Is there any research into error rates on websites?

Are consumers ready to move from web to mobile to research or shop for cars?

• According to a recent survey of online vehicle  shoppers commissioned by Chrome Data, a leading provider of high-value  vehicle content, applications and solutions benefiting the complete  automotive sales chain, automotive retailers can nab more buyers by  investing in robust and mobile-friendly online research tools backed up  by social networking. More shoppers are increasingly using their mobile devices to research  or shop for a vehicle (31 percent in 2012 vs. 24 percent in 2011) and  locate a nearby dealer (45 percent in 2012 vs. 35 percent in 2011).   More than half of these shoppers (52 percent) used their mobile device  to search for available makes and models in inventory that met their  needs. In addition, the percentage of shoppers who are relying on social  networking sites to research or get opinions on a vehicle more than  doubled from only 11 percent in 2011 to 27 percent in 2012. Nearly a  quarter (24 percent) have shared their opinion of a vehicle on a social  networking site, which is triple the rate of last year (8 percent) and  double the rates of 2010 and 2009 (12 percent each).  Furthermore, the  rate of shoppers who used social networking sites to post images of  vehicles they like, and view images of vehicles posted by other members,  has doubled this year as compared to last year. The trend of jumping online to research vehicles instead of seeking  information at a dealership also continues to gain traction. Consumers  who visit a local dealer’s website to research vehicles have steadily  increased over the years from 34 percent in 2009 to 44 percent today. As  dealer websites gain influence so does the importance of comprehensive  online and mobile-friendly research tools to attract and retain vehicle  shoppers.  “Shoppers want the convenience of researching vehicles on the go, and  the hard facts and third-party opinions that lead to better purchasing  decisions,” said Robin Goodyer, Director of Product Management, Sales  & Marketing at Chrome Data Solutions. “Automotive retailers can  leverage this trend and earn more business with mobile-friendly research  tools that let consumers build, price and compare vehicles, and by  having a comprehensive social media strategy.”

• Answer:

  I and my colleagues at KarFarm believe that consumers are ready NOW to not only research but go through almost the entire buying experience online. Not just ready but hungry for the break from the dysfunctional, inconvenient, and wasteful torture that the current offline and online car shopping experience is now. So yes, consumers are ready to shop for cars online. But I and my colleagues at KarFarm aren't quite satisfied with how researching and social media recommendations work right now in the automobile industry. Social shopping should be more than the same data and messages from different channels. Advertising is advertising even if it virally distributed through nodes you know. We have very quickly built resistances to even social media based advertising. To be truly compelling, true social marketing has to think beyond the broadcast model and delve into full and novel utilization of the social graph. Better social marketing for cars should prod the people who know you best to recommend the best car for who you are, what you do, and how you live but in a much deeper way then just the posting of images and articles of cars. It should also be fun in itself.