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TEST: Shoppers Don't Know Cars... do you?

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#31
All,
The test is a deliberate look at body lines only and how many interesting insights come from this experience.


DEALER's PERSPECITVE:
Most everyone I spoke to (me included) was shocked at how difficult is was. I sat with a very proud GSM while he eagerly took the test. Many of you scored better than he did. He told me this blew up his battle plan for product & sales training, marketing & merchandising.


OEM's PERSPECTIVE:
This test is a demonstration of how bland the design side of the crossover space has become. The differentiators that MOTIVATE SHOPPERS is evolving into a feature competition (this is Hyundai's attack plan). If an OEM has a high days supply in this space, chances are all they have left to do is... discount to turn units.


CAR SHOPPER's PERSPECTIVE:
I'm pounding thee table... We, as an industry, under-weight the complexity of car shopping. At a high level,
  • Shoppers don't know cars
  • Shoppers don't read, they scan
  • Shoppers are NOT brand loyal
Result? High up in the Internet shopping process, many shoppers start the shopping process without knowing what's for sale. Some of this is because there's so many products and many products look similar. Some of this is due to the incredibly fragmented car shopping UX. You can see this happen in the popular post "Observing My Brother... the Car Shopper".


VENDOR PERSPECTIVE:
It was my goal to shed some light in an area that we rarely see. A vendor can't fix this problem, but, we can help our dealers & OEM's see their strengths and weaknesses & help them... "accentuate the positive" :)
 
#34
Question: "You're half-way there... How do you think your average car shopper would be doing?"

Your Comments:
  • Not well.
  • horrible
  • less than 50% right
  • not as well
  • Not well
  • Not sure
  • they would be on their way to a Toyota dealership
  • terribly. all cars look the same.
  • Not so good
  • No Bueno JOE. NO BUENO!
  • Avg car buyer would have no idea.. Why is this so hard?? ha
  • Terrible
  • Complete fail
  • Not Good
  • yeah... How easy is it to get a job as the designer at an OEM?
  • terrible
  • they would be sucking
  • terribly. im falling apart on these...
  • Not good. I think I'm doing well but only because I'm in the car business and I take notice to the styles and shape of windows.
  • poorly
  • Dismal.
  • Poor
  • no clue
  • They might be doing better than I am considering I do not know much about SUVs! But I will learn :)
  • better than i
  • horrible
  • WHY ARE THEY ALL WHITE
  • Poorly
  • awful
  • terrible
  • As bad as me....only half way? This test is too long. Do we get paid for this?
  • awfully cause I am too
  • Waah... waah... waah... (ala pacman sound)
  • terrible
  • horrible
  • Worse than me. Which is bad.
  • Prob better than me.
  • #fail
  • Not well

This was 5 mins into a 10 min test.
#Empathy
 
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Reactions: Mitch Gallant
#35
The survey "Shoppers Don't Know Cars... do you?" is done.

I built a cool interactive infographic for ya'll. Each SUVs has a hidden label and you'll see the TOP 5 (best and worst)
upload_2016-9-15_6-56-10.png​

Some take aways:
  • 233 ppl from our industry started the 10 minute test, only 61 finished. (i.e. it was a hard test)
  • Shoppers are overwhelmed with choices, they can't possibly consider 'everything thats available'. This helps us understand why they WANT help (from humans ;-)
  • 20 Crossovers were shown (I left 3 off the list). Imagine the WORK that's required to become confident enough to sign a contract.
  • Shoppers are so overwhelmed that they use emotions to drive the process forward.
  • Noting speaks to emotions better than imagery (i.e. photos)

Dealers,
  • Stock photos are NOT what your shopper wants...
  • RIGHT NOW... if you want to stand out from the pack & sell more cars, TAKE KILLER PHOTOS! (make a commitment to this and back it up with a strong budget allocation!)

OEM's,
  • Leadership beware!
    • The limitations you place on Design, can cause a lack of differentiation which can impact P&L.
    • To differentiate, this class is highly susceptible to becoming dependent on tech
    • Your dealer's need marketing and merchandising tools to support your platform's positions.
Vendors,
  • We, as an industry, under-weight the complexity of car shopping. It's this thinking that causes ppl to build a shopping cart and wonder why so few car shoppers use it.
  • It's our job to understand this complex marketplace build & support marketing and merchandising tools whose goal it is to assist Shoppers in making the best decision possible.


HTH
-Uncle Joe
 
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