DT University Study Reveals Automotive Shoppers on Desktops Call Dealerships the Most

CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the well-publicized shift in automotive digital advertising spend to mobile, most phone calls to dealerships are still generated by consumers shopping on their desktops and laptops, not their smartphones, according to a new study published today by DT University, the educational and training center of DialogTech. That trend is even more pronounced during the two peak sales seasons for dealerships in North America. The study should cause automotive marketers focusing primarily on mobile to reconsider how they allocate digital ad spend.

The DT University study, which examined data from the DialogTech voice management platform on over 1.1 million phone calls to thousands of North American dealerships, found that:

• 54.8 percent of call conversions from Tier 1 (manufacturer/OEM) and Tier 3 (local dealership) websites are from shoppers on their desktops and laptops
• Only 45.2 percent of calls come from visitors on mobile devices

The gap between desktop- and mobile-generated calls is even more pronounced during the automotive industry's two peak sales seasons from March to May and September to November:

First Peak Sales Season

• March: 22.2% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile
• April: 27.3% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile
• May: 27.3% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile

Second Peak Sales Season

• September: 22.2% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile
• October: 22.2% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile
• November: 56.4% more calls from desktop/laptop than mobile

The study also found that shoppers who call a dealership purchase vehicles on average 10 times more than consumers who fill out a form on a Tier 1 or Tier 3 website, making calls more valuable conversions to generate from digital advertising campaigns.

"The DT University study should be an eye-opener for auto manufacturers and dealerships," said Alain Stephan, SVP of Analytics Services at DialogTech. "When you ramp up digital ad spending during peak sales seasons, don't forget to target desktop shoppers – they drive the most calls and revenue."

You can access the full DT University study at dialogtech.com/blog/call-tracking/phone-calls-auto-dealerships.

About DT University
DT University (DTU) is the official educational, training and thought leadership center of DialogTech. The mission of DT University is to educate marketers on how to generate more customers and revenue from voice and the call channel. For more information, visit dialogtech.com/dtu.

About DialogTech
DialogTech provides actionable marketing analytics for businesses that value inbound phone calls. Consistently recognized as the leader and pioneer in call analytics and optimization, DialogTech is the trusted voice management platform for Fortune 500 brands, agencies and fast-growing companies. From call attribution to conversation analytics to caller experience optimization, only DialogTech has everything marketers need to drive the conversations that drive revenue. For more information, visit dialogtech.com.

Media Contact
Blair Symes
DialogTech
[email protected]
312-999-0119

SOURCE DT University

Related Links

http://dialogtech.com/dtu