Commentary

New Car Buyers Getting Low Mileage Out of Social, Mobile

Social media is a relatively minor source of information for new car buyers, including persons age 32 and under, according to new data from MaritzCX, a customer relationship data company that surveyed more than 60,000 people about their automotive purchase habits.

On average, car buyers of all ages said their top sources of information are dealer salespeople (22%), friends and family (19%), and consumer guides (14%). By comparison, just 0.6% said they consider social media including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ an important source of information. Also scoring ahead of social media were carmaker websites (8%) and published safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Safety Administration (7%).

Car buyers younger than 32, who are often first-time buyers, cited friends and family as their most trusted source of information (29%), followed by dealer salespeople (15%), consumer guides (11%), dealer and manufacturer websites (9%), and safety ratings (8%). By contrast, just 0.5% said they considered social media an important source of information; however 2.6% cited chat rooms, blogs and forums as an important source.

So far, mobile apps have also failed to make much of an impression, with just 0.7% of all respondents and 0.6% of younger buyers identifying them as an important source of information when considering a new car purchase. However MaritzCX noted that mobile apps can be a useful tool for salespeople as an adjunct to personal interactions.

Last year, a survey of 1,900 new and used car buyers by AutoTrader.com found that just 1% of car buyers said they use social media to shop for a vehicle, rising to a scant 5% of Millennials. Furthermore, 78% of Millennials were indifferent to car brands having a social media presence, since their social channels rarely communicate key information on pricing and availability. By contrast, 95% of Millennials use the Internet at large to shop for cars, typically turning to third-party sites for key information.

1 comment about "New Car Buyers Getting Low Mileage Out of Social, Mobile".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Rob Marscher from Shoptology, February 27, 2015 at 2:48 p.m.

    It is probably difficult to decipher the difference between social media and "friends and family." If you see your friend post something or share a photo of their new car, would you consider that as being influenced by social media or friends and family? You would probably say the latter even if the medium you heard about their recommendation was social media. It does seem unlikely that a person would use social media to shop for a car, but once an owner, might be interested to engage in the community for that vehicle and in turn share out their experiences to friends. There was a study last year that claimed a positive share/recommendation in the auto industry was worth $3,708 - http://sharethismoment.com/

Next story loading loading..
About the Author

Erik Sass is editor of Publishers Daily. You can reach Erik at eriksass@gmail.com.