Google recently partnered with Millward Brown Digital to perform a Vehicle Shopper Path to Purchase Study. They surveyed over 2,000 respondents and analyzed over 4,000 search paths of consumers who purchased a vehicle in the last 12 months. Here are some of the high points.
People are using an average of 8 sources of online information when they are within 90 days of purchase. In the past, the number of sources would decrease significantly as the purchase approached, but that is no longer the case.
Even more interesting is the average number of touch points. As people enter the buying cycle, they become more aware of the media and channels trying to influence their purchasing decision. On average, each buyer will directly or indirectly consume an average of 24 media touch points during the research/buying process.
The biggest takeaway from this is that your marketing strategy must have consistency, and more importantly, continuity to reach maximum effectiveness. If each consumer is affected by at least 24 touch points and chooses to interact with 8 digital sources all the way to the purchase, your message has to stand out.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
