2016 U.S. Women’s Car Dealership Report

Posted: February 9, 2016 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate

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Timely Insights from Progressive Dealerships

PITTSBURGH, PA – Women-Drivers.com shows, in the company’s third annual report, that progressive car dealerships make a difference in the experiences of women and families.

The information in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Car Dealership Report is drawn from over 4,000 women’s reviews and opt-in surveys. Using the reviews, Women-Drivers.com generates a Women Satisfaction Index® (WSI Score), ranging from a high of 5.0 to a low of 1.0. The surveys are used to delve deeper into women’s shopping, buying and servicing experiences. .

This information is specifically generated from dealerships certified through Women-Drivers.com based on the customer reviews. These progressive, forward-thinking dealers use the company’s platform to improve sales and service experiences for their women customers. Dealers who participate in this program continually evaluate the responses they receive to ensure they maintain high scores, knowing that women rely on reviews almost twice as much as men.

“Unlike other 5-star review sites, we give women the opportunity to write quick reviews and then opt-in to a 25-question survey, which 9 of 10 women participate in,” said Anne Fleming, President of Women-Drivers.com. “Our platform empowers women to respond in an authentic and productive way, helping certified dealers evaluate and improve the customer experience. The consumer intel and data helps these dealers take the guesswork out of marketing and selling to women.”

Certified Women-Drivers.com Dealers receive an average satisfaction score of 92%, which is 23% higher than non-certified dealers. Women rely on reviews 50% more than men, so having positive ratings has a direct impact on a dealership’s bottom line. Sixty percent of women who leave a dealership without buying, never return. On average, women will visit two dealerships prior to buying a car.

The 2016 report also shows what is important to women when shopping, buying and servicing their vehicle. Equally important, the report shows why women leave a dealership without buying or choose to service their vehicle at another location.

“Automobile sales remain very competitive,” continued Fleming. “Women have a variety of options when shopping for a car and have an array of information available. Women represent more than half of the car-buying market. It is always in a dealer’s best interest to understand how women shop, and tune their strategies to maximize this buying segment’s interest.”

Here are more examples of the invaluable information found in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Car Dealership Report:

Shopping:

  • The WSI for car shopping was 4.40 (out of 5.0), and 91% of women reported the sales person was respectful and friendly. Eighty-nine percent of women were satisfied with the overall dealership visit.
  • Women shopped alone 57% of the time. Eighty-five percent would recommend their sales person.
  • The dealership’s web site is the top research destination for women buyers, and 33% of women visited the dealership’s Facebook page.

Buying:

  • The Purchasing WSI was 4.76 and 95% of respondents were satisfied with their purchasing experience.
  • The top five purchased brands were Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln, Dodge, Chrysler and Volkswagen.

Servicing:

  • The WSI for the service drive was 4.55 and 92% of respondents indicated it was easy to schedule their service.
  • Sixty-one percent of women use their original dealership for service work.
  • Reasons for not using their original dealer for service included: dissatisfaction with a previous visit, unhappy with the treatment they received and an inability to resolve their issue in a satisfactory manner.
  • The top requested concierge service was, once again, a courtesy vehicle if their vehicle needed to stay overnight.

Note: The research results are from 4,034 women’s reviews and opt-in surveys from participating dealers. The results are compiled into the Women’s Satisfaction Index® and WSI Data and Findings. Some brands are not represented in the report due to small sample size.

About Women-Drivers.com – Women-Drivers.com is the premier car dealer review site focused on women and their families. It is a marketplace connecting women buyers and trusted Certified Women-Drivers Friendly© Dealers. The Company also provides ground breaking data and analytics through the Women’s Satisfaction Index to better understand the experience this buying segment has at car dealerships.

Connect with More Women Drivers:

Communicate tangible value-adds in your advertising.

If your store provides overnight loaner cars, include this in your messaging. It’s the #1 concierge item requested by women.

A confident, pleased buyer who writes a great review of her experience can influence countless other women to follow her lead.

Ask, track, and always respond to reviews.

Reviews are 3 times more influential than advertising when women buy a car.

Women want to read others’ experiences to help verify what dealerships to visit. Showcase these valuable testimonials on your home page or their own navigation section to build trust and credibility – don’t hide them in ‘About Us.’

One Size Does Not Fit All.

Step back and ask, who does your advertising really speak to?

Women are looking for connections with car dealerships.

Enhance your advertising by investing part of your ad dollars into what’s in it for her. Include dealer reviews and ‘Dealer of the Year’ awards. Remember to also sell your dealership, not only cars.

Never miss a simple action to upsell your store.

Offer a 3-minute tour, share about extended service center hours, mention that you offer overnight loaner cars, and give a free car wash coupon. Always look to surprise and delight.

Develop relationships with online guests.

Provide informative, helpful content in your BDC email response as well as link to reviews highlighting authentic consumer experiences.

76% of women rated their dealership’s website 3 out of 5 stars.

As the first point of engagement for customers, be sure your website represents your brand well, conveys trust, is welcoming, and contains educational content that adds value.

The #1 digital resource women use when buying a car is the dealership’s website.

Include images of women throughout your digital assets and online marketing campaigns.

It takes more than having a female spokesperson to market to women.

The #1 reason women choose to buy is TRUST which requires implementing new behaviors, attitudes, processes, and messaging.

Make your dealerships a welcome destination for all customers.

Always greet your customer through active listening, use empathy and understanding, and taking an interest in what they need or want – even if it’s outside the car purchase.

Include informative, engaging content on your website.

It helps build trust and ensures guests get value from your brand.

Behavior Economics demands tracking when your customers fall off.

Dealers with outdated behaviors and attitudes are losing traction with women in this competitive industry.

Measure and track the number of women leads and buyers each month.

You can’t grow what you don’t know.

Create the right conditions for the sale on the first visit.

Ask questions, listen, and get to know the customer. Never interrupt and don’t assume. Consider there won’t be a second visit.

Dealers need to shift the paradigm to effectively engage, market and optimize sales to women.

What is your Trust Dashboard with this market?

53% of millennial car buyers are women. Almost 4 in 10 women are the breadwinners in their family.

How is your current and future customer demographic represented in your front line team?

Crack the code by turning reviews into real-time data to make yours the go-to store.

Our platform collects unprecedented pre- and post-purchase analytics about what your #1 buyers want and prefer from participating dealers.

Transform your messaging and make the showroom more customer-centric.

92% of reviewers choose to opt into a 25-question survey summarizing their visit. This unbiased data is available in predictive analytics WSI (R) Dealer Data reports chronicling what these buyers want and experience.

Game-Changing Predictive Analytics.

What women want at the dealership has predominantly been an absent dialog; those statistics and conversations have generally been national. Dealers now have access to their own proprietary data through our platform. This provides leaders at each business the ability to have honest insights allowing for predictive awareness of behaviors, preferences, and experiences.