Until now the Internet has had a limited impact on
the UK car market, but that is about to change, according to a new
report from Fletcher Research.
Currently, the Internet is appealing to older, more educated and
more affluent car buyers, says the report. However, most of them
are simply looking for information rather than seeking to purchase
a car over the Internet.
Despite current reluctance, by 2003 almost 500,000 purchase decisions
will be made online each year, predicts the report — a figure that
represents around 20 per cent of the UK new car market.
“Online consumers want to use the Internet to help them buy cars,”
commented Neil Bradford, director of Fletcher Research.
“Currently manufacturers and dealers are using the web to drive
interested users to the offline sales channel. But successful online
strategies will combine the research and communications potential of
the Internet to instil sufficient faith in consumers to commit to a
vehicle purchase online.”
The main deterrent to purchasing online, says the report, is the
need for most prospective owners to test-drive a car before making
a decision. Fully two-thirds of respondents cited this as the main
reason for not buying online.
Reluctance will be overcome by those manufacturers who build
sufficiently strong customer relationships, the research company
goes on to say. By generating a high level of brand loyalty,
manufacturers can convince purchasers that the performance, ride,
comfort and other features of a new car will meet their expectations.
The new report is called: “Dream Machines: Selling New Cars Online,”
and further information is available at the Fletcher Research Web site.