Turning Solidus into a Full Stack Car Dealership and Rental Platform

A New Blueprint for Car Dealerships and Rentals

I am currently working on one of the most exciting and technically rewarding projects of my career. It turns the Solidus ecommerce framework into a powerful, automated platform for car dealerships and rental businesses.

The project is designed to be a repeatable blueprint for smaller private dealerships who need more than just a website. They need a growth-ready backend, accurate data, and automation that saves time and converts better.

Let me walk you through what this platform does.

Rentals with Real World Flexibility

The rental module is built to reflect how car rental actually works — not how generic ecommerce systems imagine it.

  • Dynamic pricing lets you define higher rates for weekends, public holidays, or peak seasons (e.g. Christmas, summer break, ski weeks). You can also set discounted rates for low-demand periods, like midweek rentals or off-season months.

  • Customisable rental addons are available per vehicle. Examples include:

    • Coolboxes or camping kits
    • Trailer boxes for extra storage
    • Reduced insurance excess (e.g. lowering the deductible from €2,500 to €500)
    • Pre-cleaning or disinfection fees
    • Winter tyre surcharge for legal compliance in alpine areas

  • Down payments and deposits can be tailored per car. Some luxury or commercial vehicles may require a higher pre-authorisation than others.

  • Admin fees such as one-time processing or paperwork charges can be defined globally or per booking, ensuring full cost transparency for both the customer and your accounting.

  • Free daily kilometres are configurable, with smart handling of overage:

    • If a vehicle includes 200km per day, extra distance is billed at a fixed per-kilometre rate.
    • Prepaid bundles (e.g. 100km blocks) can be offered at a discount, added during checkout.

  • Licence and age checks can be applied:

    • Vehicles can require a specific minimum age (e.g. 23+ for vans)
    • Driving licence categories (e.g. B or BE) are displayed and validated during booking
    • Vignette and insurance coverage details are shown automatically to comply with regulations

  • Availability logic and calendar rules:

    • Real-time sync ensures that a vehicle cannot be double-booked
    • Custom pickup and return windows (e.g. Mon–Sat, 08:00–18:00) with buffer time handling
    • Same-day turnaround and minimum rental durations can be enforced

Everything is editable via the admin backend and tailored per vehicle — no one-size-fits-all rules. Whether you're renting out city cars, luxury SUVs, or trailers, the system adapts to the operational realities of your dealership.

Sales and Finance Options

For dealerships focused on vehicle sales, the platform offers an end-to-end solution that goes far beyond static listings.

  • Structured vehicle specs and options are pulled from a global automotive database. This ensures every listing includes accurate information such as:

    • Engine performance, fuel type, emissions, and drivetrain
    • Exterior dimensions, tyre size, and towing capacity
    • Trim levels, optional equipment, and visual extras

  • Financing and leasing logic is integrated directly into the vehicle page:

    • Customers can view monthly instalments based on real pricing logic
    • Down payments and balloon payment options are configurable
    • Leasing details (duration, mileage, residual value) can be displayed for business clients
    • Voucher-based payments are supported — useful for gift purchases, promotions, or insurance-backed schemes

  • Smart vehicle listings allow customers to filter by:

    • Fuel type (e.g. petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid)
    • Body style (e.g. estate, SUV, van, coupe)
    • Optional extras (e.g. heated seats, parking assist, infotainment)
    • Financing eligibility or availability
    • Price range, age, or mileage

  • Lead tracking and booking workflows are baked into the system:

    • Interested buyers can request test drives or a callback
    • Admin users see exactly where the lead came from (campaign, organic search, direct)
    • Quote generation and follow-ups are automated with internal status updates

  • Marketing attribution tracking connects the dots from ad click to lead:

    • UTM parameters are recorded and tied to each enquiry
    • Channels like Google Ads, Facebook, or email campaigns are linked to conversions
    • Reporting dashboards help dealerships understand which campaigns generate the most qualified leads

Dealerships can also fine-tune which features appear on each vehicle listing:

  • Enable or disable trade-in evaluations
  • Offer referral bonuses for customer acquisition
  • Highlight seasonal incentives or special financing conditions

Every component is designed to be flexible, GDPR-compliant, and fully customisable per dealership.

Garage Booking System

The garage module transforms traditional phone-based service bookings into a modern, automated, and trackable digital experience. It is designed to support the unique operational needs of each dealership or workshop.

