New Dealer.com Research Shows Car Shopping End-of-Summer Dip Less Significant than Prior Years

ATLANTA, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The end of summer typically sees a drop in overall dealership website traffic, and this year was no exception. However, the decline was notably less significant compared to the past several years and suggests that car buyers' purchasing intent has not drastically shifted downward.

The October Dealer DataView index – which captures data through September 30, 2017 – showed that total website visits in September dropped 6% compared to August. This represents a notably less significant shift when compared to prior year seasonal changes. In 2016, Dealer.com saw a 9% drop in total traffic in September compared to August, and in 2015, the monthly difference was 10%.

The DataView index also revealed that aside from the total traffic drop, engagement remained generally consistent with this year's overall trends. Engagement remained generally consistent with this year's overall trends of increased mobile traffic and SUV popularity. Mobile visits continue to climb and now accounts for 57% of total visits. New vehicle detail page (VDP) views account for 44% of total VDPs; used VDPs stand at 53%, and SUVs remained the most popular body style at 35% of all VDP views.

Search advertising cost-per-click (CPC), another leading indicator of demand, climbed by 4% again last month, and is now averaging $3.47 nationally. As the fall season begins, advertising budgets may need to be adjusted to account for this trend.

"A critical value of the DataView reporting is providing context and understanding around cyclical industry trends such as seasonal fluctuations," said James Grace, Senior Director of Analytics Products, Cox Automotive Media Solutions. "As dealers continue to carefully monitor the sales climate, the October reporting points to continuing demand and purchase intent from U.S. consumers."

Separately, in a bid to better understand the link between natural disasters and car shopping behavior, the Dealer.com team analyzed proprietary data from impacted regions. Their research revealed that car shopping is a bellwether for a local economy in reacting and responding to these tragedies:

• In the days following the landfall of Hurricane Harvey on August 26, the Houston area saw a significant drop in both traffic to Dealer.com websites as well as leads submitted to dealerships. However, that drop was immediately followed by a spike as people bought new cars to replace those that were damaged in the storm. About a month later, things returned to normal levels.
• The situation in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Irma on September 11th was similar, but slightly different in an important way. In Florida, there was a steady drop in web traffic and lead volume leading up to the hurricane's landfall and a subsequent return to normal levels about five days later. What didn't emerge was the same spike of demand, which suggests that the damage in Florida was a bit less severe.

The data referenced above is based on visits to Dealer.com hosted websites. For more insights and to view the full October DataView report featuring detailed regional breakdowns. please visit:

To register for future DataView reports, visit http://www.dealer.com/dataviewsignup_teaser/ .

About Dealer.com
Dealer.com provides an integrated platform of Advertising, Website and Managed Services products which allow OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology and data to better engage and connect with their customers. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of innovation, with a focus on health and wellness, making it one of the most desirable places to work, and a valuable partner for automotive retailers. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, financial, retail and wholesale solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has 32,000-plus team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

SOURCE Dealer.com

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