In May, Luth Research published their findings about the car buying journey. They followed 400 car buyers over 30 days and they found there are three distinct parts of the automotive shopping journey in Omni-Channel Retailing (OCR).

1. Awareness and Brand Perception

2. Brand Consideration and Purchase Intent

3. Transaction and Purchase Decision

OCR is a style of e-commerce that industry leaders recommend dealerships get on board with, and do so quickly. Michelle Denogene of Roadster describes omni-channel retailing as creating a smooth process for car buyers from beginning to end. In other words, it allows the customer to start buying a car online, and then go into the dealership without missing a beat.

Here are the three stages of the OCR Journey in more detail:

Awareness and Brand Perception

Stage one is all about the consumer gathering basic information on what brands and options are out there.

Stage One Stats

• 73 percent of car buyers visit an OEM site.

• 50 to 60 percent visit 3rd party enthusiast review and forum sites/apps.

• 44 percent visit social media.

Brand Consideration and Purchase Intent

In stage two, consumers really start to narrow down what they want, and which brands are most intriguing to them.

Shoppers who research on their smartphones or mobile devices already have at least one, if not a few specific brands in mind. AND it’s important to note that more and more OEM website visits are when shoppers are on the go.

Stage two Stats

• 40 to 60 percent visit 3rd party enthusiast review and forum sites/apps.

• 55 percent mobile visitors use OEM sites

Transaction and Purchase Decision

Stage three is all about consumers finalizing their decision.

Here they search on mobile and PC and focus their research on brand, model, and which dealership to go to.

It’s important to note that brand decision is not finalized until the car is bought. Brand influence can and does creep in until right before the purchase.

Stage Three Stats

• 40 to 50 percent search the brand and model type

• 50 percent visit dealer sites

Improving technology in the automotive sector is at the forefront of the Canadian Automotive Industry’s mind.

In a report titled “Drive To Win” Mr. Réal Ray Tanguay, Automotive Advisor to the Federal Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development of Canada, outlines Canada’s “Technology Roadmap”.

The Roadmap has 5 aspects to it, which Tanguay says are disruptive, but will help Canada in the long run, “Major advances to both products and manufacturing processes are accelerating innovation throughout the auto industry...These technological advancements will present new business models and opportunities”.

Maturing Powertrain Technologies

This revolves around battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles and how they offer higher energy efficiency, lower emissions, greater energy diversity, and new vehicle designs.

Lightweight Materials

Canada is focusing on stronger lighter materials to help reduce vehicle weight without sacrificing passenger safety.

Rapid Advances in Connected Vehicles

Connected vehicles come in two categories: vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V).

With this new technology cars will precisely know where every other car is on the road.

Shifts in Mobility Preferences

Mobility preferences refer to “pay-per-use” transit instead of owning a car.

Canada is seeing more and more young people (50% of generation Y) move towards this model of mobility, and are working to create revenue around it.

Emergence of Autonomous Vehicles

Similar to what is happening in the United States, Canada is working on how to regulate, test, and make autonomous vehicles the norm.

The question isn't if it will happen, but when?

To join a discussion and learn more about the future of the Canadian Automotive Industry and what it means for your company, click here.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trust is one of the most powerful human emotions. We are biologically wired to make our decisions based on trust. It has never been more important to the auto industry than now as it transitions from pure sales and service to autonomy, mobility services and electrification.

The second annual AMCI “Trusted Automotive Brand Study®” again confirmed that trust accounts for more than 50% of a consumer’s decision to repurchase or recommend an automotive brand.

While we saw an erosion of trust in the 2018 study, particularly among luxury brands and with both luxury and non-luxury dealers, some brands have made great strides. The recipients of AMCI’s 2018 Trusted Automotive Brand Study® awards are:

MOST TRUSTED LUXURY – Genesis, INFINITI, Tesla

MOST IMPROVED LUXURY – Acura, INFINITI, Mercedes-Benz

MOST TRUSTED NON-LUXURY – Chevrolet, GMC, Kia

MOST IMPROVED NON-LUXURY – Chevrolet, Honda, Volkswagen

This is the second year both Genesis and Kia have been industry trust leaders. These and other young brands are setting the standard. Chevrolet’s performance in 2018 shows that large, established brands who focus on trust can really achieve great results.

“We are very pleased to see more automotive brands focusing on trust but there is a lot more work to be done. The top automotive brands Trust Indices are still below 50 on a 100 point scale and lag behind many other familiar consumer product and retail categories,” said Dave White, President, AMCI Inside.

For further information contact: Ian Beavis, Chief Strategy Officer, AMCI Global, ph: 714-813-6300, email: ibeavis@amciglobal.com.

About the Trusted Automotive Brand Study

In January 2018, AMCI conducted its 2nd annual Trusted Automotive Brand Study (TABS). The study was executed in collaboration with C Space, a global customer agency. A nationally representative sample of 2,500 owners across 34 brands participated in the study.

About AMCI Global

AMCI is a leading global automotive marketing agency committed to serving every part of this vibrant industry and creating advocates for automotive brands. Founded in 1984, AMCI has grown to include three distinct practices: AMCI Live, dedicated to consumer and industry product activations and events; AMCI Testing, focused on using the latest technology and methods to evaluate and compare all aspects of automotive products; and AMCI Inside, devoted to working with dealerships to employ best practices and improve the customer experience. With over 15 million consumer drive experiences in the last 10 years alone, as well as thousands of dealerships all over the world to improve the customer experience, AMCI works with every major automotive brand across the globe.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, AMCI has offices in Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, London and Beijing. Discover AMCI at https://amciglobal.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @AMCIGlobal. AMCI is part of the Omnicom Group Inc.

About C Space

C Space is a global customer agency that marries art and science to create rapid customer insight and business change. C Space works with some of the world’s best known brands – like Walmart, Samsung, IKEA and more – to build customers into the ways companies work and deliver on “Customer Inspired Growth.” By building real, ongoing relationships with customers – online and in-person – brands can stay relevant, deliver superior experiences, launch successful products and build loyalty. C Space’s customized programs are tailored based on specific business needs and include private online communities, immersive storytelling, data & analytics, activation events, innovation projects and business consulting.

Headquartered in Boston, London and Shanghai, C Space also has offices in New York, San Francisco and Mexico City. To learn more, visit www.cspace.com or follow us on Twitter @CSpaceGlobal. C Space is a part of the Omnicom Group Inc.

Contacts

AMCI Global
Ian Beavis, Chief Strategy Officer
714-813-6300
ibeavis@amciglobal.com