• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, April 2, 2018

Better sit down folks, because this is going to come as a shocker: 86% of car shoppers conduct online research before visiting a dealership!

Yeah, that’s the headline on a release about a new report on auto shopping in America from Adtaxi.

I know, right? Incredible. I better get with it. Oh wait, I am with it (for once). I’ve been doing online research as a car shopper since the '90s.

The more intriguing question would be, what’s with the 14% who don’t do online research before visiting a dealership? Clearly they must have a relative in the business because they automatically get the car dealer employee discount. That’s got to be it, right?

According to the study, 96% of respondents find dealer websites useful, with vehicle description pages deemed the most helpful (42%). Overall, 91% of vehicle shoppers utilize the internet — with 45% having done so both before and after visiting a dealership.

Next time I buy a car, I’ll keep that in mind.