a good deal to be said for showroom visits

In research of interest to the motorcycle trade, Close Brothers Motor Finance reveals that despite the internet becoming the most common source for researching a car, consumers still rely on dealers when making a purchase.
 
The findings reveal that well over half (57%) of motorists used the internet to help inform their choice of car – a significant increase on last year’s study, of which 40% went online. This year sees the internet overtaking dealerships for the first time. However, despite the internet revolutionising the way we research vehicle purchases, almost four out of five (79%) consumers actually bought their last vehicle via a dealership, against just 2% who purchased online.
 
While consumers may have researched their purchase via the internet, the amount who actively visited a dealership to do first-hand research closely followed. Turning to friends and/or family and using auction websites also ranked highly.
 
UK adults did the following research before purchasing their vehicle:
1.    Searched online – 57%
2.    Visited a dealership – 53%
3.    Discussed with friends and/or family – 34%
4.    Used an independent car website – 32%
5.    Searched on auction websites – 15%
6.    Read through motor magazines – 15%
7.    Read through the motor section of the newspaper – 13%
8.    Searched via social media – 10%
 
The report also found that all age groups, apart from those aged over 65, favour researching online (46%) as opposed to visiting a dealership (57%). In contrast, 18-21 year olds ranked visiting a dealership much lower as a research method, with 61% choosing the internet vs 33% who turn to dealers.
 
According to the report, almost half (48%) of motorists purchased their last car from a new car dealership and just under a third (31%) went to a second-hand dealer. Just over one in 10 (12%) turned to a private seller and one in 25 (4%) bought through family and friends. Just 2% turned to auction houses and the same number (2%) bought via the internet.
 
Motorists stated that the key reasons behind their positive experience of purchasing through a car dealer was the sense of getting a good deal/price (67%), being given good advice within the available price range (36%), and helping to finalise the decision (35%).

www.closemotorfinance.co.uk.