AutoCanada

For Courtney Shaw, Senior Manager of Procurement at AutoCanada, building a centralized procurement function from scratch meant tackling a significant challenge: bringing order to purchasing operations across 80 automotive dealership locations spanning the entire country.

When Shaw joined AutoCanada two and a half years ago, she was the company's first procurement team member. The organization—Canada's largest auto dealership group, encompassing everything from standalone collision centers and used car lots to luxury OEM branded dealerships—had no centralized procurement system, no ERP, and no unified approach to purchasing.

"We really lacked centralized data," Shaw explains. "We didn't have a procurement system, ERP, anything like that." Each location operated independently, credit cards were used without proper controls, and the finance team struggled to process countless individual transactions with limited visibility into spending patterns.

Finding the right strategic relationship

AutoCanada needed more than just a vendor—they needed a smart business buying relationship that could grow with their newly formed procurement department. Amazon Business proved to be that strategic ally, offering solutions that addressed multiple pain points simultaneously.

What set Amazon Business apart? "They're always in constant communication," Shaw notes. "They come to us first with new features that they think will solve issues or challenges that we're facing, and really think of us first and support us, help us with training and implementation throughout the organization."

The power of familiar technology

One of Amazon Business's greatest advantages was its familiarity. Because employees already used Amazon online store for personal purchases, adoption of Amazon Business was seamless. "It's really easy to get buy in and train people because they're so familiar with the personal side and they all have their own account," Shaw explains. "It really does look the same, but you get all those benefits of the company preferred options, the catalogs and the controls that you can put in place, and then the analytics after the fact."

Amazon Business delivered what AutoCanada's growing procurement team needed: spend visibility, centralized reporting, approval workflows, and actionable analytics—all within a single system covering multiple product categories.

Multi-location control: The game changer

For Shaw, the standout feature has been the multi-location account structure with parent account controls. "Everyone just logs in and sees what we want them to see for the most part and does what we want them to do," she says. "There's really no push back and there's no maverick purchasing or anything like that."

This centralized visibility and control transformed how AutoCanada manages procurement across its 80 rooftops, ensuring compliance while maintaining the flexibility each location needs.

Reining in maverick spending

When AutoCanada needed to rein in maverick and reduce corporate card spending, they faced a challenge: doing so could disrupt legitimate Amazon purchasing happening across the organization.

Implementing an invoicing solution with net terms provided the perfect solution. "That pay by invoice option was a necessity. We had to implement it and we were able to do it without any disruption." The feature eliminated administrative burden for the payables team while maintaining purchasing continuity across all locations.

Measurable results

The benefits extend beyond operational efficiency. AutoCanada has realized significant cost savings, particularly in shipping and freight. "We aren't stuck doing bulk purchasing anymore to save on freight. We can just do day to day purchases as needed," Shaw explains.

The ability to conduct price shopping and bid comparisons all in one place has driven additional savings, complemented by a recently implemented rebate program that rewards AutoCanada's consolidated spending volume.

Looking to the future

For Shaw, the relationship with Amazon Business has been transformative. "Amazon Business is pretty much a one stop shop for purchasing for your business. And they really come to the table as a partner and to offer you solutions to all of your challenges."

As AutoCanada continues to evolve its procurement operations, the foundation built with Amazon Business provides the visibility, control, and efficiency needed to support Canada's largest auto dealership group—proving that the right smart business buying relationship can turn procurement from a challenge into a strategic advantage.