J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Mobile Device Usage Findings From Automotive Shoppers Reveal Opportunities for Improvement, Best Practices

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive shoppers are increasingly using mobile devices to access information to shape their buying decisions, which has important implications for automotive brands and marketers, according to a presentation at the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable. The conference is currently being held at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., through Friday, Oct. 22.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

"Currently, fewer than 20 percent of in-market automotive shoppers visit an automotive website from their mobile device, but this figure is expected to increase accordingly as the proliferation of smartphones continues," said Arianne Walker, director of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Having a mobile site isn't enough; mobile sites with satisfying usability help increase the likelihood of shoppers to test drive, thus driving traffic to the dealership—which is the ultimate goal of a website."

Both manufacturer and third-party mobile websites have ample room for improvement, although satisfaction for third-party sites tends to be particularly low. The presentation identified the following best practices for automotive mobile website design:

• The homepage of a mobile site should offer access to all the same features that are available from the brand's traditional website and limit the number of screens the user must navigate to access detailed model-level information.
• Despite the limited screen space available on a mobile device, vehicle images on a mobile website should be large and of high quality. Large images allow shoppers to see details of a model's design and features. In addition, navigation through photo galleries should be simple.
• Successful mobile websites establish a visual focal area using a large image that doesn't distract from navigation elements. This makes a site more visually attractive while still keeping navigation intuitive.
• Reduce the number of clicks and amount of scrolling it takes to get to relevant information is critical. Requiring an excessive number of clicks may discourage shoppers from researching further.
• Text on a mobile site should be thorough, yet concise, and formatted in either bulleted lists or very short paragraphs for easy reading.
• Make the most of limited screen space by devoting space to product information rather than marketing messages. Limited model information does not help the shopper with their shopping research.

"When designing mobile sites, marketers should focus on the same basic principles that drive satisfaction with traditional websites— information and content; navigation; appearance; and speed," said Walker. "Fortunately for marketers, this means they don't have to start from ground zero—they can take what they've learned from designing their traditional site and implement those best practices on their mobile site."

The presentation also yielded the following insights:

• Among shoppers who have visited at least one mobile automotive website, manufacturer sites and third-party sites are accessed more frequently than dealership sites or auto enthusiast sites.
• These shoppers are equally interested in obtaining both upper-funnel (vehicle reviews, images and comparisons) and lower-funnel information (vehicle pricing and dealer locations) through their mobile devices.
• Approximately 20 percent of vehicle shoppers who use mobile devices during the shopping process indicate they have downloaded an auto-related mobile application. A majority of these mobile app users indicate they prefer to obtain shopping information through mobile websites rather than apps.

The 2010 Automotive Internet Roundtable is the most highly attended J.D. Power and Associates conference since the event was first initiated, with nearly 1,100 automotive dealers and industry professionals registered.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction.  The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.  For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a global information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.  

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates