Auto Trader reveals online car buying trends

Half of all car buyers only visit one forecourt, but most will visit more than three dealer websites. Meanwhile, walk-ins are increasingly the first point of contact with a customer, for franchise, supermarkets and independent retailers.

Statistics like these, taken from Auto Trader’s Annual Buyer Behaviour Survey, paint an interesting picture of the new digital car buying journey. It’s one that has been shaped by advances in technology and the devices people use to search and research.

But what of the people actually buying the cars? Behind the facts and figures lie hopes and aspirations, excitement and frustrations. And, while for many the journey can be a wonderful experience, for others it can be traumatic, unrewarding and frustrating.

To get a flavour of what real people actually think and feel, Auto Trader recently commissioned comprehensive ethnographic research that tracked 30 new car buyers using video diaries. From first research to the all-important interaction with a dealer researchers observed actual behaviours in real time and in their natural context. Today, a flavour is revealed exclusively here on Motor Trader.

Online, less experienced buyers often expressed frustrations with websites: they often fell short of the user experience sought by those unfamiliar with make and model choices. On the forecourt, the experience was also not always up to scratch. Buyers seeking a personalised efficient service, complained that they frequently met with inattentive staff and poor customer care.

The research concludes that more buyers would benefit from more holistic online experience, a one-stop shop where choices can be narrowed and questions answered in one place more easily. The message for dealers, on the other hand, is that a more bespoke service, where customers feel valued by attentive staff could help seal more deals. And generate more repeat business.

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