Mapping the online research journey of car buyers

What is shaping automotive

The automotive market spans cars, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles and a fast-growing EV segment. Buyers research online but still decide at the dealership, and mechanics shape the aftermarket.

• EV adoption is moving from early adopters to the mainstream
• Online research shapes the shortlist before the showroom visit
• Independent mechanics drive aftermarket brand choices

An automotive brand in North America, working in United States & Canada. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

An automotive brand in North America

Sector

Automotive

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Consumer panel, Digital analytics & reporting, Performance marketing

The brand’s marketing team could see digital clicks and showroom visits, but not how buyers moved between them or which online sources influenced their shortlist.

• Deliver on the brief: mapping the online research journey of car buyers.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of recent car buyers.
• Produce results that can be compared across groups and locations.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.

The work focused on 1,800 recent car buyers.

• recent car buyers1,800

Audiences we typically reach in automotive

Car and two-wheeler buyersVehicle ownersDealers and sales staffMechanics and workshopsFleet operators

Coverage: United States & Canada. Markets: United States and Canada.

• United States
• Canada

A structured quantitative design, so results could be compared across groups, locations and time.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Survey of recent buyers
3. 3Digital touchpoint analysis
4. 4Insight

We surveyed people who had bought a car in the past six months about their research journey, comparing it with the brand’s web analytics and campaign data.

Consumer panelDigital analytics & reportingPerformance marketing

recent car buyers

1,800

• Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.

• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.

• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Interactive dashboard for ongoing tracking

• Video reviews and comparison sites shaped shortlists early, while the brand’s own site mattered most for booking test drives.

Combining survey and analytics data explained journeys that neither showed alone.

• Build on the core insight: combining survey and analytics data explained journeys that neither showed alone.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: video reviews and comparison sites shaped shortlists early, while the brand’s own site mattered most for booking test drives.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The brand rebalanced spend towards video and comparison content, and simplified test-drive booking online.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Interactive dashboard

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: how do buyers build their shortlist?