Mobile auto shoppers share info from satisfying sites

Westlake Village, Calif. - Auto shoppers using a smartphone are more likely to share vehicle information on social media when they have a satisfying online experience with an automotive manufacturer (OEM) or third-party automotive site. According to the J.D. Power 2014 Automotive Mobile Site Study, one-third (33%) of shoppers say they "definitely will" share vehicle information via social media after an exceptional experience (overall satisfaction scores of 901-1,000 on a 1,000-point scale), compared with only 3% of shoppers after a poor experience (scores of 500 and lower).



Among shoppers using an OEM or third-party automotive website, 45% say they either "probably will" or "definitely will" share information via social media about a vehicle they researched. Other key findings include:



• Shoppers who share vehicle information on social media are more likely to share imagery, such as exterior images (48%), interior images (42%) and videos (40%) than other less visual content, such as payment/lease (18%) or dealer information (25%).



• Use of videos, interior 360° and exterior 360° tools has a significant positive impact on satisfaction among smartphone shoppers when researching how a vehicle looks on both OEM and third-party websites.



• When researching vehicle information shoppers who access an OEM website on a smartphone are much more likely to use a build and price tool (43%) than who shop on third-party sites (30%). However, vehicle shoppers accessing a third-party website on a smartphone are more likely to use an inventory search tool (36%) than those on an OEM site (32%).



• The largest gap (90 points) in satisfaction between OEM (806) and third-party sites (716) is in appearance of the website.



Among OEM websites, Acura ranks highest with a score of 811. Following Acura in the rankings are Cadillac (803), Porsche (802) and Chrysler (801). Among third-party automotive sites, U.S. News Best Cars ranks highest (771), followed by Cars.com (749), Kelley Blue Book (728) and Edmunds.com (726).