5 Moments the Auto Industry Should Win

Auto shoppers are hardly ever sold in-person anymore – they convert on mobile.

Your typical car-buyer will only make two visits to dealerships. Why is this important to consider? Your brand should be present, useful, and influencial in the moments that truly matter during the purchasing funnel. And with that, we will go onto the top moments that matter during an auto purchase…

1. Which car is best? We’ve all been there. The “new-versus-used-versus-Honda-versus-Nissan-maybe-a-hummer?” debate. Where do you turn to when researching and comparing new vehicles? The internet, obviously. Studies have shown that consumers frequently rely on digital for their auto research. Furthermore, another impressive statistic is that 69% of those who use YouTube while purchasing a vehicle are influenced by it much more than TV, newspapers, AND magazines!
2.  Is it right for me? “Do I reaaally need this vehicle or do I just want it to impress the neighbours?” Show how functional the vehicle that they are searching up can be – that’s where the real selling point will be! Maybe you want to hone in on the towing space or towing capacity! Funnily enough, the search interest for “towing capacity” and “trunk space” went up 15% and 30% respectively, year over year. Additionally, the amount of time spent watching auto videos (including test drives, feature highlights, walkthroughs, etc.) increased 2x year over year!
3. Can I afford it? Consumers find their dream car before the reality of the situation sets in: “Do I have the funds for this right now?” Searches for car MSRP as well as list prices are at their highest levels ever. They have grown 25% year over year, which is driven largely by mobile. Mobile accounts for 70% of these searches.
4.  Where do I buy it? Okay, so you’ve sold the customer online with your snazzy video that highlights the features of your vehicle for sale…  but they can get that vehicle anywhere, right? Right. When the transition goes from YouTube-ing car features to then searching “car dealerships near me”, it’s important for you to stay relevant! The search interest for “car dealerships near me” has doubled year over year. Another fact for you to note: 1 in 3 car shoppers using their mobile devices as a tool during their purchase tend to locate/call the dealer right on their mobile device!
5. Let’s make a deal! No – not the one with Monty Hall. This is where car shoppers are Google-ing the best prices for the car that they plan on buying. Half of all car shoppers who have mobile devices use them while they are visiting the dealership. The top action performed by car shoppers on their mobile device at the dealership is researching of best prices.

And there you have it – the top 5 moments to capitalize on when monitoring your auto customers!

Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/infographics/key-auto-micro-moments-mobile-trends.html