J.D. Power 2016 New Autoshopper Study: Social media usage during new-vehicle shopping increases

The just-published J.D. Power 2016 New Autoshopper Study finds that consumers who use the internet during their new-vehicle shopping process are increasingly turning to social media websites as a source of information.

Among automotive internet shoppers, 22% use a social media site as a source while shopping for their new vehicle—up from 16% in 2015. The most popular social media sites used by auto internet shoppers during the shopping process are YouTube (13%), DealerRater (7%), and Facebook (5%).

The 2016 New Autoshopper Study analyzes how buyers of new vehicles use digital devices—i.e., tablets, smartphones, and computers—to gather information prior to purchase, as well as which websites and apps they use during the shopping process. The study also examines the various types of content new-vehicle buyers access during their shopping process and identifies the content they find most useful.

“Social media plays a large role in many consumers’ lives, so it’s not surprising that it’s one of the tools they’re using during the vehicle-shopping process,” said Mike Battaglia, vice president, automotive retail at J.D. Power. “While we would not expect social media sites to compete head-on with designated auto shopping sites like Toyota.com and Kelley Blue Book, it’s easy to understand the role and relevance social plays in the automotive shopping process.”

Among automotive internet shoppers who use social media, only 13% indicate that the information posted on social media sites influenced their purchase decision, and only 2% say a social site was the “most useful site” they visited.

“Social media platforms aren’t as useful as automotive shopping websites for automotive information, but they do serve the needs of consumers for unbiased dealer reviews, affirmations from other vehicle owners, accessing automotive-related videos, and exchanging ideas and opinions with friends and family members,” said Battaglia.

However, according to the study, 34% of new-vehicle buyers who use social media for automotive information post a picture of their new vehicle on a social site. Facebook is by far the most popular site for posting vehicle photos—it gets 88% of the posts. Instagram runs a distant second, garnering 21% of vehicle photo posts. (Some consumers post to multiple sites.)

www.jdpower.com