Today s Agenda Path to Purchase Digital Influence SEM Talk Track
New Insights on Digital Influence
New insights: What influences auto shoppers? Objective: Understand what sources are influencing shoppers on their path to purchase. Partnered with C+R, experts in shopping behavior across categories Commissioned independent study of more than 1,000 in-market shoppers and recent automotive purchasers n=500 In-Market Shoppers n=505 Purchasers Mix of used and new car shoppers/buyers C+R Research is the top-rated, fullservice marketing insights agency Conducted April 30 th -May 9 th, 2014
Evaluated 24 sources of influence We looked at 24 sources that shoppers use on the path to purchase to understand their influence, and how helpful and trustworthy shoppers found them to be. OFFLINE Advertising you got in the mail Advertising you heard on the radio Advertising you saw on TV Advertising you saw outside/on a billboard Newspaper (in print) Vehicle focused magazines (in print) like Car and Driver, Motor Trend, etc. Non-vehicle focused magazine (in print) Auto shows or other vehicle-focused events Vehicle displays not at a dealership or car show (such as those at a mall, etc.) Dealership visit(s) Talking to friends or family Noticing a vehicle on the street Previous experience driving the vehicle ONLINE Advertising you saw on a website Automotive dealership websites Expert review websites (like consumerreports.org, usnews.com, caranddriver.com, etc.) Facebook, Twitter, or other social media websites Google or other search engines Newspaper website Online discussion boards Manufacturer websites (like Ford.com, Honda.com, Toyota.com, etc.) Vehicle focused websites (like kellybluebook.com, edmunds.com, cars.com, etc.) Vehicle focused magazines (online) like Car and Driver, Motor Trend, etc. Magazine websites (not vehicle-focused)
While there are many sources, shoppers rely on just a few Evaluated 24 Sources We looked at online and offline sources to understand how influential, trustworthy and helpful they were On average, shoppers are influenced by about 6-7 sources Most shoppers are influenced by at least 3 online sources, as well as several offline sources About half are influenced by independent research sites the most cited source online or offline Most shoppers only use 1 or 2 resources as their main, go-to info sources Their primary resources are among the most influential, helpful & trustworthy resources available.
Understanding the key insights In a constantly connected world, shoppers have come to expect full transparency and to demand control of their shopping experiences. This has key implications on sources of influences in automotive. Because consumers seek control, Independent research sites like Cars.com are critical in today s car shopping journey. Digital fuels decision making Trust fuels influence The path to the showroom begins online Shoppers communicate on their terms
Digital fuels decision making Digital sources give shoppers the control they seek, and in turn are a leading source of influence. Most shoppers are influenced by at least 3 online sources 2 in 3 shoppers refer to an online source as one of their goto resources Almost half are influenced by independent research sites, the most cited source of influence online or offline Traditional advertising does not rank among top sources of influence
Trust fuels influence In automotive where trust is scarce, it is a key driver of influence. As shoppers seek to keep control of the process, they rely most on sources they trust and find helpful. Though shoppers use 6-7 sources, influence varies. They rely on just 1-2 as their main go-to. Go-to sources are the most trusted sources Independent research sites like Cars.com are the most trusted. While dealer sites and dealer visits are key, these sources are deemed less trustworthy Car shoppers are advertising skeptics, and deem ads to be least helpful and least trustworthy among sources
Trust fuels influence Go-to sources tend to be especially helpful AND trustworthy. Source Helpfulness vs. Trustworthiness LEAST HELPFUL MOST HELPFUL Dealership websites quite useful, but shoppers do not find the info completely trustworthy Advertising on TV Advertising you got in the mail Advertising on radio Dealership visit(s) Dealership website Shoppers don t find advertising very helpful or trustworthy Online sources highly used and valued Manufacturer websites Expert review websites Google or other search engine Previous experience driving vehicle Independent research sites LEAST TRUSTWORTHY MOST TRUSTWORTHY
The path to the showroom starts online While the dealer visit is a critical source, shoppers are visiting fewer dealerships and those visits are overwhelmingly driven by online influences The dealer visit is the top offline source of influence 1 in 5 shoppers visit just one showroom, and 1 in 4 visit only two 68% rely on online sources to find a dealership The dealer visit lacks trust of other sources, which drives shoppers to use mobile on the lot
Shoppers communicate on their terms Shoppers use a number of channels to communicate with retailers when shopping for a car, but just like their demand for control in research, shoppers want to communicate on their terms. Only half of shoppers will make contact before visiting a dealership. You must align your process to communicate with shoppers on their terms and measure customer actions accordingly.
SEM Talk Track
PCC vs. SEO PPC or SEM 13
Where It Misses The Mark Influence Quality Cost Does not drive decision making/undecided shoppers Lack of content and context Not all clicks are car shoppers Rising costs Maintenance Cost/Fees Inefficiency Scalability
Simple Facts Can Yield Huge Results 70% of traffic directly from search engines 79% key words with dealer name *Copyrights 2014 DealerOn, Inc. 15
Where is That Traffic Coming From? Brown, Blue and Red represent Search Engine Traffic Total = close to 70% which fuels dealer attribution perceptions The Google Taxi can skew this picture Need to go deeper to see what s driving that traffic. 33%, 1/3 rd of your total traffic and almost half of your SE traffic comes from 3 rd party! Only 6% is driven through PPC! *Copyrights 2014 DealerOn, Inc. 16
How Customers Actually Shops We re not tracking the way the customer actually shops, and the metrics we are using to make marketing decisions are completely incorrect.
Not a Linear Process 18
Typical Consumer Shopping Pattern
The Google Taxi Google Taxi refers to the practice of a shopper leaving a specific site, i.ecars.com, opening a new page on Google, and typing the dealership name in the search bar instead of following the hyperlink on our page.