Study Shows 68% of Online Consumers Used the Internet for Cars
20 April 2000
Digital Consumer(TM) Study Reveals 68 Percent of Online Consumers Used the Internet to Shop for Cars
Greenfield Online Study Timed for Opening of NY Auto Show
Identifies Ford as Most Popular Vehicle Shopped for in Past Year
WILTON, Conn., April 20 As thousands of auto enthusiasts
prepare to flock to the 100th New York International Auto Show starting
Saturday, Greenfield Online's latest Digital Consumer(TM) study shows that the
Internet is radically changing the way consumers shop for cars.
Greenfield Online surveyed 2,000 online consumers who had shopped for a
new or used car offline or online within the last 12 months. Nearly
60 percent actually purchased or leased a vehicle during this time period and
1,300 (68 percent) used the Internet in the shopping process.
While only 1 percent of this 1,300 actually purchased a car online in the
last 12 months, 17 percent visited a website with the intent to purchase and
88 percent did research and/or compared prices online to prepare for
purchasing or leasing a car, according to the study, entitled Cruising for
Cars on the Information Highway.
Most Popular Cars With Internet-Savvy Consumers
Sport utility vehicles, trucks/vans, and passenger cars were sought after
by almost equal numbers. While online and offline consumers shopped a variety
of manufacturers, Ford had a slight lead with consumers in the study. Here
are the top makes shopped for within the past year by Internet-savvy consumers
(will add to more than 100 percent because consumers shopped among more than
one manufacturer):
Make* Percent Who Shopped for Make
Ford 42%
Chevrolet 38%
Dodge 28%
Toyota 28%
Honda 21%
* 37 auto manufacturers were included in the study
Multiple-Brand Websites Beat Out Manufacturer Sites
A total of 54 percent of those who had used the Internet to shop for cars
used multiple-brand sites and autobytel.com was the leader in this category.
Some 46 percent used manufacturer sites, with ford.com beating out
competitors.
Here are the top five websites visited by consumers in the study:
Websites Percent Who Shopped on Site
autobytel.com 25%
ford.com 24%
gm.com 16%
toyota.com 14%
autoweb.com 12%
honda.com 12%
autovantage.com 12%
A total of 25 sites were rated, including websites visited about used
cars.
Next Time They May Really Buy Online
Nearly half of those who cruised for cars online are at least somewhat
likely to purchase/lease their next vehicle via the Internet. Why this
enthusiasm for Net-auto buying in the future? It appears to be an outgrowth
of the very positive feelings people had with their online experience, as 94
percent agree that the sites they visited made their auto shopping experience
easier and 91 percent report they were able to obtain more information than if
the Web had not been available.
About This Digital Consumer(TM) Study
This study is part of Greenfield Online's ongoing Digital Consumer series
that examines attitudes and usage of the online public and is for sale from
Greenfield Online. Respondents took the survey between Feb. 7 and Feb. 21,
2000. The sample of 2,000 has been weighted to be representative of the U.S.
Internet population in terms of age, gender, and region. All survey findings
report aggregate information about groups, not individuals. To join the
Greenfield Online participant community, please visit
http://www.greenfieldonline.com.
About Greenfield Online
Greenfield Online, Inc. is a totally Internet-enabled, full-service
marketing research provider. The company's core business is to conduct custom
consumer and business-to-business online studies that are faster, better, and
richer than traditional marketing research. Incorporated in 1995, Greenfield
Online is headquartered in Wilton, Conn., with satellite offices in San
Francisco. For additional information about Greenfield Online and its
services, please call Gail Janensch at 203-846-5720 or visit the company's Web
site at http://www.greenfield.com.
Contact: Gail Janensch of Greenfield Online, 203-846-5720 or
203-856-6185, gailj@greenfield.com; or Kimberly Baker of Phase
Two Strategies, 212-530-7557, kbaker@p2pr.com, for Greenfield
Online.