In their November mid-year update DealerRater announced that Lexus (luxury segment) and Hyundai (mass-market segment) were in the lead for the 2016 Customer Rating Index. The final winners, chosen based on average consumer ratings posted on DealerRater,  will be announced in April as the highest (and lowest) ranked manufacturers by experience at the dealership level....Read More

Choosing to ignore the mobile consumer is not an option for brands that want to thrive in the modern landscape. Mobile now represents 65% of all digital media time according to a 2016 study by comScore, so it should come as no surprise that smartphones have become a key component in the vehicle-purchasing process. A study...Read More

Retailers, like many industries, have been focused for some time now on understanding, targeting, and converting millennial shoppers. They are tech-savvy, social, and mobile. This is nothing new – we have heard this before, but what does this really mean when it comes to their shopping habits? What really drives brand loyalty or how do...Read More

Vehicles are evolving to meet consistently increasing consumer demands for convenience, interactivity, and connectivity. In 2015, 15% of new vehicles were considered connected and by 2020 research expects that 75% of new vehicles and 22% of all cars on the road will be equipped with connectivity tec. PWC estimates in that same time frame the connected car industry will...Read More

Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective online marketing strategies that dealerships can conduct. In fact, nearly 75% of adults say that email is their preferred method of communication (Apogee Results).Read More

Car shoppers today are online before they ever step onto your dealership’s lot. And while this trend is not new news, a study commissioned by Cox Automotive through IHS Automotive confirmed that this is new normal for car shopping. Although dealerships may understand this, many have not made the switch from traditional marketing strategies to those that...Read More

A survey recently released by CallSource revealed a massive spike in inbound phone calls to car dealerships within the last year. With today’s consumers using their smartphones throughout the car purchase journey, many consumers prefer to pick up their phone as compared to filling out a web form or sending an email. However, one third...Read More

It’s the age old question of, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” Except now the question is, “What came first, the connected car or the connected consumer?” Some argue that consumers are evolving as a reaction to the evolution of technology. That after becoming accustomed to having the world at our fingertips we...Read More

“Direct Mail is not dead!” Screams the mail-house from the mountain top. But they might just be right- especially when it comes to automotive campaigns. A Canada Post and True Impact Marketing study  found that consumers who receive offline direct mail ads were able to recall what they saw 75% of the time, whereas those...Read More

For years, the most successful automotive dealerships in town were those who offered the lowest prices. However, long gone are the days where price slashing won the deal. Auto dealerships can no longer compete on price alone in an age where customer experience has become the new competitive commodity and consumers have the luxury of...Read More