Easy Buying Process Key to Customer Satisfaction
Dealership visits rise, but shoppers continue to value hybrid sales models, research finds.
While car shoppers want to do the majority of car shopping and buying from home, CarGurus’ latest survey data shows buyers still want to interact with dealerships, says Alexandra Howerter, senior consumer insights analyst for the car research and shopping website.
"The test drive remains the biggest deterrent to online purchases. Two-thirds of buyers say the test drive is 'very important' or 'extremely important,'" Howerter tells Wards. "I expected to see lower satisfaction with the buying experience given the market difficulties in 2022, yet consumer sentiment remained strong. We found 80% of buyers saying they got a 'good deal' or a 'great deal' on their car purchases."
The CarGurus survey is designed to identify the purchase points where deals can be most effective, says Howerter. Key takeaways give dealers insights they can use to develop their sales processes to best match customers' preferences.
Main insights from the survey include:
Walk-in dealer visits are up significantly (33%, up from 28% in 2021).
Seventy percent of buyers prefer to do more car shopping and buying from home, up from 60% in 2021. Online financing has the highest appeal: 56% of buyers prefer to use online finance tools.
Buyer satisfaction remains strong despite high prices. With car prices high, buyers were more likely to enter the market out of necessity (68%, up from 62% in 2021). The number saying they were in a rush to buy increased to 32%, up from 25% in 2021).
Dealerships are the most common resale channel, especially for those buying a car. Seventy-eight percent of people who purchased from a dealership also traded in their old vehicle, and 75% said having a trade-in credit for their purchase was very important.
Survey respondents generally say they are looking for low prices when they choose dealerships, says Howerter. Yet the 80% of respondents reporting they found a 'good' or 'great' buying experience attribute their ratings to an easy sales process.
"Consumers are really tuned in to the issues of the auto market," she says, citing data CarGurus collected in the past year. "But they're also resetting expectations as a result. That's why if you can delight them with that easy sales process, it seems to go a long way in terms of that deal perception."
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