SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – DIGITAL IS TRANSFORMING THE CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE

The automotive consumer journey is one of the most complex of all industries. Although customers still purchase their vehicles at dealerships, most of the decision-making and influential moments happen beforehand online. According to Google, 95% of vehicle buyers use digital as a source of information and it takes 65% of buyers just 3 weeks to research online. In fact, twice as many start their research online versus at a dealer. When car buyers start their research, 6 out of 10 are undecided and open to different model and vehicle options. However, by the time they actually make it to a dealership, they often already know the vehicle they want to purchase. When it comes to what content they consume, video research is seen as the most popular and effective format for encouraging brand consideration. Views on YouTube of test drives, features, and options, and walk-throughs have doubled in the past year, with 70% of people who used YouTube as part of their car buying process were influenced by what they watched. When researching, consumers don’t look for information on auto brand websites alone, they visit comparison sites to check prices and user reviews before even setting foot inside a dealership. 56% of new buyers most commonly start at a third-party site and end up at a dealer website. Year on year, traffic to automotive research sites has increased by 12%, while dealerships have seen a 2% decrease to their websites. Websites such as TrueCar and Edmunds provide customers with relevant and timely information in a few simple clicks. This rise in popularity of ‘neutral’ information sources demonstrates the significant need for dealerships to provide the necessary information for customers in a seamless and accessible way online, so they don’t have to fish in another pond. Video is making the car buyer’s research process much easier while creating an experience that is much more relevant and personalized. From virtual test drives, 360-degree views of the interior, or exterior walkarounds. 56% of car buyers said they could be convinced to buy a car from a 360-degree video without even having to drive the vehicle. A perfect example of this is BMW’s video campaign “#BMWSTORIES”. The idea behind this campaign was to showcase their customer’s personal stories, and how the BMW brand helped them in through their emotional, real-life journeys. With 33 videos in total, which have received anywhere from 7K to 14M views on each video. #BMWStories drives, on average, a 5x engagement rate compared to the average automotive brand. Make It A Champion day!

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Shop Smart Autos is not responsible for any errors in price or vehicle information provided to us from our dealer partners. We take every precaution to ensure the information is accurate and correct. Any questions please contact the dealer.