The nation’s premier car dealer review website, DealerRater, surveyed about 5,530 people to see which factors ranked the highest for consumers’ car purchase decision making. There were six factors in the survey, they were low price, hassle-free shopping, prompt attention, location of dealer, dealer reputation, and service promises. The reviewers were also given an option of “other” so that they could fill in a factor that was not included in the list.
They found that the most important factor for customers in their buying decision is a “hassle free” shopping experience with about 30% of people stating this as the most important factor. This helps the dealers understand how to approach the customers better by only applying a little amount of pressure while still giving the customer the feeling of control over the purchasing decision.
The next most important factor is the “dealer’s reputation” with about 20% of respondents thinking it was the most important factor. This shows that placing an effective reputation management program in place will help with portraying your dealership in the correct light.
After those 2 factors (hassle free buying experience and dealer’s reputation), it goes low prices (15%), prompt attention (10%), service promise (6%), and dealer location (3%). What I found surprising is that the factor “low prices” was not the most important factor. This study demonstrates the importance of good customer service within a dealership and that it is not all about pricing.
To read about the poll on the DealerRater website please click here.