JudgeService finds one in three car buyers prefer visiting local dealerships to finding their next vehicle online

Car buyers visiting showrooms are increasingly likely to choose dealers because they are local, rather than discovering the vehicle they want to buy online, according to new research from JudgeService.

The research surveyed 169,313 in-market buyers over a three-year period, starting in January 2019, with respondents asked what prompted them to make a visit to a dealership where they had made an enquiry.

In December 2021 over a third (36%) said their visits were prompted by the dealer being local, compared to 22% who ended up on forecourts as a result of finding a vehicle online.

The next most cited reasons were visiting the dealer’s website (17%) and having previously had a good experience with the dealer (13%).

The research shows how before the Covid-19 lockdowns, the prime reason cited by buyers was locality. However, with showrooms subsequently forced to close to customers, online searches became the main prompt for buyers initially in July 2020 and then for an extended period stretching from November 2020 until July 2021.

“While the pandemic undoubtedly changed the way consumers were able to buy cars online, it’s likely this was born out of necessity and is not necessarily the way they want to continue post-lockdown,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.

The research tracks the increases in buyers prompted by locality following the lifting of each lockdown. Since October this trend has gathered momentum, consistently outperforming online prompted visits.

“Throughout the lockdowns we saw the accelerated delivery of online car buying services from dealers, car supermarkets and the likes of Cinch and Cazoo. While all these services clearly have a place, for most buyers they don’t replace the desire to visit their local dealer to view cars in the metal,” said Addley.

“The popular narrative might suggest more car buyers are moving online to purchase but that is not what they’re telling us. Given the choice, buyers still want to see, touch and test drive cars at their local showrooms.

“Dealers preparing their marketing activities for 2022 should not underestimate their roles as local heroes and plan their budgets accordingly,” said Addley.

ENDS

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 1,000 franchised, independent and car supermarket sites across the UK.

Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications