‘Buying a car’ versus ‘shopping without buying’ emits a varied set of emotions for women car buyers.

A new Women-Drivers.com study reveals that when there is money in the game, emotions dial up with the heightened sense of commitment. The data reported by women in the 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report shows that is it only natural when buying a big ticket item that the buyer's excitement level escalates.

But there’s more than that.

When Purchasing, women report:

• Confidence wanes by 9 percent
• Nervousness goes up by over 10 percent
• Feeling Overwhelmed increases
• And, more.

5 Ways to help Position the Value of your Dealership and Bolster Women’s Confidence
The chances of an under-confident woman recommending your dealership to friends or family is not very high and, in fact, her negative emotion(s) could result in an unfavorable review. Buying a car is a big decision for anyone, and the sales process includes a series of emotions that can be positive or negative and can be greatly influenced by your sales team. Learning how to turn an apprehensive shopper into a happy, satisfied buyer will pay off now and in the future.

Women are buying 4.5 out of every 10 new cars. Business is competitive.

Make Selling, Advertising, and Marketing to them a priority.

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER NOW

Industry experts tell us that car buyers go to 1.6 dealerships to buy a vehicle.

From the Women-Drivers.com 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report, we find that number to be true for half of women car buyers. The other half report a very different answer altogether. An amazing forty-six percent of women car buyers are going to twice the industry average, or 3.2 dealer visits.

Which begs a few questions:

1. Are the industry experts talking to enough women when conducting their research?
2. What evidence do you have that the women coming into your store are buying from you? Do you track guests that are overlooked and leave? Do you measure these lost sales and put new behaviors and practices in place to re-capture them?

In the “How Many Car Dealers Are Women Buyers Visiting” white paper, learn that 60% of women who leave a dealership without buying, do not return. Understand what the top 5 reasons are for not buying at a dealership – do any of these sound familiar when women leave your store?

Discover what top dealerships are doing to earn her buy-in and create the right conditions for the sale on the first visit. Sixty-two percent of women report that they return to the dealerships where they first purchased their vehicles to then have them serviced. This highlights the potential to grow value among this critical market segment.

Download your copy of the report

Sixty-two percent of women report that they return to the dealerships where they first purchased their vehicles to then have them serviced. This highlights the potential to grow value among this critical market segment.

Changing family dynamics have put women squarely in the driver’s seat with an estimated one-half of all cars sold being purchased by women who are then directly responsible for decisions involving vehicle maintenance and service appointment scheduling.

This makes offering post-sales service on her terms a value proposition worth embracing.

It All Adds Up
From our 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report, game-changing data offers a new view of the Top 15 service drive brands rated and ranked by 4,653 women when at their dealerships.

Dealer Satisfaction Scores – High trust and comfort levels are must haves for women.
Fixed Operations Income – Service alerts and courtesy vehicles keep her coming back.
Future Purchase & Referral Rates – Listening without interrupting earns repeat business and valuable referrals from her.

Service, Please!
Becky Nixon, an industry authority and Director of Fixed Operations Training for David Lewis & Associates, offers the following:

“Psychologists tell us that women are generally detail-oriented and inquisitive by nature. Convenience being the key, all recommended repairs or maintenance must come with an honest and definitive timeline attached.”

Women who buy from Women-Drivers Certified Trusted Dealers confirm this. They want their questions answered, cars serviced in a timely manner and a service experience that makes them feel good. Making women feel heard, appreciated and understood goes a long way toward earning their repeat business—and referrals. And, very positive reviews.

The Last Word – Distinguish
There already exists a time frame for women to return to their original dealership for recalls or mandatory service visits associated with vehicle warranties. To keep them coming back after those years have passed, it’s imperative to offer relationship-building perks which distinguish your brand, like:

• Free car washes or annual ‘we-appreciate-your-business’ detailing offers.
• Comfortable seating in lounge areas, Wi-Fi connectivity with nearby power outlets, entertaining play areas for children, and clean restrooms.
• Refreshment stations stocked with quality coffee, tea, water and healthy snacks.

Adopt marketing strategies that speak to women’s concerns. Your website and e-newsletters are the avenues for targeted messages and selling strategies when they shed light on service offerings of benefits and provide a deeper understanding of maintenance procedures.

