New research from Motors.co.uk has revealed that nearly three quarters of consumers (72 per cent) used three or more car search websites to find their next car.
The findings are part of the firm’s Car Buyer Survey 2016. When asked how many car search websites they used to find their current car, 52 per cent of respondents said between three and five and 20 per cent said they had used more than six, while less than a third (28.4 per cent) visited fewer than three websites before making their choice.
The research also showed that consumers are willing to shop around outside their local area on price: 47 per cent of respondents admitting they use car search websites to find vehicles outside of their local area. Buyer appear to be open with regard to the whether they opt for a new or used vehicle: 70 per cent of consumers would consider buying either new or used cars.
Dermot Kelleher, Director of Marketing & Business Intelligence at Motors.co.uk, said: “This data overwhelmingly shows the importance of dealers having a presence across multiple car search websites. Each engagement with a dealer’s brand or stock will compound to help their decision making.
“Thanks to our network partnerships with trusted and well-known sites such as Parkers.co.uk, Motoring.co.uk and RAC Cars, amongst many others, we are able to offer dealers the ability to put their vehicles in front of consumers at multiple touchpoints.“Our network offers dealers a gateway to the internet, with a variety of media brands targeted at different consumers, ensuring their vehicles are visible to millions of car buyers.
“We encourage dealers to think about their advertising across the value chain. It is incredibly important to generate the initial exposure through multiple websites.
Dermot Kelleher concluded: “But it is also important that other elements, such as presentation, pricing and a fantastic sales experience, create a great customer experience with the dealer’s brand at every stage of the buying process – not just when consumers walk into the dealership.”
