Top 2014 U.S. Car Brands as Rated by Women When Buying a Vehicle

Posted: March 22, 2014 by Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate

PITTSBURGH, PA – Women drive up auto sales as industry professionals focus on marketing to women. According to the latest research, women are the fastest growing segment of car buyers purchasing an estimated 27.5 million cars last year. That is equivalent to 75,000 cars bought by women each day in the United States.

By the looks of it, 2014 is the year of women car buyers and dealerships looking to boost their car sales definitely are positioning themselves to tap into this powerful and growing segment of car buyers.

Top 2014 Car Brands as Rated by Women Car Buyers

Women-‐Drivers.com, the premier car dealer review site that connects women to certified car dealers, has recently published the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report. The report, compiled after 2900 women car buyers reviewed their dealership, showcases the top 15 U.S car brands as rated by women. Each brand’s WSI or Women Satisfaction Index is derived by taking the aggregate of the dealer’s scores on the site ranging from a 5.0 (highest) to 1.0 (lowest).

“It is a straightforward equation -‐ car manufactures and dealerships that are treating women well by engaging, and respecting them in the shopping and purchase process are positioning exceptionally to get women’s future business,” said Anne Fleming, the company’s president.

The report shows that Mercedes received the highest WSI score among women car buyers with an almost perfect score of 4.97 in the buying category. This means women rated their treatment at these dealerships above all other branded dealerships. Mercedes is followed by Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep and Lexus.

The Winning “Women Satisfaction” Factor

‘Women Satisfaction’ is the ultimate factor that decides whether a potential woman car buyer will seal a car buying deal or pass and choose another dealer. If she is not satisfied with the dealership, she will walk out without making a purchase – and chances are almost 3 in 4 of those women shoppers will never return to that dealership again.

Let’s take a look at the decisive factors and reasons that can help dealers deliver ‘Women Satisfaction’ to women car buyer. From the same 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report, the top 5 reasons women buy from a sales advisor are:

Trusting
Knowledgeable
Respectful
Likeable
Understanding

Further, the top 3 reasons women buy at a particular dealership:

Good treatment by sales person
Best price or deal
Dealer reputation

These are the exact factors that influence the car buying decision of women buyers. When a woman buyer is treated with respect and gets proper assistance from the dealer, chances are increased exponentially that she will make a purchase there.

Marketing Strategies that Dealerships to Attract Women and Increase Sales

When it comes to buying a car, women no longer spend months shopping around and researching dealers. They value their time and use trusted car dealer review sites to help them determine where to purchase their next car.

Women usually browse through these dealer review sites when at home or through their smart phones. According to Pew Research, approximately 80% of Americans will have smart phones by the end of 2014; this means more potential car buyers are scrolling through dealer review websites to find the best dealership experience in town.

The truth of the matter is that dealers should now focus on reviews -‐ especially reviews from women buyers. When it comes to reviews, as compared to men, women are more generous in rating their dealership experience and leave higher scoring reviews!

As shopping trends are changing and buyers are giving more importance to what they read and find online, OEM’s and dealerships need to incorporate new marketing technologies and platforms to optimize their car sales among buyers, especially women.

About Women‐Drivers.com – Women-Drivers.com is the premier women’s online rating and review service, connecting female auto shoppers to Certified Women-Drivers Friendly© Car Dealers. We encourage extraordinary commercial experiences and lasting relationships between these two groups. The Company provides innovative web‐based marketing solutions that build trust and transparency, resulting in greater sales and servicing from women. Follow us 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.’

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.