FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Car Buyers Prefer Buying Online

In yet another sign of the times, a survey conducted by Borrell Associates has found that car shoppers are more likely to use the Internet than newspaper classified ads to find new or used cars. Of those surveyed, 11% said they used the Web to find the car that they bought, as opposed to 9% who found their car via newspaper advertising.

In response, auto-related online advertising jumped 51.5% in 2004, and is projected to grow to $2 billion by 2006.

There are surely a number of factors contributing to this rise. We know how people are going online more and reading newspapers less. We also know how little people enjoy negotiating with car dealers. Even those who relish the negotiation process leverage websites such as Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book to research the lowest prices for vehicles and compare deals.

Source: Techdirt, IT Facts