Report: Car shopping patterns different because of COVID-19
From PureCars
Car shoppers have changed what they’re “Googling” when it comes to cars, according to PureCars, which tracks digital advertising trends for auto dealers and the industry.
The top Google keywords and phrases that are being leveraged today according to PureCars:
- Deferred payments
- Financial incentives
- Automotive loan support
- Buy and test drive from/at home
- Home delivery
- Buy online
- Touchless/contactless buying
“Before the virus, searches for these were very low volume and did not warrant much paid search spend,” said Jeremy Anspach, CEO of PureCars. “Current day, these are extremely important to auto intenders and are continuing to increase in search volume.”
PureCars also has insight into how COVID has changed the way dealers are operating:
- Operationally, dealers are creating innovative ways to acquire used inventory.
- One major group hired a Used Car Acquisition Specialist, whose sole responsibility is to mine the current customer base for trades and provide Instant Cash Offers for desirable cars over the phone.
- On the advertising side, dealers are showcasing their strongest Trade-In incentives, sometimes offering up to $1,500 over KBB Value.
- Further, they are doubling down on merchandising efforts via data-intensive tools, which provides the customer a comprehensive report of all the value adds and reconditioning work that has been completed on the car.
- Last, dealers are taking advantage of VIN-level, dynamic advertising (Disclosure: Tools offered by PureCars) to keep their inventory moving.
