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Millennials Shaking Up North American Sales, According to New IgnitionOne ReportNEW YORK, Aug. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IgnitionOne, a global marketing technology and data analytics provider with a focus on the automotive sector, released its analysis of Q2 trends in the automotive industry, highlighting the continued dominance of SUVs across customer engagement, site visits and leads in North America, as evidence points to the increased influence of millennials upon buying habits. According to the report, the US automotive market is leading the push for growth, with site engagement increasing by 25% in Q2 compared to the same period in 2017. This growth is likely due to a combination of a stronger marketing initiatives from automakers this quarter, with an increased focus on personalized site experiences and retargeting tactics. Despite a slight dip in visits to automotive websites overall (-2%), the IgnitionOne report also highlights an increase in better quality traffic fueled by higher customer engagement with 2018 launch vehicles and updated models. Year-on-year (YoY) comparisons also show that, despite a 6% drop in site visits via desktop, mobile continues to play a significant role in the automotive customer journey. Although mobile visits for North America remained consistent YoY, the report shows a 21% increase globally in mobile site visits. According to IgnitionOne, customers in the millennial age bracket are continuing to spearhead this growth in mobile engagement, in part because more than one quarter1 of these younger audiences are now totally reliant on smartphones for online access. Millennial customers in particular are also more inclined to plan and research2 their auto purchases over a longer period (19.9 weeks) compared to Baby Boomers (15.7 weeks). J.D. Power anticipates that by 2020, millennials will be responsible for 40% of new car sales overall. “The growth of millennial spending power is forcing many industries to evolve their thinking around sales and marketing, with automotive no exception," said Will Margiloff, CEO at IgnitionOne. “As te industry combats uncertainty around the impact of tariffs on their production costs, the dealers who fare strongest will be the ones that use their digital assets to garner a better understanding of new and emerging audiences. Millennials should be increasingly central to their marketing efforts in the coming 18 months.” Mobile marketing remains a key focus for the global auto sector, with increased investments in responsive sites, social strategies and personalized site experiences to capture key moments in the customer journey. As the industry prepares for uncertain economic headwinds and the impact of pending tariffs on the sector, IgnitionOne’s auto report provides some comfort for automakers and dealers with the overall increase in site visitor engagement. Additional highlights:
“The auto industry is transforming at a rapid pace with technological advances and evolving customer preferences,” said Rachel Pierson, Global Director of Strategic Accounts at IgnitionOne. “Automakers face the challenge of producing more sustainable and fuel-efficient SUVs to meet demand, while selling currently available inventory. Personalizing the customer experience with targeted offers will be key to capturing market share in the second half of this year, particularly with millennial buyers.” 1 Pew Research Center - Mobile Fact Sheet 2018 2 Auto Guide - What You Need to Know About Millennial Car Shopping Habits |