walk-in door. Each path may require a different process, different communication and a different pivot point. 

The dealerships that thrive will be the ones willing to examine where friction exists between the online and in-store experiences and then smooth it out. 

That takes curiosity. That takes humility. That takes leadership. 

Because change is coming, whether you want it or not. 

LEARN MORE: Embracing Disruption With a Partner for the Future

David R. Ibarra is chief visionary officer at Live Ready Institute and a nationally recognized leadership coach, entrepreneur, speaker and author.