J.D. Power has released its 2020 Canada Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, revealing that Canadian consumers strongly rely on OEM websites when making car-buying decisions — and that the first point of contact will be very important.
“The majority of shoppers in Canada rely heavily on manufacturers’ websites to help guide their purchase decisions and a significant percentage are willing to move much further down the purchase funnel than in previous years,” said J.D. Ney, automotive practice lead at J.D. Power.
The study measures the usefulness of automaker websites during the new vehicle shopping process by reviewing four measures: information/content, appearance, navigation, and speed.
“Once we emerge from this COVID-19 pandemic, that first point of contact is going to play an increasingly vital role. It’s critical that manufacturers invest now to assure their sites are operating at peak performance and can handle new digital retail opportunities,” said Ney.
Based on a 1,000-point scale, the 2020 study found that overall satisfaction averages 804 for the mass market segment, and the luxury category averages 808. Of the OEMs, GMC ranks highest in the mass market segment with 835 points, and BMW with 835 — the highest-ranked luxury brand.
See below for more details about the study’s findings:
