Consumers Rely On Third-Party Sites For Car Research: ADI

A new report by Adobe Digital Insights has a critical takeaway for automotive marketers.

A new Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) report has a critical takeaway for automotive marketers: Consumers now turn to digital channels for buying information and are visiting third-party sites more than dealership sites.

Indeed, traffic to auto information sites has increased 12% year over year (YoY), while dealerships have seen a 2% decrease in traffic to their websites.

The implication for marketers: “It’s crucial that automakers make their car information readily available to consumers online beyond just what they offer on their websites,” said Becky Tasker, manager of ADI. “If information is not easily accessible, a vehicle could be removed from the list of considerations. Other makes and models with desirable features could easily be placed at the top of the list and result in a competitive sale.”

ADI also reports that, with fewer visits to dealerships, use of “build-and-price” tools is down an overall 6% from January 2015. Build-and-price use decreased 10% on desktops and increased 48% on smartphones, the latter amounting to only about 12% of use.

ADI’s analysis is based on anonymous data from more than 11 billion visits to the top dealerships and car information websites from January 2014 through September 2016. ADI also analyzed more than 57 million social mentions from October 2015 to October 2016.

As part of its analysis, ADI also looked at which car models get the most social buzz. Based on social mentions, social sentiment, and online visits, Ford’s F-150 truck is ADI’s “automobile of the year.” Audi’s A4 and the Honda Civic round out the top three.

The Ford F-150 is also the most-researched auto model, according to ADI, followed by Honda’s Accord and Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee.

View the full report below, or click here to view it on SlideShare.