• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 5, 2006

According to a recent study from the comScore Media Metrix "Audience insite Measures," Internet users age 35-44 are 18 percent more likely than the average online adult to make an automotive purchase this year. This segment of likely auto purchasers represents more than 6 million U.S. consumers. Additionally, 25-34 year-olds are 17 percent more likely than the norm to purchase an automobile, representing nearly 5 million consumers.

Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix, says "Auto manufacturers looking to reach 25-34-year-olds who intend to purchase an automobile should be directing their advertising dollars to a much different set of Web sites than those targeting 35-44-year-olds. The ability to understand consumers' engagement with specific types of Web content is critical to developing effective and efficient media plans."

The analysis shows that the presence of children in the household significantly increases automotive purchase intent for these two groups. Respondents age 25-34 with one child ("New Families") are 41 percent more likely than the average Internet user to purchase an auto in the next 6 months, while 35-44-year-olds with two children ("Established Families") are 27 percent more likely than the norm to do so.

Despite the similarities in the car-purchasing intent of these two groups, says the report, their online visitation habits are quite different.

Note: Composition index is the propensity of a specific segment to visit a site compared to the average Internet user. An index of 100 represents parity. An index of 338 should be read as "238 percent more likely than average to visit site X."

The analysis showed that the most popular type of auto owned among both "Established Families" and "New Families" is the mid-size sedan or coupe, with 36 percent and 54 percent ownership, respectively. Full-size sport utility vehicles are second in popularity with both segments.

The full releasefrom comScore is available here.