  • Customisable services per dealer:

    • Dealers can define their own service offerings such as oil changes, annual inspections (Pickerl), tyre swaps (seasonal or emergency), brake checks, battery diagnostics, or air conditioning maintenance
    • Each service includes pricing, estimated duration, required vehicle type, and optional descriptions for upselling

  • Flexible payment logic:

    • Services can be offered as prepaid online bookings to reduce no-shows and secure commitment
    • Alternatively, customers can choose on-site payment by invoice or card, depending on the dealer's preference
    • Optional admin fees or weekend surcharges can be set per service

  • Voucher integration:

    • Customers can redeem prepaid service vouchers (e.g. winter check, service packages) or buy them as gifts
    • Vouchers can be limited to certain services or timeframes, supporting promotional campaigns and repeat business

  • Real-time appointment calendar:

    • Dealers define their available working hours, blocked times (e.g. lunch breaks, holidays), and service-specific slots
    • Customers see only valid time options for the selected service and car type
    • Each booking automatically respects service duration and technician availability

  • Automated notifications and reminders:

    • Customers receive confirmation emails instantly upon booking
    • Reminder emails or SMS can be triggered 24–48 hours before the appointment
    • The admin dashboard allows team members to add internal notes, reschedule bookings, or mark them as completed

The system supports multiple garages or locations and can adapt to seasonal workloads (e.g. tyre season or winter checks). It creates a seamless booking flow that benefits both the customer and the service team, reducing administrative effort and increasing service reliability.

Contextual Email Automation

The platform includes a powerful email automation engine that blends transactional reliability with marketing flexibility — all while staying compliant with GDPR and local data protection rules.

  • Contextual automation flows:

    • Custom-built email sequences can be triggered for different user journeys: new leads, rental confirmations, booking reminders, test drive follow-ups, or voucher purchases
    • Logic branches allow dynamic adaptation based on what the user did — e.g. viewed a vehicle but didn’t convert, cancelled a booking, or completed a service

  • Dynamic content personalisation:

    • Emails automatically adapt based on vehicle type (e.g. car, bus, trailer), extras selected, and customer preferences
    • Templates can include dynamic fields like booking times, dealership address, salesperson name, or next best offer
    • Seasonal promotions or inventory-based messages can be included based on availability (e.g. “Only 2 vans left for the weekend”)

  • Support for transactional and promotional emails:

    • The system separates transactional communications (e.g. confirmation emails, password resets, invoice delivery) from promotional campaigns, ensuring compliance and deliverability
    • Admins can schedule promotional campaigns (e.g. winter service reminders, rental specials) with segmentation by user action, location, or customer status

  • Full GDPR compliance and consent tracking:

    • Each user action is logged with a timestamped consent record, and every promotional message includes clear opt-out mechanisms
    • The admin can see consent history per user and define rules for when and how certain messages are allowed
    • Separate consent is managed for newsletters, service reminders, and partner offers

  • Extendable logic with no-code controls:

    • The scheduling engine uses Airflow-like orchestration, allowing admins to define timing and conditions visually
    • Most flows (like booking reminders or review requests) can be adjusted without writing code
    • Power users can still define advanced conditions or inject custom logic if needed, enabling endless scalability

This module turns communication into a growth engine — reducing no-shows, improving conversion rates, and building long-term customer relationships. It’s ideal for dealerships and garages that want to stay top-of-mind without chasing manual follow-ups.

Data, Tracking and Growth

The platform is designed with growth, analytics, and compliance at its core — giving dealerships and marketers full visibility into performance, user journeys, and campaign outcomes.

  • Deep event tracking across the full stack:

    • Every critical interaction — from page views and filter clicks to add-on selections, form submissions, and checkout confirmations — is tracked in real time
    • Events are tied to individual sessions and users (when allowed), enabling a full funnel view from ad click to post-purchase or post-service engagement

  • Reliable server-side tracking:

    • In addition to standard frontend analytics (e.g. GA4, Meta Pixel), events are also captured server-side for greater accuracy, especially in environments with ad blockers or restricted cookies
    • Server events include verified conversions (e.g. booking confirmed, payment received), enabling better attribution and retargeting logic

  • Strict privacy compliance with geographic logic:

    • Users are classified as EU or non-EU using IP-based geolocation
    • Tracking scripts and cookie behaviour are dynamically adjusted to comply with GDPR, ePrivacy, and other local laws
    • Consent is tracked at event-level granularity, with full audit trails available in the backend

  • Automated audience building and segmentation:

    • Based on user behaviour, the system automatically creates smart audiences for use in:
      • Google Ads remarketing
      • Meta campaigns
      • Lifecycle emails (e.g. follow-ups, upsells, winback flows)
    • Audiences include segments like: “Started booking but didn’t complete”, “Viewed car for 2+ minutes”, or “Last booked more than 6 months ago”

  • Custom UTM tracking and campaign attribution:

