We’re excited to welcome Holly Thomson as our new Chief Digital Officer at America’s Car-Mart. She will lead our company’s digital transformation and help us better utilize data in all facets of our business so we can deliver a higher-level of service to our customers.
A seasoned digital leader, Holly brings over 20 years of experience leading and developing digital capabilities at Wells Fargo and Ally Bank. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Digital Product & Strategy at Wells Fargo with responsibility for direct-to-consumer products and customer offers. While at Ally Bank, she managed the bank’s digital experience for millions of customers and thousands of auto dealers across the country. Her team won a Forrester “Outside In” Award for the design of Ally’s Mobile Banking App.
She is currently completing her Ph.D. in communication on digital transformation and the role of user experience.
And now she brings her extensive digital expertise to Car-Mart. “I am honored and excited to join such a talented group of industry leaders and professionals at America’s Car-Mart,” says Holly. “The company’s passion for delivering the best customer and associate experience is as impressive as the line-up of digital initiatives the team currently has underway to become the best integrated auto sales and finance company.”
Here’s more about why Holly is excited about Car-Mart:
What drew you to Car-Mart? Why are you excited to join our company?
The team at Car-Mart immediately struck me as a team of professionals rolling up their sleeves and delivering for its customers. This combination of servant leadership and hard work speaks to me personally and professionally as a leader. I knew from the minute I talked to the Car-Mart team that they were focused on all the right things—helping customers find and finance a vehicle that meets their needs, developing their associates, and serving the communities in which they live.
You rarely find a company with as rich a history as Car-Mart’s, embracing innovation and change. Many companies say they want to transform digitally but struggle with getting started or embracing what it takes to do this. Like a seasoned professional, I see Car-Mart stepping up to do whatever it takes to keep its customers on the road.
As the Chief Digital Officer, you will work to enhance the company’s digital transformation and user experience. Why is this important to Car-Mart and its customers?
With so many customers starting their car shopping online, it’s the perfect time to think about how we meet customers where they are – online and in person at the dealership. Car-Mart has such a strong brand and commitment to customer experience that I see an exceptional opportunity. By staying focused on creating a seamless experience that empowers customers to get pre-approved and start shopping while implementing modern technology solutions, we are laying the foundation to maximize our marketing programs and enable future features such as online account management.
We must remember that digital transformation is not an event but a journey. Having a vision and roadmap for what we want to accomplish for our customers is so important. If there is anything that the past three years have shown us, it’s that you cannot wait to see how others are solving the challenges your company is facing, or you will find yourself quickly outpaced. At the same time, you can’t modernize everything all at once. It is a delicate balance of choosing where to transform and how to do it. This is a challenge that I see Car-Mart prepared to do.
What are your hopes and dreams for the company?
I would love to see the success of the past 41 years fuel the innovative approaches we are building in support of our customers and associates—and I think knowing how to leverage our data and build intuitive digital experiences in support of the business is key. We are on our way to becoming the best-integrated auto sales and finance company, and I cannot wait to see where this journey takes us.
