Study which polled adults across the country, showed that 52% of regular shoppers who shop both online and in-store prefer experience over price; and both men and women would be willing to pay up to 20% more for a fast, transparent and painless car purchasing experience

San Francisco, Calif. — August 13— Roadster, the leader in commerce solutions for car buying and leasing, announced the results of an in-depth study, which asked over 1000 adults across the country about their recent shopping experiences, including which industries currently provide the best shopping experiences, as well as those that are in need of modernization.

The study, conducted in partnership with Survata, found that men believe the Grocery industry (31%), followed by the Consumer Electronics industry (20%) provides the best shopping experience, whereas women pointed to the Apparel industry (40%), followed by the Grocery industry (34%) as their top two picks. However, the study also found that when it comes to those industries that offer the worst shopping experiences, there is little disagreement between men and women, with both ranking the Cable industry (22%m/18%w) and the Automotive industry (13%m/18%w) as the two worst shopping experiences, as well as the industries in most need of modernization.

To help industries better understand what makes consumers loyal shoppers, the study also examined the responses of consumers who classify themselves as regular shoppers (shop daily, twice a week and weekly,) and those who shop regularly both online and in-store.  The study found when retailers offer a great customer experience (71%), free shipping (68%), and easy returns (52%) shoppers become more loyal. Additionally, one in two shoppers stated that retailers who offer the ability to purchase online and have a consistent experience both online and in-store increase customer satisfaction and drive further loyalty.

For the automotive industry in particular, men and women said that dealing with one person from start to finish (21%m/20%w), along with transparent pricing (22%m/20%w) and having the inventory they are looking for (16%m/18%w) will help make it a better shopping experience.  In fact, shoppers are so enthused by the idea of having a positive car buying experience, that 52% of respondents ranked a positive experience as being even more important to them than price. And, 85% of men and 81% of women furthered they would pay up to 10% more to ensure a fast, transparent and painless car purchasing experience, while 19% of women and 15% of men stated they would be willing to pay 20% more to ensure a positive customer 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.”

The study also asked consumers who had purchased or leased a car in the past year if anything went wrong during their last car buying experience. Respondents shared a number of issues, including: a feeling of being 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%). Yet, with third party studies* showing when consumers are educated about F&I products prior to entering the dealership they are more likely to buy, it is clear there are immediate steps dealers can take to improve the experience. And, despite these grievances, 87% of respondents in Roadster’s study stated that they had a positive car shopping experience.

Yet, with NPS scores for Automotive Retail on a decline since 2016 (current NPS of 39 vs. 48 in 2016), the study clearly shows how much the industry is impacted by the perceived modernization of other industries. It also pinpoints the importance of cultivating a positive customer experience and how a lack of it as compared to other industries has driven customer satisfaction for the industry down overtime. For more information on Roadster’s shopper insights, please visit: www.Roadster.com

*Cox 2017 Car Buyer Journey

**Survey examined findings from all 1012 respondents; results were also segmented by consumers who classify themselves as regular shoppers (shop daily, twice a week and weekly,) and those who shop regularly both online and in-store.

About Roadster

Founded in 2013, Roadster is the leading provider of Omnichannel Commerce solutions for today’s modern dealership. The company’s Express Storefront has quickly emerged as the most comprehensive and consumer-driven platform for digitizing dealerships' sales processes. It’s complete with everything dealers need — inventory merchandising, reservations, financing, penciling, trade-ins and service plans — to enable seamless car buying at home, in-store and on the go. Roadster’s tools empower sales teams to create near penny-perfect deals in a beautifully designed interface, whether on an iPad, kiosk or desktop. As a result, dealerships that work with Roadster regularly increase their CSI scores, while significantly reducing sales costs. Roadster currently supports more than 600 of the most progressive and well-known dealerships, dealer groups and OEMs in the industry. For more information on how your dealership can partner with Roadster, please visit https://roadster.com.