    • All inbound traffic is tagged with UTM parameters, which are stored and passed through the funnel, even across multi-step forms and email journeys
    • Admins can generate detailed source–medium–campaign reports, see which traffic converted, and measure campaign ROI per channel

  • Ready for enterprise analytics stacks:

    • Native support for BigQuery, Snowflake, and Redshift means raw data can be exported for deeper BI analysis
    • Event schema is clean and consistent, making it easy to plug into tools like Looker Studio, Power BI or any custom dashboards
    • Optional webhook support allows live forwarding to CRMs, marketing platforms, or Slack channels

Unlike generic eCommerce setups that hide or throttle data, this system gives dealerships full control over their tracking infrastructure — meaning they can move fast, optimise effectively, and own their growth data without compromise.

Flexible Promotions and Referral Programs

The platform includes a powerful promotion engine designed to handle both everyday discounts and complex growth campaigns — without relying on external plugins or manual work.

  • Advanced promo rule engine:

    • Configure rules that trigger based on:
      • Rental duration (e.g. “10% off for bookings over 5 days”)
      • Car category or fuel type (e.g. discounts on electric vehicles or premium SUVs)
      • Booking or purchase date (e.g. early bird offers or seasonal sales)
      • Voucher code usage, with single-use or multi-use logic
    • Admins can define stacking rules, exclusion logic, and tiered incentives — all directly in the dashboard

  • Referral program support with full tracking:

    • Customers can refer friends using a personal referral link or code
    • The system tracks referral attribution across sessions, devices, and channels — ensuring rewards are applied even with delayed or indirect bookings
    • Both referrer and referee can be rewarded with:
      • Fixed value or percentage discounts
      • Bonus services (e.g. free upgrade, free cleaning)
      • Vouchers for future use

  • Voucher system for flexible use cases:

    • Sell and issue vouchers that can be:
      • Redeemed for vehicle rentals
      • Applied toward car purchases or down payments
      • Used for garage services or accessory add-ons
    • Vouchers can have fixed values, minimum usage thresholds, expiration dates, and branding per dealership

  • Smart cart logic for optimal discounts:

    • During checkout, the platform automatically detects the best available promotion for each order
    • It avoids double-discounting and shows transparent breakdowns to the customer
    • Promo messaging (e.g. “You just unlocked 15% off!”) is integrated into the frontend UX to boost conversion rates

Everything is accessible through a streamlined admin interface — with no need for coding or clunky third-party promo modules. Whether you're running a short-term campaign, building long-term referral loops, or experimenting with loyalty discounts, this system is built to scale with your dealership's growth strategy.

Built for GDPR From the Ground Up

Unlike many platforms that try to retrofit compliance after launch, this platform was architected with privacy-first principles from day one. Every feature that collects, stores, or uses customer data does so in alignment with GDPR — not just to avoid risk, but to build trust and unlock responsible growth.

  • Explicit consent management at every entry point:

    • All lead capture forms, booking flows, and checkout pages include clearly worded consent checkboxes
    • Users can give granular consent for marketing, transactional communication, and third-party sharing where applicable
    • Consent status is stored with timestamps and purposes, ready for audit at any time

  • Email communication based on purpose-specific consent:

    • Promotional emails are only sent to contacts who opted in to that specific category
    • Transactional emails (confirmations, invoices, reminders) are treated separately, as required by GDPR
    • Every email includes a clear unsubscribe link and preference management options

  • Data access, export, and deletion built in:

    • Every customer has a full audit trail available in the admin: consent history, booking and sales data, and communication logs
    • Admin users can fulfil Subject Access Requests (SARs) with a single click, downloading machine-readable data packages
    • Deletion requests are honoured system-wide, with automatic data cascade and backup scrub after expiry

  • Isolation from non-compliant third-party tools:

    • US-based analytics, CRM, or advertising tools are sandboxed using server-side proxies — or avoided entirely when safer EU-based alternatives are available
    • No direct personal data is ever exposed to third-party systems without consent or processing agreements in place

By building compliance directly into the infrastructure, this platform avoids the patchwork risks many legacy systems face. More importantly, it creates a foundation of trust with customers — which is essential in any business involving high-value purchases, sensitive data, or long-term customer relationships.

Privacy is not a blocker to growth — it is the foundation that makes sustainable growth possible.

What Comes Next

This project will be launched in August 2025, and once it is live I will share more details and results. But already it is clear: this is more than just a store. It is a growth engine for smaller dealerships ready to professionalise their digital operations.

If you run or support a dealership and are frustrated with clunky websites or generic software, get in touch. This project could be the start of something much bigger.