Who Do You Trust (When Buying a Car)?Harris Interactive reports that, overall, one in five US adults (19%) describe themselves as either "very" or "extremely
knowledgeable" about vehicles. These "Influentials" are much more likely than "Non-influential" ordinary consumers to say they are more likely to talk to other
knowledgeable people about the vehicles they are considering.
Males (82%) dominate the Influentials. The average age of Influentials is 45, which is in line with Non-influentials.
Influentials have higher incomes, with more than half (53%) earning $75,000 or more compared to 40 percent of Non-influentials.
57% of Influentials know many people who are at least very
knowledgeable about vehicles, compared to just 18 percent of Non-influentials.
- Influentials talk about vehicles mostly to family (60%) and friends (58%)
- Non-influentials
are less likely to talk about vehicles with family (38%) and more likely to talk with friends (65%)
- 55% of Non-influentials actively seek out advice from Influentials
"always" or "most of the time."
Stephen A. Lovett, Director of Automotive & Transportation Research at Harris Interactive, states: "Consumers who take
part in spreading the word can be extremely influential... Influentials develop communities to rely on to make their vehicle choice... (while) Non-influentials seek out Influentials for vehicle
advice, but they are more likely... to rely on their shopping experience to make their final vehicle choice."
63% Influentials vs. 36% Non-influentials indicate usage of traditional media
(television, newspaper, magazines) as sources of vehicle information and are also more likely to use the Internet as a source.
However, Influentials are less likely than Non-influentials to
rely on other people (family, friends, acquaintances) and only 17% are likely to use a dealership salesperson as a source of information (vs. 38% of Non-influentials).
Lovett concludes,
"While Non-influentials tend to rely on their shopping experience to make their final decision... Influentials can and do help determine which vehicles make it onto the shopping lists of
Non-influentials."
Likelihood of
Influencer on Brand Choice(purchasers) |
| Influentials % | Non-influentials % |
Much less likely, less likely, or somewhat less likely | - | 9 |
Neither more nor less likely | 39 | 31 |
Somewhat more likely | 20 | 21 |
More likely | 32 | 37 |
Much more likely9 | 2 | |
Source: HarrisInteractive |
Individuals With Whom Purchaser Discussed Brand Choice(purchasers) |
| Influentials % | Non-influentials % |
Family members | 60 | 38 |
Friends | 58 | 65 |
Acquaintances | 25 | 36 |
Others | 5 | 4 |
Source: HarrisInteractive |
Information Source Helping Final Brand Decision(purchasers) |
| Influentials % | Non-influentials % |
Television | 24 | 7 |
Newspapers | 26 | 8 |
Magazines | 33 | 8 |
Internet websites | 63 | 36 |
Friends, family members, or acquaintances | 26 | 40 |
Salesperson from auto dealer | 17 | 38 |
Source: HarrisInteractive |
Please visit
HarrisInteractive here for a more complete presentation of the data.
CORRECTION: In the
January 24th Research Brief regarding Vertis' Decade of Data study discussing media influence on purchasing decisions, we incorrectly stated the percent decrease in this sentence - "TV
advertising is no longer the main influencer in their purchasing decisions, down 8 percent from 1998 to 22 percent." This should CORRECTLY read ... “Television advertising
is no longer the main influencer in purchasing decisions, according to Vertis. TV ads are now the main influencer for 8% of consumers, compared to 22% in 1998.”