Distance by Brand
08 March 2023 by Curtis Hutchinson
Mercedes-Benz customers go the extra mile to visit showrooms, as buyers increasingly shop locally.
08 March 2023 - Mercedes-Benz customers travel further to showrooms than any other car buyers, as consumers increasingly look to buy locally, according to the latest research from JudgeService.
When it came to purchasing a car in 2022, most buyers (44%) only travelled up to five miles to visit a franchised dealership, while over a quarter (28%) were prepared to travel between five and 15 miles. However, buyers prepared to travel over 30 miles fell year-on-year from 21% to 16.5%.
The research of over 53,000 buyers found the willingness to travel further for the right car was brand specific and weighted in favour of prestige and niche brands.
Mercedes-Benz customers were prepared to travel the furthest, averaging 48 miles to make a purchase, followed by Subaru buyers at 38 miles and Jaguar buyers at 36 miles.
Other brands making up the top 10 included Lexus (35 miles) and Volvo (35 miles), BMW (34 miles), Land Rover (34 miles), Isuzu (30 miles), Honda (26 miles) and Volkswagen (25 miles).
“During the pandemic we saw an increase of customers buying cars from longer distances. However, this changed in 2022 with more customers buying locally than at any time since 2018 when we started tracking sales by distance. This highlights the need for dealers to be local heroes and maximise on the opportunities in their local communities.” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.
The research also identified how dealers need to work harder to satisfy customers who have travelled a long way.
“When customers travel long distances to visit showrooms, the premises becomes more important to them as they judge the facilities more harshly than local customers. This is no doubt due to the time they’ve invested in travelling to the dealership.” said Addley.
“Our research found distance customers score dealers 13% lower than local customers. Therefore, when someone has made a journey, it is important to do simple things well by making sure the vehicle they’re interested in is ready to view, a salesperson is available and refreshments are offered. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” he said.
The findings are taken from the newly published JudgeService Industry Report: The Strangest Secrets, based on responses from 53,585 customer surveys completed between 1 July and 31 December 2022.
Top 10 Brands for Buyers Prepared to Travel
1.
Mercedes-Benz -
48 miles
2.
Subaru -
38 miles
3.
Jaguar -
36 miles
4.
Lexus -
35 miles
=.
Volvo -
35 miles
6.
BMW -
34 miles
=.
Land Rover -
34 miles
8.
Isuzu -
30 miles
9.
Honda -
26 miles
10.
Volkswagen -
25 miles
Source: JudgeService
Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.
About JudgeService
Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK's only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.
JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.
Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 1000 franchised, independent, and car supermarket sites across the UK.
Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications
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