JD Power Study Underscores Importance of OEM Websites For Dealers

Dealerships often put a great deal of time and money into their websites. The retail automotive industry has made a large shift towards the Internet in recent years and the importance of an effective website can’t be overstated. However, what if all that work wasn’t as effective because of something outside of the dealers’ control? The semi-annual JD Power & Associates new manufacturer website study points to a possible correlation between the manufacturer website and the individual dealership website.

The study looked at manufacturer websites based on navigation, speed, content, and overall information. It was conducted during the fall of 2014 and consisted of 9,400 new car buyers. The results of the research show that those consumers who are “delighted” with the manufacturer website for a certain brand are 64 percent more likely to test-drive a vehicle after going to an individual dealer site. That stat is in sharp comparison to the 20 percent who took test drives after feeling “disappointed” with the website from the manufacturer. This underscores the importance of a widely effective websites at the manufacturer level. Arianne Walker, Senior Director Automotive, Media and Marketing at JD Power explained that these websites are critical in a competitive industry. Walked said, “There is fierce competition in the automotive industry and a manufacturer’s website is a key channel for OEMs to show in-market shoppers why they should purchase their vehicles.”

Consumers often visit OEM websites to use the build and price tools. According to the JD Power study, 35 percent of consumers use it to determine if the new vehicle will fit their budget. Twenty-nine percent of those polled use it to “build” a personalized vehicle with every feature and accessory they are looking for. Those consumers who are buying from premium brands are more likely at 33 percent to use the vehicle personalization features than 26 percent of those shopping for non-premium brands. And non-premium brand shoppers are more likely (38 percent) to use the OEM website pricing tool for budgeting than the 29 percent of premium shoppers who implement this tactic. Jeep’s manufacturer website received the highest customer satisfaction rating in this study, followed closely by Infinity, Jaguar, Cadillac and Porsche.

Dealers, how can you help this situation? If some consumers make their decision to a certain extent based on the manufacture’s site, what can dealers do to improve their online presence to help steer consumers to their store? How often do your customers talk to you about the OEM as a factor behind their purchase?