A new study from Cox Automotive affirms the importance of the four pillars that drive car shopper satisfaction: knowledgeable and supportive staff, transparency, feeling well-informed, and being in control.
In a news release, Cox Automotive said dealerships that intentionally deliver on these needs see two times more efficiency and more profitability than those who do not. Their report, Drivers of Car Shopping Satisfaction, surveyed 740 new- and 350 used-vehicle buyers over vehicles bought in the past 12 months from a franchise dealership and was fielded from January 3-22.
“While the car buying experience is not yet a perfect science, dealers will want to focus on areas where buyer needs are not being fully met to create a less stressful, more convenient sales process that is tailored to their customers,” said Lori Wittman, President of Retail Solutions at Cox Automotive, in a statement.
To alleviate these negative feelings, Wittman said dealers can instead offer accurate appraisals, clear F&I product transparency, and personalized recommendations.
The report also includes responses from 256 franchise dealers around improvements to customer satisfaction and the business outcomes from those efforts. It also underlines notable improvements in the car buying experience over the past decade. For example, consumer satisfaction with car buying jumped from 60% in 2016 to 68% in 2024 — up eight percentage points. And 81% of respondents associate positive emotions (excitement, hopefulness, empowerment, confidence) with their buying experience.
However, the study underlines convenience, personalization (tailored to the consumer), and stress reduction during the purchase as important needs that are not being met, but that remain continued opportunities for dealerships. For convenience, idle time remains the biggest friction point for consumers. While selecting/buying F&I products is in second place among the most unpleasant points in the journey.
“Dealers with higher customer satisfaction are significantly more likely to offer tools that provide personalization and control,” said Cox Automotive. For example, 89% of dealers offering personalized deal terms/financing recommendations enjoy better customer satisfaction than those without (67%).
Dealing with friction points can help boost sales/profits, allow for a better employee experience, better customer relationships, and faster/easier deal making too, according to the study.
