Study: Online research is important to prospective car buyers
Published May 05, 2010
Marketing news website eMarketer says that the internet is a critical research tool for consumers contemplating an auto purchase, according to the results of an online poll conducted by website About.com.
Almost three in four of those polled by About.com, eMarketer says, viewed the internet as an important source of information for automotive research, adding that 42 percent said their online information gathering about cars had become more important since last year.
The marketing news site also notes that the sample used in the About.com research was "weighted toward older users," meaning that more elderly consumers may be adopting the net as a research tool in greater numbers than they have in previous years.
For many American consumers, the decision of which type of vehicle to purchase is like no other, experts say, citing the results of studies that have shown that an automotive purchase is likely to take up more of a U.S. customer's time than that of a house purchase. Targeting informative and advice-based websites could be a profitable strategy for digital marketing professionals to pursue.