Women rely on these resources for links and data that help them assess a potential need for repairs (i.e. worn out windshield wipers, squeaky breaks). Educational content that is aimed at ensuring their families’ safety can boost a dealership’s brand image and trust among women.

Note: Women’s #1 requested concierge item is a courtesy vehicle. What lasting impression are you leaving your female clients in your highest gross margin department?

Today we will preview a CBT News interview where dealers get the inside scoop on interesting data collected from the 2017 U.S. Women’s Car Dealer Trends & Report about the buying experiences, preferences and habits of women.

In the video, the following questions are discussed:

1. What dealers can learn about their female consumer experiences by working with Women-Drivers reputation and rating platform?

2. What are top dealers doing right with women buyers? [3:20]

3. 46% of women report that they went to an average of 3.2 dealerships before buying a car. Why is this? [5:04]

4. The #1 reason women report buying a car at a particular dealership is... [7:20]

5. The #1 digital resource women reported using is the dealer’s website, #2 is the manufacturer. Anne discusses ways to capitalize on this. [9:30]

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Representing 45% of all car purchases, women are buying 8 million new cars this year, so catering to them is a must. How will you evangelize that your brand is the destination dealership with women+families? It’s time to stoke demand and convert more women shoppers to buyers.

According to Autodata,17.6 million new vehicles were sold last year, setting a record for cars and trucks. One distinct group of consumers contributed an estimate 8.0 million units to that total: women buyers.

Dealers seeking to sell more to this critical market segment can start taking new actions and, in the process, collect data to improve the purchasing, service drive and shopping experiences for this powerful buyer.

By the Numbers
From our 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report, game changing data offers a new view of the car buying experience for brands rated and ranked by 4,653 women when ‘purchasing’ at their dealership.

• Optimizing Sales – 54% go to 1 dealer; 46% of women shop at 3.2 dealers to find the right dealership “fit”
• Enhancing Value Propositions – Women buy from trusted dealers with sterling reputations; 6 in 10 do not buy from the closest dealer
• Increasing Customer Satisfaction – High Sales Advisor EQ is a No. 1 purchase motivator

Fuel for Thought Leaders
Certified Trusted Dealer satisfaction scores among women are on the rise with an outstanding cumulative score of 97.1 percent. Invariably, these stores are experiencing higher CSI, higher gross margin dollars, increased service visits, more loyalty & retention, and more reviews and better reputations.

The results are straightforward. Positive reviews from women demonstrate how car dealers are showing respect for women during the car shopping and purchase process, earning their trust, their business and long-term loyalty. It’s is a win-win.

An estimated 8.2 million new cars will be bought by women this year. It is critical that dealers’ websites cater to this substantial segment of the market.

The good news? The #1 digital resource women report using first is their local dealership’s website. In our 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report, 76.3% of women said it was “helpful or informative.”

7 Ways to Attract More Women Buyers
1. Create a community/ lifestyle page, and use them to highlight your vehicles within various social and lifestyle settings.
2. Include online games in your social media platforms and link them back to your website, where users can collect prizes.
3. Create “how-to” videos for women and post them on your website and on YouTube. Focus on the owner experience.
4. Fill your website with lifestyle photos featuring diverse women and families.
5. Create engaging content that highlights the various stages of the vehicle-ownership experience.
6. Create women-centric ads that speak to what matters to women. Differentiate your dealership from the rest of the pack.
7. Highlight current dealer reviews from women, for women.

For example, here is the dealer’s customized Women’s Car Guide that provides educational + engaging content to leads, guests and clients. It builds trusts, has women stay on your site longer, and demonstrates you care. Reviews are integrated. Mobile platform available.

Women's Car Guide

In today’s hyper-competitive industry, women buyers are crucial for dealer’s success. Almost 8 million new cars are being purchased by women alone. And, Certified Trusted Dealers are expanding their business to this powerful buying segment. In fact, these Certified Trusted Dealers have a cumulative 97.1% satisfaction score vs non-certified trusted dealers 85.5% satisfaction score. What a difference!

