Definition
Identity resolution is the process of matching scattered records, such as a DMS customer, a CRM lead, an email address and an anonymous website visit, to the same real person. It lets a dealership see one customer instead of several partial profiles.
Pasch Group Dealer Glossary
What it means for a dealership
Dealers face this every day. One customer can appear in the DMS under a home address, in the CRM under a work email and on the website as an anonymous browser. Identity resolution links those records using shared identifiers such as names, emails, phone numbers and addresses. Some tools also use device and browsing signals.
There are two main methods. Deterministic matching links records that share an exact identifier, such as the same email address. Probabilistic matching estimates a link from clues that are likely but not certain, and scores its confidence. Many platforms use both.
Identity resolution also powers website visitor identification, where a vendor recognizes shoppers on a dealer’s site and adds them to marketing lists. Ask vendors where their identity data comes from, how they handle consent and how they measure accuracy. A wrong match sends the wrong offer to the wrong person.
In practice
A shopper builds a payment on a dealer’s site from a work laptop, then submits a lead from her phone with a personal email. Identity resolution ties both visits to the DMS record from her last service visit, so the salesperson sees she already owns a vehicle from the store.
Questions
Is identity resolution the same as a CDP?
No. Identity resolution is one job a customer data platform does: matching records to people. A CDP also loads data from many systems, builds profiles and sends audiences to other tools. Some vendors sell identity resolution or website visitor identification on its own.
Updated October 11, 2026