Last summer, after the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic had subsided, Nissan launched a pilotprogram of its new online shopping platform called Nissan@home, which would let prospective buyers schedulea test drive, sign paperwork and arrange delivery of a new Nissan vehicle from their computer or mobile device.The pilot, which was run at seven dealerships, in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas and Virginia, received generallypositive feedback from customers, so the plan is now getting a nationwide rollout. The Nissan@home platformis one example of a new omnichannel strategy being implemented in the automotive industry, as manufacturersand dealerships respond to consumer expectations that the convenience and speed of e-commerce be seamlesslyintegrated with an in-store experience. Consumers still want to test drive a vehicle before purchasing such a highticket item: they want to be sure the car drives as they expect, and most wish to make sure it is the right fit forthem by seeing it in person, getting behind the wheel and taking it for a spin. Yet consumers trained by digitaltechnology now demand convenience, assume transactional speed, seek novelty and prefer personalization.As the retail industry continues to employ new technologies, processes and services to respond to the digitallychanged consumer, the auto industry has finally joined this shift to combine digital processes with their physicaldealerships into an omnichannel model of business. Some automakers are even exploring their ability to selldirectly to customers, thereby avoiding dealerships altogether and bypassing state government regulations. Thusfar, that has proved easier said than done.