Integrations / Inventory and marketplaces
DealerCenter and Lead Friendly
Via feedData moves by a file or feed URL that one side reads or writes. There is no API connection between the two systems. Status checked October 14, 2026.
Inventory moves both ways by feed. DealerCenter delivers your inventory to Lead Friendly as a file that is read on a schedule, and Lead Friendly serves your inventory as a cloud feed that can be read in the other direction. Deals, leads, credit applications and titling do not flow either way and stay where they are.
What moves
- Into Lead Friendly
- Vehicles, prices, status and photo links from your DealerCenter export, delivered as a file.
- Out of Lead Friendly
- Your available inventory as a cloud feed (CSV, TSV or JSON) at a private URL that other systems can fetch.
- Not shared
- Deals, leads, credit applications, accounting and titling. There is no API connection.
How it works
- DealerCenter delivers your inventory file to a Lead Friendly mailbox set up for your rooftop.
- Lead Friendly matches each row to your store by the Dealer ID column in the file.
- The newest file for your store is the full current stock, so an older file never brings a sold car back.
- Stock numbers and photo links are cleaned on the way in, and units missing from the file can be marked sold if you turn that on.
- The vehicles feed your website, the CarGurus and Cars.com pushes, and the outbound cloud feed.
What it does not do
- Feeds only. Lead Friendly has no API connection to DealerCenter and writes no deal or lead data into it.
- It is not a DMS replacement. Keep DealerCenter for titling, accounting, F&I and buy-here-pay-here notes.
- The inbound layout matches DealerCenter’s own export. A file in a different shape needs a mapping change first.
- DealerCenter withholds cars without photos from photo-requiring exports, so a unit with no photo may never reach Lead Friendly.
What to do today
Run both. Keep DealerCenter as the system of record for the deal and let Lead Friendly handle the phone, lead follow-up, website and marketplace listings.
Frequently asked questions
Does Lead Friendly write deals or leads back to DealerCenter?
No. Inventory moves by feed in both directions. Leads, calls and texts stay in Lead Friendly, and a deal you desk in Lead Friendly is not sent to DealerCenter.
Do I need both?
Many independents keep DealerCenter for the books and titling and add Lead Friendly for the phone, follow-up and website. See the full comparison for who should replace what.
How often does inventory update?
Each time DealerCenter delivers a new file and Lead Friendly’s scheduled check picks it up. A car you change in DealerCenter shows up after the next file, not instantly.
Related
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