Cars.com™ Study Measures Impact of Mobile Devices on Car Shopping

CHICAGO — Nov. 30, 2011 — Mobile car shoppers are younger, affluent and more likely to be shopping for a new car, according to “Mobile Web and App Usage for Automotive Shoppers,” a study commissioned by Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used cars, and conducted by Nielsen, a leading global information and research firm.  The online survey of more than 1,600 recent automotive purchasers and intenders reveals how consumers are using their mobile devices to complement their search throughout the car shopping process – including while they’re right on the dealership lot.

“It’s no secret that mobile devices have completely changed the way consumers shop, making it crucial that retailers – automotive or otherwise – understand who mobile shoppers are and how they’re using their devices differently than their laptops or desktops,” said Sharon Knitter, senior director, Mobile.  “This study informs our ability to deliver a great car shopping experience to our users no matter what screen they’re visiting us on, as well as making us a better partner to our dealer customers and advertisers as they implement their own mobile marketing strategies.”

The survey results found that mobile shoppers are younger, with individuals 34 years of age or younger representing 40 percent of the respondents.  Most are in the market for a new car (73 percent of recent purchasers bought a new vehicle) and are more affluent, with 79 percent reporting a household income over $50,000.  The majority recently purchased or plans to buy a vehicle priced between $20,000 and $40,000, with an average price of $28,419.

Smartphone users, which make up 83 percent of the respondents, are most likely using mobile apps, while tablet users, which represent 28 percent of the respondents (device usage not mutually exclusive), are more likely to access web sites.  Mobile car shoppers are also using their devices to make decisions – 90 percent of respondents had not yet decided upon exact vehicle, and 93 percent were undecided upon a dealership when they began engaging mobile tools in the car-shopping process. 

The survey also captured the activities in which mobile car shoppers are most often engaging, including viewing photos (77 percent), finding dealership info (76 percent), reading expert/consumer vehicle reviews (74 percent), comparing vehicle prices (71 percent), searching listings (67 percent) and reading dealer reviews (51 percent).  Users are engaging in these activities at home (92 percent), at the office (66 percent) and on the go (64 percent outside, 59 percent from a restaurant/café/bar and 54 percent waiting in line).  Remarkably, 53 percent of respondents revealed they use their devices while on the dealership lot – a statistic that increases to 57 percent when looking at recent purchasers. Most mobile car shoppers have also taken action on ads, with automotive advertising gaining the most engagement (40 percent) behind restaurants/dining (50 percent) and entertainment (41 percent).

“What hasn’t changed with the growth of mobile usage is the importance of mastering the basics of selling a car,” said Knitter.  “Smart phone users are viewing photos, searching inventory, researching prices, looking up dealer contact information and reading reviews.  That means that many issues, such as poor merchandising, incorrect contact information and customer complaints, can be amplified for the mobile shopper, sending them elsewhere.”

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How To Sell More Cars by Nick Moreno

Discover Advice On How To Sell More Cars

Automotive sales training is a very specialized field. I’m sure that many of these car sales trainers are excellent at showing dealerships how to sell more cars because the trainers were once successful car salespeople. However, are those techniques working in this economy?

My background is not in the automotive industry but I do know a thing or two about selling. I’ve also purchased a few cars in my time. So, based on what I know about selling and about buying cars, I have some advice for dealerships that want to sell more cars.

How To Sell More Cars Using The Sales Process

Following the Sales Process is the only way to consistently sell something and it doesn’t matter if you’re selling cars or pet food. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Sales Process being used to its full extent when I visit car dealerships. I’m confident that any dealership will sell more cars once they start paying more attention to the Sales Process. The Sales Process allows reps to remember things like a trial close.

If you are in sales, I sure hope you know about the Sales Process. The Sales Process consists of a series of steps that eventually lead to an order. One of the steps is “Uncovering Needs” and that’s just one of the steps I find missing at car dealerships. Let’s explore how “Uncovering Needs” can help a salesperson sell more cars.

“Uncovering Needs” is about discovering why someone should by from you. You can’t overlook this step if you expect to sell more cars. “Uncovering Needs” is about probing with open ended questions and here is how it can be used to sell more cars.

How “Uncovering Needs” Helps To Sell More Cars

Someone walks into a dealership and stars looking at the model XYZ car. You can tell they are interested in the car but you don’t know why. Don’t you think that information will help you sell more cars? Here are a few open ended probing questions the salesperson should be asking.

• “What interests you about the Model XYZ?”
• “What brings you to our dealership today?”
• “What started your search for a new car?”
• “Tell me about the type of new car you had in mind?”

The salesperson will receive a wide range of responses to these questions and each response is a rich nugget of information they can use to sell more cars. The salesperson may hear,

• “I’m looking for a car with a little more pick up.”
• “My family is growing and we need more space.”
• “I need better gas mileage.”
• “I like the improved safety features.”
• “I need lower maintenance costs.”

Focus On “Needs” And “Wants” To Sell More Cars
All the salesperson has to do is explain why that particular model has everything the prospect is looking for in a new car. “Uncovering Needs” provides the salesperson with the exact information they’ll need to sell more cars.  You’ll never sell more cars if you are focusing on “safety features” with a prospect that is interested in “gas mileage”. Instead, sell the prospect what they said they need and want. When you do, you’ll sell more cars using these techniques!

Sales Training On How To Sell More Cars

I’ve talked to a few salespeople about the sales training they’ve received at their auto dealership. Most of that sales training involves techniques unique to auto business. I assume those techniques are important but if you really want to sell more cars, pay more attention to the Sales Process.

Now stop reading, master the Sales Process and go sell more cars!

To your success!

Nick Moreno, Sales Trainer