High Satisfaction with Automotive Third-Party Websites Drives Tenfold Increase In Shopper Requests for Information from Retail Dealerships

Experience Makes Us Better, The Auto Channel; 20 Years And Counting!

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- March 30, 2015: Vehicle shoppers who are highly satisfied with their shopping experience on an automotive third-party website are 10 times more likely to request information from a dealership than those who have a poor shopping experience, according to the J.D. Power 2015 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation StudySM released today.

The study, now in its third year, measures the usefulness of automotive third-party websites during the new- and used-vehicle shopping process by examining four key measures (in order of importance): information/content; appearance; navigation; and speed. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale.

Among vehicle shoppers who are highly satisfied (scores of 901-1,000) with their shopping experience, 52 percent say they "definitely will" request more information from a dealership about the vehicle vs. just 5 percent of those who have a less satisfying experience (scores of 0-500). Slightly more than one-fourth (27%) of new-vehicle shoppers say they "definitely will" request information from a dealership, while 14 percent of used-vehicle shoppers say the same.

"When shopping online, a positive automotive third-party website experience can influence shoppers' inclination to reach out directly to a dealer to request information about the vehicle they are researching," said Arianne Walker, senior director, automotive media & marketing at J.D. Power. "Both dealers and brands benefit by connecting shoppers to the ultimate point of purchase."

KEY FINDINGS

• Overall, 79 percent of vehicle shoppers are looking for vehicle price when searching inventory. Used-vehicle shoppers (84%) are more interested in price, compared with new-vehicle shoppers (75%).
• The majority (67%) of vehicle shoppers prefer to be contacted by a dealership via email, followed by phone (18%) and mail (5%).
• When submitting a quote request to a dealership, Gen Y shoppers (born 1977-1994) are more willing to share personal information than those in the Boomer generation (1946-1964). Overall, the types of personal information vehicle shoppers are least willing to share include credit score, household income range, birth date and mobile phone number. 

Study Rankings

In 2015, overall satisfaction with automotive third-party websites averages 746. NADAguides ranks highest (768), followed by Cars.com (763) and The Car Connection (760).

The 2015 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study is based on evaluations from more than 5,000 new- and used-vehicle shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded in January 2015.

Websites evaluated in the study were selected based on meeting the following criteria: must be an automotive third-party site; have the ability for consumers to shop for both new and used vehicles; and be among the most frequently visited sites based on behavioral data.