AUTOINDUSTRYIn AustraliaIndustry trends and innovative strategies for targeting auto audiences
In 2017 the Australian Auto industry has experienced similar sales numbers to previous years, but July saw a sizeable uptick. In the past, high fuel prices pushed consumers towards smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, but more recently SUVs have shown a surge in sales as well.
How can auto manufacturers take advantage of car buying trends and get ahead of the purchase cycle? Cracking the code of the digital journey remains one of the foremost challenges for auto makers. Many marketers still struggle to identify customers early enough in the car buying process, when people begin their research online.
This report will help auto brands and marketers connect the dots from interest to intent. Using real data from auto websites, we will explore how consumers begin their comparison journey on review websites, and what content they consume there. Then we will move further down the funnel to analyse the audiences of competing car models, and how marketers can reach true purchase intenders.
Introduction
1
Learn how launches affect traffic benchmarking, and which car models have the most audience overlap.
Evaluation: Car Model Benchmarking & Audience Overlap
See what content people consume on car review sites — and find out which manufacturers rely on them most.
Interest: Comparison & Review Sites
Find out what makes car purchase intend-ers unique, and where to reach shoppers with purchase intent.
Intent: Profiling Purchase Intenders vs. Browsers
1
2
3
Table of Contents
2
Comparison and Review Sites
1
3
Breaking down the top ranked websites in the Automotive category reveals just how important comparison and review sites truly are. Whereas Carsales, Carsguide, Car Advice and Drive rank well within the top five, the highest-ranked manufacturer website (Toyota) sits all the way in 24th.
The Importance of Comparison & Review Sites
Top Websites in the Automotive Industry 4 weeks ending 2nd Sep 2017
Website Total Visits
Visit Shares Rank
Carsales.com.au
Super Cheap Auto
carsguide.com.au
Car Advice
Drive
VicRoads
bikesales.com.au
Pickles Auctions
Caravan Camping Sales
speedcafe.com.au
Toyota Australia
12,286,500
4,017,030
3,924,500
3,391,800
2,116,720
2,035,100
1,560,040
1,476,300
1,178,530
1,142,620
759,049
11.21%
3.66%
3.58%
3.09%
1.93%
1.86%
1.42%
1.35%
1.08%
1.04%
0.69%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
24
4
Based on the weight that consumers give comparison sites, its important that manufacturers regularly benchmark their performance and reliance on sites like Carsales, the #1 auto website in Australia.
The chart below breaks down the top brand websites that receive traffic from Carsales. Although Toyota has the highest total traffic occurrences from Carsales (unsurprising considering they are the largest manufacturer), Volkswagon Australia has the largest occurrence share from Carsales. This means that a significant percentage of Volkswagon’s overall traffic (7.06%) comes from Carsales, as does BMW’s (6.46%) – they are highly channel reliant on Carsales compared to other manufacturers, and may consider doubling down on a partnership with the site to increase this flow of traffic.
Comparison Site Reliance
Traffic Occurences from Carsales4 weeks ending 2nd Sep 2017
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
8%
6%
45%
2%
0%
Toyota Australia BMW Australia Volkwagen Australia
Traffic Occurences Occurence Share
4.82%
6.46%
7.06%
Traffic Occurrences - Number of traffic occurrences driven from Carsales to the manufacturer.
Occurrence Share – Percentage of traffic from CarSales as a share of all traffic to the manufacturer (channel reliance)
Toyota claimed the largest amount of Traffic Occurences, whereas Volkswagen possessed the largest Occurrence Share.
Top Takeaway
5
Measuring high-performing content on comparison sites can help manufacturers identify specific pages to target, or provide ideas for content creation and search optimisation. The example below shows the top pages viewed on Carsales.com, the most popular classifieds site in Australia.
Key Pages on Comparison & Review Sites
Carsales: Top Pages Viewed31 days ending 31st August
Page Share Total Page Views
all-cars/search
Home/HomeSearch/Search
search
car-valuations/completed
best-regift-ever
car-valuations
new-cars
cars
sell-my-car
new-cars/suv
car/mercedesbenz
editorial/results
editorial
car/bmw
car/private
best-regift-ever/register
car/toyota
car/ford
car/nissan/gtr
car/ferrari
7.59%
0.72%
0.53%
0.52%
0.37%
0.29%
0.29%
0.25%
0.25%
0.21%
0.20%
0.17%
0.17%
0.16%
0.15%
0.14%
0.14%
0.14%
0.13%
0.13%
5,724,345
541,407
402,526
388,944
282,083
219,853
217,928
191,991
185,529
157,827
151,544
131,709
125,749
123,815
110,585
107,883
103,351
101,904
101,181
99,839
The car valuation tool on Carsales is highly important.
Luxury car brands are more popular than other car types, potentially indicating a high share of luxury car buyers.
The “best regift ever” competition (with the chance to win a trip to the USA) showed a lot of success. An auto brand might consider sponsoring the next Carsales sweepstakes to increase awareness.
6
Next we look at the top pages on Car Advice, a prominent news and review site, to better understand how and what people are researching in their comparison journey.
