Would you use your smartphone to shop for cars? You would if you are a Millennial.

According to a new study from AutoTrader, 66% of 18-33 year-olds use mobile to find a dealer, and 65% use it to find actual vehicles.  (Greenberg, 2014)

Consistent with the shift in buying patterns discussed last week, Millennials are spending 16.4 hours researching and choosing their cars online before they visit a dealer.  When they do visit a showroom, they are testing and hopefully buying the vehicle they have settled on.  And 70% do.

While we see similar trends emerging to a lesser degree among older cohorts, as with the move from offline to online buying, the Millennials are leading the way with 95% using the web to shop for vehicles.

They spend over half their online time on third-party sites like AutoTrader, but only 5% use social sites as a resource, and only 22% say that it influences their brand perceptions.  Manufacturers and dealers had better tune in, because 59% say that they will think less of a brand that has a poorly functioning mobile site.

Greenberg, K. (2014, August 14)  Millennial Auto Shoppers Are Digital, Mobile, Confused.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved August 15, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/232110/millennial-auto-shoppers-are-digital-mobile-conf.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=75361