Web Puts Shoppers In The Driver's Seat

Car shoppers are cruising in the fast lane, using the Internet to help them make informed decisions. According to Cospirit Research, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) said that the medium helped them to make their final decision, and 82 percent said that the Internet reassured them about their choice.

The data comes as a result of a December 2002 online survey of 2,700 Internet users across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, of new and used vehicle buyers, and the findings indicate an increasing reliance on the Web for research and purchases.

The survey revealed that more than half (58 percent) of respondents have discovered new models on the Internet, and more than three-quarters (79 percent) of buyers agree that the Internet saves them time and speeds up their purchase. Of Internet users in the UK who have bought a car in the last 6 months or who will buy a car within one year, 83 percent said they used the medium for their automobile purchase.

Jupiter Research (a unit of this site’s corporate parent) found that the U.S. car buyer market presents great online potential. In a January 2003 survey of more than 1,100 U.S. adults, 27 percent were in the market for a car. Of that group, 42 percent were interested in new cars. Of the respondents that were considering new car purchases, 82 percent were using the Internet for research. Nearly half (47 percent) of that group claimed that the Internet would have a strong impact of the final make and model decision.