Ignited Services Partners with FlexPath DXP to Launch PaymentIQ

Ignited Services Partners with FlexPath DXP to Launch PaymentIQ,
Connecting Automotive Marketing with Credit-Qualified Buyers

New offering combines Ignited's consumer acquisition and engagement capabilities with FlexPath's identity verification, credit prequalification and personalized payment technology to help dealers convert more shoppers into qualified buyers.

Destin, FL and Cincinnati, OH, October 22, 2026 — FlexPath DXP®, an automotive affordability discovery and conversion platform, and Ignited Services, an automotive marketing company specializing in consumer acquisition and engagement, today announced a strategic partnership to introduce PaymentIQ™, an Ignited-branded consumer qualification and payment-shopping solution powered by FlexPath DXP.

The partnership connects Ignited's digital marketing capabilities with FlexPath's VeriQual™ identity verification, credit prequalification and personalized payment technology, creating a more direct path from consumer engagement to qualified dealership opportunities.

Through PaymentIQ, Ignited can direct consumers from digital advertising, conquest campaigns, email, social media, Google VLAs, and other marketing channels into personalized affordability experiences rather than simply sending them to a dealership website.

The solution helps consumers answer three fundamental questions:

• Can I qualify? Get prequalified for vehicle financing starting with just a phone number.
• Can I afford this vehicle? Explore personalized payment options on a specific vehicle based on credit qualification.
• What vehicles can I afford? Discover dealership inventory that fits their credit profile and monthly payment budget.

Connecting Marketing Investment to Qualified Buyers

Automotive dealers invest heavily in attracting consumers through digital advertising, email, social media and other marketing channels. Yet traditional campaigns often measure success through clicks, website visits and lead submissions without establishing whether consumers are financially qualified for the vehicles they're considering.

PaymentIQ brings identity verification, credit prequalification and affordability discovery into that marketing journey, helping Ignited deliver more actionable consumer opportunities to its dealership clients.

"Dealers don't need more website traffic for the sake of traffic. They need consumers who are ready and able to buy," said Mitch Smoot, President of Ignited Services. "With PaymentIQ, we're connecting our marketing programs to a consumer experience that helps shoppers understand their purchasing power while giving dealers better information to work with. It's a natural extension of what we're already doing to help our clients generate appointments and sell vehicles."

The solution can also complement existing dealership websites and digital retailing tools, allowing dealers to introduce affordability-based conversion experiences without replacing their current marketing or retailing infrastructure.

A Different Approach to Automotive Marketing Conversion

Unlike traditional financing experiences that typically begin after a consumer selects a vehicle, PaymentIQ can engage shoppers earlier in the buying process, including those who haven't yet determined which vehicles fit their budget.

Powered by FlexPath DXP's patent-pending VeriQual technology, the platform combines phone-number-first identity verification and credit prequalification with lender programs, vehicle inventory and personalized payment calculations.

"Consumers don't necessarily start their vehicle search knowing what they can afford," said Tarry Shebesta, CEO of FlexPath DXP. "They want to know if they qualify, whether they can afford a particular vehicle, and what vehicles fit their monthly budget. PaymentIQ gives Ignited the ability to answer those questions directly from its marketing campaigns, connecting consumer acquisition with credit qualification and affordability discovery."

The approach also gives Ignited additional ways to measure campaign effectiveness beyond traditional lead generation, including verified consumers, credit-qualified opportunities and downstream dealership outcomes.

New Consumer Research Reinforces the Importance of Affordability

The partnership comes as new research from FlexPath DXP demonstrates that payment-focused vehicle shopping extends well beyond consumers with challenged credit.

In an analysis of more than 17,000 identity-verified shopping sessions across participating dealership websites during the first nine months of 2026, FlexPath found that approximately eight in ten Prime and Super Prime consumers who used Shop-by-Payment searched by monthly budget, similar to Subprime consumers.

The study also found that Prime and Super Prime shoppers were approximately 1.5 times more likely than Subprime shoppers to request personalized payments on specific vehicles.

The findings highlight an opportunity for dealerships to engage shoppers across credit tiers with personalized affordability information rather than relying solely on advertised prices, generic payment estimates or traditional financing applications.

Built for New and Preowned Vehicle Marketing

PaymentIQ will incorporate three FlexPath DXP consumer experiences:

• Get Prequalified (GPQ): Phone-number-first identity verification and credit prequalification.
• Single Vehicle Prequal (SVP): Vehicle-specific qualification and personalized payment options integrated with dealership inventory.
• Shop-by-Payment (SBP): Inventory discovery based on a consumer's credit profile and personalized monthly payment budget.

These capabilities allow Ignited to tailor the consumer experience to individual marketing campaigns, whether promoting a specific vehicle, reaching conquest audiences or helping consumers discover affordable inventory.

The companies will collaborate on dealer implementations, campaign integration and ongoing optimization as PaymentIQ is introduced to Ignited's dealership clients.

About Ignited Services

Ignited Services is an automotive marketing company specializing in consumer acquisition, digital advertising, conquest marketing and customer engagement solutions for dealerships. Its offerings include Video Conquest Marketing, Ghost Shopper AI and DealerSCALE, helping dealerships reach, engage and convert prospective buyers.

For more information, visit https://www.ignitedservices.com/.

About FlexPath DXP

FlexPath DXP® is an automotive affordability discovery and conversion platform connecting consumer identity verification, credit prequalification, lender programs, vehicle inventory and personalized payment experiences. Its patent-pending VeriQual™ technology enables phone-number-first identity verification and credit prequalification, while Get Prequalified, Single Vehicle Prequal and Shop-by-Payment help consumers discover vehicles aligned with their purchasing power.

For more information, visit https://www.flexpathdxp.com/.

Media Contacts

Ignited Services
Nicholas Smoot
nick@ignitedservices.com / 618.203.8173

FlexPath DXP
Tarry Shebesta
tarry@FlexPathDXP.com / 513.200.5757