Survey: Car Buyers Prioritize Experience Over Price

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent survey of 1,000 American consumers undertaken by Roadster and Survata was designed to identify which industries currently provide the best shopping experiences and those that are in need of modernization. Automotive fared poorly, ranking ahead of only the cable industry.

American men and women were asked how often they shop (daily, weekly, twice weekly) and whether they shop online or visit retailers. They reported feelings of loyalty when retailers offer a great customer experience (71%), free shipping (68%), and easy returns (52%).

For the auto industry in particular, men (21%) and women (20%) said that dealing with one person from start to finish — along with transparent pricing (22% of men, 20% of women) and having the inventory they are looking for (16% of men, 18% of women) — would improve the shopping experience.

“At Roadster, we’ve always put a premium on creating car-buying and -selling solutions that deliver a great customer experience,” said Andy Moss, CEO of Roadster. “And it’s clear from the results of our study that car shoppers are not only ready for it, but are willing to even pay more to ensure it. We are proud to be at the forefront of change in the industry and to be deploying solutions that will finally make car shopping as easy and as positive as shopping for anything else.”

A slim majority (52%) ranked a positive car-buying experience as more important to them than price. Eighty-five percent of men and 81% of women said they would pay up to 10% more to ensure a fast, transparent, and painless experience, while 15% of men and 19% of women said they would be willing to pay 20% more to ensure a positive customer experience.

More than one-quarter of all car buyers and lessees felt they were upsold on services and products that they did not want (29%), that the process was inefficient and took too much time (28%), and that there was a lack of transparent pricing available (24%). Despite these grievances, 87% of respondents in Roadster’s study stated that they had a positive car-shopping experience.

Among all respondents, men (22%) and women (18%) picked cable as the industry that delivers the worst customer experience, followed by automotive, named the worst by 13% of men and 18% of women. Men said the grocery (31%) and consumer electronics industries (20%) provide the best shopping experience. Women ranked apparel (40%) first, followed by grocery (34%).