Yahoo! Autos Deep Dive: A Guide to Understanding the Auto Shopper on Yahoo! Autos

Yahoo! Autos Deep Dive: A Guide to Understanding the Auto Shopper on Yahoo! AutosPublished: September 2010 | By Yahoo!

When someone visits Yahoo! Autos, what does it mean?

We know it means they’re probably in-market for a new or used vehicle purchase. But are they looking to purchase in a week? In a month? In 6 months?

Have these consumers already decided on what type of vehicle they want to purchase? And from which manufacturer? Or are they considering multiple makes?

With our 2010 Yahoo! Autos Deep Dive, we set out to provide advertisers with deeper understanding of the Yahoo! Autos audience:

• Who are these users, where are they in the purchase process, and where does Yahoo! Autos fit in that process?
• What type of vehicles are they considering, how much are they looking to spend, and what factors are most important when purchasing a vehicle?

By understanding where consumers are in the shopping process, as well as their needs and motivations, automotive advertisers can more appropriately engage these users, and identify metrics that more accurately measure success against campaigns aimed at this audience.

Methodology

We spoke to roughly 1400 Make/Model/Trim (MMT) page visitors, and 1600 Used Listings visitors throughout the month of May, 2010, asking users about their most recent Yahoo! Autos visit and details around their next vehicle purchase. Surveys were delivered to a random sample of Yahoo! Autos MMT and Used Listings Visitors. Surveys were delivered post-visit.

Key Findings/Implications:

1. Most visitors on Yahoo! Autos are in-market, not looking to purchase immediately, and are actively considering multiple makes——requiring a longer-term engagement strategy from advertisers

• Yahoo! Autos visitors visit frequently during their purchase process (often weekly), advertisers can stay top of mind and increase their relevance between visits through Yahoo! Autos retargeting campaigns.
• Since many of these consumers come to Yahoo! Autos to research, advertisers should understand what these consumers are learning about their makes on-site (e.g. what do the consumer reviews about their vehicle say) and use the advertising between visits to build on what these consumers are learning about their vehicles

Yahoo! Autos Deep Dive: A Guide to Understanding the Auto Shopper on Yahoo! Autos











2. Because many Yahoo! Autos visitors are considering multiple vehicle makes, advertisers should track how their advertising is increasing their share of engagement (visits, searches, clicks, key performance indicators [KPIs], etc.) over time relative to competitive OEMs.

• Advertisers can utilize 3rd party panel providers (e.g. ComScore, Compete) to track engagement with their brand across the internet.
• Advertisers should include KPIs on Yahoo! Autos and other 3rd party sites in tracking the success of their campaigns. Yahoo! Autos visitors are more engaged and reliant on Yahoo! Autos than Manufacturer sites throughout the purchase process, so if interest is generated, the increased engagement will likely take place on Yahoo! Autos.

3. New and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle opportunities exist among Used Listings Visitors.

Most Used listings visitors are not committed to a Used (non-CPO) purchase:

• 40% are committed to either a New or CPO purchase, and 25% are still deciding between a New, CPO & Used vehicle.
• Even the 34% of Used Listings Visitors committed to a Used vehicle would consider a CPO or New vehicles if the monthly payments were right.

4. Different price segments, different needs

Reliability, safety and value are core needs across all price segments, that said:

• For the Under $15K segment, practical is sexy. They’re the least likely to see their vehicle as a status symbol, and want something inexpensive, fuel efficient, reliable, and won’t cause them a lot of problems in the long run.
• Like the Under $15K segment, the $15-$25K segment is also pragmatic, though has higher expectations around quality assurances (low cost of ownership, best warranty, reliability) and fuel efficiency.
• The $25K-$35K segment is a transitional group, grounded in value but also looking for more than basic transportation – wanting quality, but swayed by design and features. Further, this group has the highest expectations around finding the best deals and special incentives.
• The higher price segments of $35K-$45K and $45K+ still expect reliability, but have much greater demands of their vehicles in terms of design, features, technology, and performance. Of all segments, these higher price intenders are most likely to see their next vehicle purchase as a statement of taste and a reflection of themselves. Practical benefits of value and fuel efficiency are of less importance.

Download this article in PDF format.