Online Presence Extends Dealers’ Reach, Survey Shows

Auto Trader says the changing face of U.K. car buying is showing a rise in evening research, fewer forecourt visits and more customers arriving on site without having made any prior contact with sales staff.

The online dealer says its latest survey results indicate retailers need to focus carefully on their “night watchmen” – their online points of contact that drive leads when doors are shut and when buyers are searching.

The second Annual Buyer Behavior Study conducted for Auto Trader pools the experience of 1,300 car buyers spanning a 3-month period into the first quarter of this year.

The research agency GfK conducted telephone surveys with customers of 624 franchise dealers, 376 independent dealers and 300 car supermarkets asking about their buying experience.

The group was made up of 16 retailers: four franchise groups representing more than 250 dealerships with an even split between new- and used-car purchases, 10 independents and two car supermarkets.

It found two-thirds of traffic to the Auto Trader site is generated by cell phone and tablet and 86% of consumers search for their next car after 6 p.m.

Just 24% of desktop users, 18% of tablet searchers and 36% of smartphone users say they are most likely to search between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. when dealers’ doors typically are open.

Some 50% of franchise customers visited only the dealer from whom they bought their car compared with 47% for supermarkets and 51% for independents.

Most people visited at least three online showrooms and an average of nearly five as part of the buying journey.

Walk-ins now are the first point of consumer-dealer contact in 58% of transactions. For franchise dealers, it’s up to 66%, compared with 50% a year ago. For car supermarkets, 63% of customers made first contact through a walk-in; for independents the figure was much lower at 48%.

“In this new online environment things like full-page ad views and a content-rich, responsive dealer website become key tools in driving leads,” notes Nick King, director-market research for

Auto Trader.

“They are the night watchmen for your dealership, the professional face of your online business that drive leads out-of-hours or in the absence of any active engagement with you or a member of your team.”