Super Bowl Ads and Other Promotions Increase the Need for Sites to be Ready for Prime Time
Ram Ranks Highest in Satisfaction with Manufacturer Websites
COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Super Bowl may pose the first big test of the year for auto shopper satisfaction. According to the J.D. Power 2016 Manufacturer Website Evaluation StudySM—Winter, website navigation problems due to rich content, especially on the individual auto model pages, can negatively impact customer satisfaction and perceptions of site speed.
The semiannual study, now in its 17th year, measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer websites during the new-vehicle shopping process by examining four key measures (in order of importance): information/content, appearance, navigation and speed. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale. Overall customer satisfaction with auto manufacturer websites is 808.
As the demand for interactive and illustrative information has increased, so has the number of navigation issues on automaker sites—especially on the model pages, where vehicle details, videos and build tools are available. There is a connection between navigation problems and the perception of site speed. The more steps needed to find information, view an image or play a video, the longer the process feels, which leads to a decline in satisfaction. More than four in 10 (42%) shoppers indicate experiencing a problem with speed in at least one area of the website.
Speed satisfaction is higher among shoppers who do not experience a speed issue than among those who do (838 vs. 765, respectively). The combination of navigation and speed issues can be extremely detrimental to the shopping experience. There is 232-point gap in satisfaction between shoppers who experience no speed or navigation issues (845) and those who experience three or more navigation issues and speed issues (613).
"Automakers just spent many millions of dollars on advertising during the Super Bowl to drive a massive amount of traffic to their respective digital showrooms; it's critical that those websites perform at a level consistent with the manufacturer's brand promise," said Arianne Walker, senior director of marketing analytics at J.D. Power. "Auto manufacturers need to find the right balance between offering rich content and a robust Web experience that engages shoppers enough to get them to the dealer to take that next step. If the site has difficult navigation and perceived speed issues, shoppers may opt for another brand of interest."
Following are some of the key findings of the 2016 winter study:
Manufacturer Website Study Rankings
Ram (838) ranks highest in overall manufacturer website satisfaction, followed by Porsche (836) and Mercedes-Benz (828).
The 2016 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study—Winter is based on responses from more than 9,500 new-vehicle shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded from November 3 through November 17, 2015.
Media Relations Contacts
John Tews; Troy, Mich.; 248-680-6218; [email protected]
For more information about the J.D. Power 2016 Manufacturer Website Evaluation StudySM—Winter visit:
http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-manufacturer-website-evaluation-study-mwes
See the online press release at:
http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-manufacturer-website-evaluation-study-winter
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-info
About McGraw Hill Financial www.mhfi.com
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SOURCE J.D. Power
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