Auto Dealers Going Web 2.0

From: eMarketer

Dave’s Comments (Digital Marketing Tutorial Blog): Makes all the sense in the world to me that auto dealers are implementing Web 2.0 applications. After buying a house/condo, the next biggest purchase most of make is a vehicle, and we probably try to do as much research on that purchase as we do when buying a home, but at this point, at least online, you can get more unbiased (hopefully) opinions on a popular programming book on Amazon that costs $20 before you hit the “Purchase” button than you can on a $20,000-plus car/truck purchase on most auto dealer Web sites!

“Automotive marketers are shifting more dollars online and are jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, according to a Kelsey Group survey conducted during February 2008.

Overall, 62% of the automotive dealers surveyed planned to increase their online spending in the next 12 months, while 46% planned to decrease their spending on traditional media over the same time period.

More than one-quarter of the automotive dealers said they planned to add video to their Web sites in the next 12 months. Already, 33% said they were currently using video.

In addition, 14% of auto dealers said they would add user ratings and reviews over the course of the year, while 29% said they were already using them.

By the end of the year, one-third of auto dealers said they would use social networking sites, up from the 15% who said they were already using them.”

Read the entire article on eMarketer.com.