1. Google Automotive Shopper Influence Study

2. Pre-shopping | In-store | In-home
Decision making model
Stimulus
First Moment of Truth
Second Moment of Truth
Pre-shopping | In-store | In-home
At shelf In-store
In-home Consumption

3. Objectives
How is shopper behavior changing in a digitally powered world? What role do new media like social & mobile play in shopping? How are shoppers’ expectations of the physical retail dealership changing? How does automotive pre-shopping change actual purchasing?

4. 500 total respondents Methodology
Intercept decision makers in digital form
Connect as close to purchase decision as possible
Interactive, game-like online construct
Looks at influencers to purchase throughout the process
500 total respondents
Purchased new automobile, within the last months

5. Automotive Shoppers Understanding Purchase Influence
WHEN did you start shopping?
WHERE did you go for advice or information?
HOW did it influence your purchase decision?
WHY was it influential?

6. When? purchase timeline
When did shoppers begin their journey and how long did it take to get to purchase?

7. Purchasing an automobile is a very considered decision for shoppers.
Over 14%
shopped & bought within
a week or less
from purchase 1%
5-8 hours 0%
One day 2%
2-3 days 3%
4-6 days 2%
A week 6%
2 weeks 5%
3 weeks 4%
A month
17%
2-3 months
23%
4-6 months
17%
7-12 months
10%
More than a year 7%

8. Where?
source usage
Where did shoppers go for advice or information to help them make their purchase decision?

9. Categories of influence

10. Source usage: Automotive
Used 18.2 sources on average
34% Average Usage
Stimulus
ZMOT
FMOT
Q2 When you were considering purchasing/leasing a new automobile, what sources of information did you seek out to help with your decision?
Base N=500

11. Breakout by Age: Automotive
18–34 (n=181)
35–49 (n=81)
50+ (n=238)
Source Node Usage
SMOT participation
82%
83%
76%
Tactical Internet Behaviors
Attitudes towards the Internet

12. Breakout by Age: Automotive
18–34 (n=181)
35–49 (n=81)
50+ (n=238)
25.6
Source Node Usage
Younger shoppers use over 25 sources of information before purchase!
SMOT participation
82%
83%
76%
Tactical Internet Behaviors
38% say internet is necessary.
Attitudes towards the Internet

13. How?
net influence How influential were the sources you used in your purchase decision?

14. Net Influence – Source Category Nets
Retail
Online General
Dealer Specific Online
Offline Social
Direct/Event
Print/Outdoor
Online Social
Mobile
TV/Radio
Outside of the dealership experience itself, digital sources are the leading influencer on purchase of any advertising medium
Q5 We’d like you to tell us how influential each of these sources of information was to you at the time. Please select a number from 1-10 for each of the sources below where 1 is “least influential” and 10 is “most influential.” You may select any number in between 1 and 10.
Base: N=500
Automotive

15. Automotive: Source Usage & Net Influence
WHERE did you go for advice or information?
HOW did it influence your purchase decision?

16. Why? heat mapping influence
why were your sources influential in decision making?

17. Automotive Heat Map: Searched Online
71%
Usage
86%
Repeat Usage
Fewest People
Most People
Degree of Influence 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
7-12+ mos before
4-6 mos before
2-3 mos before
1 month before
3 weeks before
2 weeks before
1 week before
4-6 days before
2-3 days before
Day of purchase
Time From Purchase
Base N=500

18. Automotive Heat Map: Dealer Website
56%
Usage
18%
Repeat Usage
Fewest People
Most People
Degree of Influence 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
7-12+ mos before
4-6 mos before
2-3 mos before
1 month before
3 weeks before
2 weeks before
1 week before
4-6 days before
2-3 days before
Day of purchase
Time From Purchase
Base N=500

19. Automotive Heat Maps: Select Source Nodes
Fewest People
Looked on the dealership lot
Searched dealership inventory
Searched online
Comparison shopped automobiles online
Sought information manufacturer website
Sought info from a dealership website
Most People
Talked with friends & family
Saw an ad in a newspaper
Saw TV ad

20. Post purchase refraction effect: SMOT Participation
80% of automotive shoppers engage in refraction post purchase, with nearly half sharing their purchase experience digitally
Mentioned it to a co-worker or took an online survey
More than
30%
63% 9%
Mentioned it to friends/family
Wrote a customer review on a website
18% 7%
Wrote about it in a blog and posted Tweets
Wrote about it on a Facebook page

21. Conclusions
Highly considered purchase, but impulse shoppers exist in surprising numbers High ZMOT usage & influence for the category Even higher for younger shoppers ZMOT drives more purchase influence than all traditional advertising Retail effects still highly influential
It’s a Price-Plus world

22. Invest in both brand and local dealership online presence
Opportunities
Websites, search and comparison shopping online outweigh all other advertising effects – are they getting the attention they deserve?
Invest in both brand and local dealership online presence
Optimize content for both price / value messaging, and performance / style
Harness repeat source usage – retargeting, content optimization for early, middle late stage shoppers
Dealership + ZMOT =Win
High refraction effect = opportunity.
reward shoppers who share good news

23. Thank you! Questions?