MAJOR opportunities await dealers in online services according to a US survey by Cox Automotive which found found car buyers spend an average of 60 per cent of their total purchase time researching on the internet.

In its 2017 Car Buyer Journey Study, Cox Automotive reported that there was a continuing upward trend in the time spent researching vehicle purchases online.

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It found that:

• 62 per cent of buyers go onto third-party sites when researching
•  only 32 per cent know the exact vehicle they want before shopping online
• 55 per cent test drive only the vehicle they end up buying (indicating the decision to buy that car was made online)
• 53 per cent use a mobile device to shop for a vehicle (it was 46 per cent in 2016)
• 18 per cent research cars only on a mobile device (up from 14 per cent in 2016)

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Cox Automotive Media Solutions senior director of research and market intelligence, Scott Hernalsteen, said the study confirms that reaching and engaging car buyers online was becoming more important every day.

“This data presents an opportunity for dealers to increase their traffic, engagement and sales by influencing consumers’ purchase decisions during the online research phase,” he said.

On the growing use of mobile devices to research car sales, Mr Hernalsteen said: “The continuing rise of mobiles creates a chance for dealers to target and effectively influence shoppers at any time and from anywhere through mobile-specific content”.

The Cox Automotive study, conducted in coordination with IHS Automotive, covered more than 2000 recent car buyers in the US.

Disclosure: Cox Automotive has a minority interest in GoAutoMedia Pty Ltd.

By Neil Dowling