J.D. Power and Associates Reports: HUMMER.com is the Most Useful Manufacturer Web Site for New-Vehicle Shopping
Images Showcasing the Functionality of New Vehicles Increasingly Important to Online Shoppers
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 27 -- HUMMER.com is the most useful manufacturer Web site for new-vehicle shopping, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study(SM) -- Wave 2 released today.
The semi-annual study measures the usefulness of manufacturer Web sites during the new-vehicle shopping process. New-vehicle shoppers evaluate Web sites in four key areas: appearance, speed, navigation, and information/content.
Information/content, which includes vehicle features, specifications, images, equip and build tools, payment calculators and dealer locators, is the most important factor area to shoppers, accounting for 36 percent of the overall index score.
HUMMER ranks highest with an index score of 870 on a 1,000-point scale -- a 12-point improvement from Wave 1 of the study, which was released in February 2006.
"With nearly 300 different models to choose from, shoppers increasingly rely on the Internet to help match them with a vehicle that not only ideally fits their desired needs but also their image and budget," said Sam Thanawalla, senior manager of digital marketing solutions at J.D. Power and Associates. "HUMMER is an example of a site that has established, and continues to utilize, a logical and user-friendly site design and site architecture that connects with visitors. The increased use of vibrant images, demonstrative videos, diagrams and valuable vehicle specifications, as well as a state-of-the-art build tool, nicely articulate the capabilities and benefits of HUMMER vehicles to shoppers."
HUMMER is followed in the rankings by Kia, Suzuki, Pontiac and Subaru, respectively. Across all manufacturer Web sites, the industry average of 838 is the highest recorded in the history of the study.
"Manufacturers are consistently finding new and creative ways to deliver information to vehicle shoppers, and the quantity of Web site information is exploding at a rapid pace," said Thanawalla. "However, shopper expectations of Web sites will continue to grow, and shoppers will increasingly expect Web sites to make all information easily and quickly available to them."
The study reveals a considerable shift in the importance of vehicle images on manufacturer Web sites and the ability to display the functionality of a vehicle versus simply showcasing its appearance. Manufacturers are benefiting from growing levels of high bandwidth connectivity among new-vehicle shoppers, allowing them to incorporate creative tools to feature the enhancements and capabilities of their products.
"More than ever, buyers are relying on their vehicle to be practical, adaptable and exciting," said Thanawalla. "Images can display the flexible function of vehicles, the ease of use of features and accessories, and the ease of reconfiguration, such as folding and removing seats, storage accessories and console repositioning. Educating shoppers about these features allows manufacturers to elaborate on improvements to quality, safety, reliability and fuel efficiency with the use of credible, logical and emotional content on their Web sites. However, as site content becomes more complex, the importance of site speed cannot be taken for granted."
The study continues to demonstrate that the more useful a manufacturer Web site is, the more traffic it is likely to drive to dealerships. Offering better online shopping experiences to more shoppers has made manufacturer Web sites a key destination when researching new vehicles.
"Looking forward, manufacturers will consistently add more content to their Web site in the form of audio, video, sketches and reviews to accommodate the growing queries and concerns of all shoppers," said Thanawalla. "This tremendous increase in content will require new forms of navigation to access information. This will occur in the form of intelligent search tools and improved universal navigation compounded with relevant navigation links throughout Web pages."
The 2006 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study -- Wave 2 is based on evaluations by 11,348 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they would be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months.
Manufacturer Web Site Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) HUMMER 870 Kia 864 Suzuki 863 Pontiac 859 Subaru 859 Honda 856 Mitsubishi 854 Saab 853 Buick 850 Lexus 848 BMW 846 Mercury 846 Cadillac 845 GMC 845 Chevrolet 843 Dodge 843 Chrysler 840 Land Rover 840 Mazda 840 Industry Average 838 Ford 837 Toyota 834 Mercedes-Benz 833 Hyundai 831 Jaguar 831 Lincoln 830 Volvo 828 Jeep 827 Porsche 826 Scion 824 Volkswagen 823 Nissan 819 Saturn 818 Acura 815 Infiniti 815 MINI 813 Audi 807 About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
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Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.