Third-Party Automotive Sites Dominate Online Traffic
Car manufacturer sites grew 31.2 percent in the last year, while automotive
resource sites grew 25.2 percent
NEW YORK, Sept. 17
Jupiter Media Metrix, the global leader in Internet and new technology measurement and analysis,
today reports that although car manufacturer sites such as Ford and Toyota lag
in traffic behind third-party automotive resource sites such as
Carpoint.com and Autotrader.com (and of course The Auto Channel), Jupiter thinks that they are well-positioned
to take the lead. According to
Jupiter analysts, car manufacturers are at a significant advantage due to
their deeper pockets, multi-channel presence, and unparalleled access to
dealers, consumers, and product information during all stages of car
ownership.
"This situation mirrors the retail, travel and financial services
industries, where traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have been growing
their online audiences at a faster rate than their Internet-only
counterparts," said Julie Ask, analyst,
Jupiter Media Metrix. According to
the July 2001 Media Metrix Internet ratings, unique visitors to car
manufacturer sites increased 31.2 percent over the previous year, from
6.2 million to 8.2 million, while traffic to automotive resource sites
increased 25.2 percent during the same period, from 16 million to 20 million.
"While car manufacturer sites are catching up, consumers still perceive
third-party auto sites to be more impartial and innovative, offering tools,
chat rooms, and a breadth of links to services that were only recently adopted
by some manufacturers," said Ask. "To maintain their lead, third-party
resource sites must not only provide a higher-quality experience to the
consumer, but also partner with manufacturers and provide enough value to
dealers so that they will be willing to work with multiple sources for leads
and advertising."
Automotive Data Highlights and Jupiter Analysis:
-- Car shoppers are avidly using the Internet for research, spending an
average of more than 10 minutes on automotive sites every month,
according to Media Metrix ratings data. Only the entertainment
category -- heavily concentrated with games -- has higher usage
intensity. However, with only one-quarter of Internet users visiting
an automotive site in the second quarter of 2001, Jupiter analysts
believe there is room for significant growth in the sector.
-- According to the Media Metrix July 2001 Internet ratings, automotive
resource sites Kbb.com, Carpoint.com, Autotrader.com, Autovantage.com
Sites and Edmunds.com claimed the top five spots in the automotive
category in terms of unique visitors, while sites of car manufacturers
like Ford.com, Chevrolet.com, Toyota.com and BMW.com ranked 11, 13, 19
and 31, respectively.
-- According to AdRelevance, Jupiter Media Metrix' online ad-tracking
service, top automotive advertisers in July 2001 were car
manufacturers: Toyota, with 109 million ad impressions; Ford, with
93 million ad impressions; and General Motors, with 83 million ad
impressions. Car manufacturers placed a total of 443 million ad
impressions during the same period, while automotive resource sites
placed 225 million ad impressions.
Media Metrix
Most Visited Automotive Sites in July 2001
Unique Visitors (000) in the U.S.
Home/Work Combined
Rank Site Unique Visitors
(000)
1 Kbb.com 3,849
2 Carpoint.com 3,235
3 Autotrader.com 2,704
4 Autovantage.com Sites 2,273
5 Edmunds.com 1,996
6 Autoweb.com 1,926
7 Cars.com 1,859
8 Ebaymotors.com 1,728
9 Aaa.com 1,404
10 Carsdirect.com 1,231
11 Ford.com 1,216
12 Autobytel.com 1,205
13 Chevrolet.com 927
14 Nadaguides.com 899
15 Carfax.com 871
Source: Jupiter Media Metrix
Media Metrix
July 2000 and July 2001 Traffic to Automotive Sites
Unique Visitors (000) in the U.S.
Home/Work Combined
Category Unique Visitors (000) % Traffic Change
July 2000 July 2001
World Wide Web 76,911 92,175 19.8%
All Automotive Sites 18,637 23,087 23.9%
Automotive Resource Sites 16,043 20,085 25.2%
Car Manufacturer Sites 6,188 8,120 31.2%
Jupiter Media Metrix' AdRelevance
Top Automotive-Related Advertisers in July 2001
Rank Company Ad Impressions
1 Toyota 109,655,000
2 Ford Motor Company 93,511,000
3 General Motors Corporation 83,629,000
4 CarsDirect.com 79,702,000
5 DaimlerChrysler 41,705,000
6 Volkswagen 41,497,000
7 Lexus 39,083,000
8 Automoti 20,049,000
9 Infiniti 18,210,000
10 Honda 16,245,000
Jupiter Media Metrix' AdRelevance
Automotive Industry Total Ad Impressions in July 2001
Auto Category
Ad Impressions
Automotive Resource Sites 255,814,000
Original Equipment Manufacturers (0EMs) 443,889,000
Measurement Definitions:
*Represents an aggregation of commonly-owned/branded domain names.
Unique Visitors: The actual number of persons who visited the reported
Web site or property at least once in the reported month. All unique visitors
are only counted once and are in the thousands.
Ad Impressions: Number of times an ad is rendered for viewing.
About Jupiter Media Metrix
Jupiter Media Metrix is the global leader in Internet and new technology
analysis and measurement. The Company delivers innovative and comprehensive
Internet measurement, analysis and events to provide businesses with unmatched
global resources for understanding and profiting from the Internet. Jupiter
Media Metrix brings together world-class, innovative and market-leading
products, services, research methodologies and people. Jupiter Media Metrix
services include Media Metrix, AdRelevance, Jupiter Research and Site
Measurement. The Company is headquartered in New York City and operates
worldwide, across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe (as Jupiter MMXI), and in
the Middle East. Visit http://www.jmm.com for more information.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Catherine Yao,
+1-917-534-6280, cyao@jmm.com
Max Kalehoff,
+1-917-534-6222, mkalehoff@jmm.com
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