Dealer and Consumer Insights from Urban Science Harris Poll Survey
We recently commissioned The Harris Poll to survey approximately 200 U.S. OEM Dealers and 2,000 U.S. consumers on key topics, including buyer behaviors and preferences across the customer journey. Here’s a sample of some of the insights we learned. We hope you’ll find them helpful too.
The Harris Poll survey showed that Dealers (95%) and auto-buying Consumers (79%) believe the automotive industry can keep up with the changing needs of the future. On a personal level, Dealers are even more bullish: 96% are confident in the OEM they represent and 99% are confident in their own dealership.
When asked about the biggest drivers of change in the auto industry’s future, Dealers and auto-buying Consumers agree: tech companies and electric vehicles.
In fact, the Harris Poll survey showed 84% of auto-buying Consumers trust the information that comes from an automaker and 81% trust what they receive from an OEM dealership.
We also discovered the top ways shoppers prefer to learn about a brand or vehicle of interest:
Beyond receiving information, auto-buying Consumers view Dealers as partners. 72% say dealership salespeople have the expertise necessary to help them navigate the vehicle-buying process.
There is a lot of noise that younger generations steer clear of dealerships, seeking a totally online car-buying experience. The Harris Poll survey indicated otherwise.
On average, auto-buying Consumers visit 2.5 dealerships when shopping for a new vehicle. And Gen Z and Young Millennials, ages 18-29, say they visit even more – an average of 3.5 dealerships – when in the market for a new car or truck.
The study also indicated that customer loyalty is low with 69% of auto-buying Consumers considering more than one brand. In fact, the average auto-buying Consumer considers 2.6 brands. And again, when shopping for a new vehicle, Gen Z and Young Millennials consider even more – 3.8 brands.
PRICE IS KEY TO GETTING AUTO-BUYING CONSUMERS TO THE DEALERSHIP – BUT THERE’S MORE TO CONSIDER.
According to the Harris Poll survey, a strong majority of auto-buying Consumers cite 5 Top Factors when selecting a dealership:
Other close runners to these “Top Five” factors?
When choosing a dealership, 64% of auto-buying Consumers said large inventory and 63% said online reviews are very important/absolutely essential.
With current new-vehicle inventories at record low levels, making the most out of your fixed ops is essential – now more than ever.
Reaching out demonstrates concern in three critical ways. Let’s face it: customers consider recalls a hassle. Yet when recalls concern safety-related items, inconvenience needs to take a back seat.
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