European Survey shows Influence of Web on Car Purchases

More than 80% of internet users in the UK who have bought a car in the last six months, or who will buy a car within a year, have used the Web to help them, suggests research by Cospririt.

The annual European trend watch survey, Cartrack, showed an increase in the influence of the Web. Not only is the internet an unrivalled information source for car buyers, but 58% of respondents discovered new models by going online. 72% of respondents said the Web helped them choose their model and 82% stated that the internet reassured them about their choice.

Cartrack found that users believe the Web speeds up the buying process with 79% of buyers agreeing that the internet saves them time, while only 17% of car buyers surveyed felt uncomfortable when it came to using the Internet as part of their car purchase process.

As well as profiling the demographics of its sample, the cartrack survey asks the following questions:

1 Use of automobile websites and expectations
Which websites are known / visited?
What are the reasons for visiting websites?
What actions are taken on websites?

2 Integration of the Internet in the purchase process
When was the Internet integrated into the purchase process?
How much time before the actual purchase?
At what stage in the purchase process was the Internet used?
Number and frequency of visits after the first visit?

3 Benefits of using the Internet in the purchase process
What are the website features that Internet users recommend?
How is an automobile website perceived?
How does a website visit impact the brand image of a carmaker?

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