Women-Drivers has just compiled our annual comprehensive report on women’s Purchasing, Shopping and Service Drive trends, experiences and preferences.
Click for access to the 2017 US Women’s Car Dealer Report & Trends. Best business practices are included to elevate your female client experience to help your store achieve increased market share, sales and retention.

Here are some game-changing data points to keep in mind:

• 45% of women purchase cars by themselves
• 53% of millennial car buyers are women
• 38% of women out-earn their husbands
• 56% of women do not buy from the brand dealer closest to their home

What actions do you have in place or will you implement to be a destination dealership for women+families?

In today’s competitive marketplace, women buyers are crucial for auto dealer’s success.
As the #BigDataAuthority we are thrilled to publish the all-inclusive 2017 US Women’s Car Dealer Report that shares trends, behaviors, preferences and experiences women have when Purchasing, Shopping and in the Service Drive.

It’s not enough to just ‘know’ women’s habits when purchasing a vehicle at a dealership. ‘Knowing’ doesn’t make a difference.

Dealers that are taking action to market, to engage and to set forth a plan of adding value when selling to women are the ones winning their business.

We measured Certified Trusted Dealers satisfaction scores. In this year’s report, we share best business practices to elevate the client and guest experience to assist you in getting out of your comfort zone. It’s up to you. Stay the course, or apply new ideas, practices and methods to achieve a higher market share, retention and loyalty.

DOWNLOAD 2017 US WOMEN’S CAR DEALERSHIP REPORT HERE

Below are the top 17 items on women’s New Year’s list when it comes to car dealerships and the service drive for 2017. Here’s an opportunity to add some new options to market and engage to the growing car drivers and buyers and expand your business.

At The Dealership

1. Buying a car in a relaxed, zero pressure environment.
2. Child care made available during the test drive and negotiation process.
3. A 3-day return program which instills a boost of buyer confidence.
4. Sales advisors with high emotional intelligence who have the capacity to recognize buyers’ emotions and guide the process accordingly.
5. Privacy when buying a vehicle. Preferably one that doesn’t include old grey cubicles.
6. A warm sales environment with aesthetics including artwork, paint, plants, and graphics portraying a balanced demographic.
7. A more balanced demographic among sales and service advisors.
8. Current, easy-to-find, authentic reviews showcasing how the dealership interacts with women buyers.
9. Dealers that offer seminars on the latest car technology, insurance savings, mobile apps, and other useful information.
10. Home and workplace test drive delivery.
11. Complimentary child car seat seminars and fittings. Talk about building customer loyalty.

In The Service Drive
12. Longer service hours to accommodate working women.
13. Yoga or work out room while waiting for car to be serviced.
14. Mobile repair dealership that will come to customers’ homes to do oil changes, put snow tires on, etc.
15. Loaner vehicles for women. This is the #1 requested item by women.
16. Kid-friendly play areas, café areas, and wifi are all huge perks.
17. A stop-in-anytime pass for free car washes. Great loyalty builder.

Engage More Women in 2017
Looking for ways to engage more women buyers in 2017? Click Here.

Last time, we discussed how imperative it is for your sales advisors to recognize, understand and empathize with the emotions of each buyer. Discerning emotions can impact the approach and the sale. And this, readers, directly influences your dealership’s reputation!

Women & Reviews: A Closer Look
Women-Drivers Certified Trusted Dealers have a 92% Satisfaction Rating which is 23% higher than Non-Certified Dealers. How does this translate to your CSI and Retention Rate?
In a BIG way.

Maybe it's time for you to consider what the cost is of not having a marketing plan to women. Learn More Now.

First to Market: Emoji’s Boost Sales & Reputation
Emojis are pervasive in social media, and serve an important purpose. Since emoji’s are so common, people have adapted to both selecting and interpreting the meaning behind them.

Since women rely on dealer reviews 50% more than men, it is important that women not only be able to read reviews by other women, but that can see at-a-glance summary of someone’s experience. Women-Drivers.com added emoji’s to help reviews better identify their feelings. And, it's quick.

How can your dealership capitalize on the use of emoji’s? Ultimately, the emotions experienced go beyond classification within a few emoticons. Emotions make up a large part of a shopper’s experience. This will result in happy, smiley faces on both your customers and in your reviews! And, your bottom line.