Top 2012 Car Brands as Rated by Women

Posted: February 28, 2013 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate

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Mercedes, Lexus, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are Top Leaders with Women Buyers

PITTSBURGH, PA- Women-Drivers.com has released its 2012 report showing the top car brands as rated by women. Each year, Women‐Drivers.com tracks thousands of consumer reviews with regards to women’s purchasing and browsing experiences at new car dealerships. These scores are compiled from thousands of reviews written in the 2012 calendar year. On the site, dealerships’ scores range from 5.0 (the highest) to 1.0 (the lowest). Dealers with a Women Satisfaction Index or WSI® scores between 3.8 – 5.0 are recognized and marketed as CERTIFIED Women‐Drivers Friendly™.

Women now account for over half of all car purchases; however, they influence and initiate an estimated 80% of them. One of the reasons the company captures the ‘browsing’ is that on average women visit three (3) dealerships when in the market for a new vehicle; the higher a dealership’s browsing score is a critical indication that consumers were treated well and will return to this dealership to buy.

“When a woman walks into a dealership that treats her with respect and engages her during the buying process, the dealership is out to gain a purchase from that customer,” said Anne Fleming, the company’s president, and Car Buying Advocate. “It’s pretty simple, respect + customer engagement = sale and potential future purchases. And clearly, these dealerships get that.” The company notes a positive correlation between the WSI® and CSI. Higher ranking WSI scores at many dealers have impacted those same stores’ CSI scores.”

The Top 15 Brands for PURCHASING experiences at dealerships:
Mercedes dealers received the highest WSI® ranking among women buyers with an almost perfect 4.90 score in the purchase category. Lexus followed second, with the rest of the top five going to Chrysler’s brands – quite a testimony to this family of brands, and how well the in-store buying experience is for their women shoppers.

  1. Mercedes: 4.90
  2. Lexus: 4.83
  3. Dodge: 4.78
  4. Chrysler: 4.76
  5. Jeep: 4.75
  6. Lincoln: 4.72
  7. Acura: 4.55
  8. Chevrolet: 4.51
  9. Buick: 4.48
  10. Honda: 4.39
  11. GMC: 4.38
  12. Toyota and Mazda: 4.36
  13. Cadillac: 4.35
  14. Ford and KIA: 4.33
  15. Hyundai: 4.23

The Top 15 Brands for BROWSING experiences at dealerships:

Mercedes dealers scored the highest WSI® ranking pulling in a 4.50 score from browsers ‐‐ women customers who went to a dealership but did not purchase that day. The average WSI® score for all brands in this category was 4.01. These top brands ranked consistently high with women customers who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person and their overall dealership experience. The higher a dealership’s browsing score, the higher the probability that women will return there to purchase.

 

  1. Mercedes: 4.59
  2. Jeep: 4.53
  3. Mazda: 4.38
  4. Chevrolet: 4.24
  5. Lexus: 4.10
  6. Chrysler: 4.07
  7. GMC: 4.02
  8. Hyundai: 3.99
  9. Acura and Ford: 3.97
  10. Dodge: 3.92
  11. Volkswagen: 3.67
  12. Audi: 3.44
  13. Buick & Cadillac: 3.37
  14. Toyota: 3.26

* Some brands are not represented in this report because they were no longer being marketed in 2012, or, due to lack of statistically significant data.

About Women‐Drivers.com Women‐Drivers.com is a marketplace connecting women buyers to trusted Certified Women‐Drivers Friendly™ Car Dealers and encourages extraordinary commercial experiences and lasting relationships between these two groups. Women‐Drivers.com is a producer of highly engaging Facebook women+family content and publishes a platform of integration services that build social communities for car dealers. The Company provides innovative web‐based marketing solutions that build trust and transparency, resulting in greater sales and servicing from women. Follow on Twitter @womendrivers.

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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.’

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Women are looking for connections with car dealerships.

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

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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.

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

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

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You can’t grow what you don’t know.

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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.

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