Auto Shopping Drops 25% First Half of March

Overall automotive shopper volume for the first 15 days of March was off 25% compared with the same period in 2019, according to Comscore, an analytics company and market-data provider.

It saw declines in all but one vehicle segment. Full-size pickup shoppers remained ahead of last year’s pace, likely buoyed by incentives and personal use needs.

“For the first half of March 2020, which includes the beginning of self-quarantines and social distancing, in-market shopper volume fell to its lowest level in more than 6 years, a clear indicator that March 2020 sales – and beyond – are in for some turbulence ahead,” says Dennis Bulgarelli, Comscore’s vice president-automotive.

He adds: “As the pandemic grows and consumers shelter in place, expect the decline to spread across the board.”

comscore chart