Key Pages on Comparison & Review Sites … continued
7
Page Share Total Page Views
car-news
top-5
car-reviews
574131/2018-kia-stinger-pricing-revealed
car-comparisons
577261/2018-holden-zb-commodore-review
top-5/small-cars
car-news/page/2
570918/2018-range-rover-velar-review
top-5/medium-suvs
519089/2017-holden-trax-ltz-review
564193/small-car-megatest-ford-focus-v-holden-astra-v-honda-civic-v…
577777/dear-haters-why-holden-believes-this-is-a-real-commodore
showrooms
hyundai/i30
559261/2018-kia-stinger-review
578600/2018-kia-stinger-australian-specs-and-features-revealed
510405/2017-new-cars-calendar-the-new-models-coming-to-australia…
6.04%
2.91%
2.54%
0.64%
0.48%
0.47%
0.40%
0.35%
0.34%
0.33%
0.32%
0.31%
0.31%
0.29%
0.29%
0.28%
0.28%
0.27%
690,037
331,885
289,565
73,009
54,915
53,606
45,304
39,905
38,711
37,669
36,578
35,078
34,968
33,368
33,085
32,075
31,648
31,080
Car Advice consistently gets strong visitation
to their news, reviews and comparison sections, suggesting that up-to-date industry info, car launches and model comparisons play a key role in the research process. These would be ideal pages to place advertisements and target car buyers in the comparison phase.
The popularity of small cars and medium-sized
SUVs (as reported by VFACTS) is reflected internally on Car Advice.
The Kia Stinger page generated a lot of traffic on Car Advice during its Australian release. This success underscores how important it is for manufacturers to target car news and review sites around a new model launch, which we will discuss further in the next chapter.
Car Advice: Top Pages Viewed31 days ending 31st August
Model Comparison & Audience Overlap
2
8
How can manufacturers turn the launch of a competitor model into an advantage? The chart below shows how the publicity around a car launch can create a “halo” effect for similar models. The new Volkswagen Golf experienced a month-long burst in traffic to their product page after their July launch. Industry leader Toyota Corolla mirrored this traffic growth, perhaps due to renewed excitement around small cars in general, or a concerted effort by Toyota to capitalise on this enthusiasm.
During the buzz of a model release, consumers tend to research what makes the new vehicle special—including how it compares to other models in its class. This effect is something that auto marketers should benchmark closely and take advantage of during competitor model launches.
Benchmarking: Riding the Wave of Traffic
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Volkswagen Golf Toyota Corolla
Month
Pag
e V
isit
s
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
17 J
un
17
24 J
un
17
1 Ju
l 17
8 J
uly
17
15 J
ul 1
7
22 J
ul 1
7
29 J
ul 1
7
5 A
UG
17
12 A
ug
17
19 A
ug
17
26 A
ug
17
2 S
ep 1
7
Volkswagon Golf vs. Toyota Corolla Product Page Visits
Volkswagen 139% rise in traffic
Toyota Corolla 55% rise in traffic
Launch of the Golf
As consumers conduct car research, it pays to understand their consideration set. Which model is your car being compared to? Knowing what segments you overlap with helps manufacturers understand the competitive landscape, but also whose audience they can conquest.
Car Model Audience Overlap - Consideration Set
Overlap of Key Model Audiences4 weeks ending 2nd Sep 2017
Based on visits to the model product page on the manufacturer website.
% of Visitors to who also Visited
Holden Astra Hyundai i30 Subaru Impreza Toyota Corolla Volkswagen
Golf
Holden Astra
Hyundai i30
Subaru Impreza
Toyota Corolla
Volkswagen Golf
-
7.67%
6.93%
9.01%
8.02%
4.89%
6.75%
-
9.56%
7.92%
8.82%
8.05%
12.33%
5.24%
-
13.86%
-
17.27%
12.75%
13.23%
8.91%
6.97%
13.38%
-
4.71%
The i30 is the leader in this category, therefore has a lot of overlap (as in, a lot of people visiting their product page in addition to others in this category).
Volkswagon Golf and the Toyota Corolla show the least amount of overlap with each other, whereas the Impreza and Corolla audiences show stronger overlap
10
Profiling Purchase Intenders vs. Browsers
3
12
In this chapter, we’ll move further down the funnel and focus on audiences who hit the “Book a Test Drive” or “Find a Dealer” sections of manufacturer’s website.
First, a look at the numbers: when comparing total visits to the “Book a Test Drive” vs. “Find a Dealer” page, we see that far more people are interested in going to a dealership in order to further their research process in-person, rather than go straight to booking a test drive online. Based on this, manufacturers may want to feature their “Find a Dealer” call-to-action more prominently on their site and ensure the process of locating a dealer is streamlined.
Consumers Tentative to Test Drive
Visit Rate to Key Conversion Sections
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
Book a test drive Find a dealer
13
The chart below breaks down a selection of key websites visited by car browsers (people who visited car product pages) and intenders (people who visited a “Book a Test Drive” or “Find a Dealer” page). This helps identify the best places to target consumers who are at the end of their car buying journey, particularly those who are intending to purchase.
4 weeks ending 2nd Sep 2017 Selection of Key Websites
Top Websites for Browsers vs. Intenders
Top Sites Visited – Intenders vs. Browsers
Site Intenders Share
Browsers Share
Social Media
www.facebook.com
www.youtube.com
www.reddit.com
www.twitter.com
www.instagram.com
www.linkedin.com
Auto
www.carsales.com.au
carsguide.com.au
www.caradvice.com.au
www.drive.com.au
www.carpoint.com.au
www.whichcar.com.au
News & Media
www.news.com.au
www.smh.com.au
www.nine.com.au
www.abc.net.au
au.yahoo.com
media.telstra.com.au
abc.net.au/news
www.9news.com.au
Finance
www.strattonfinance.com.au
www.carloans.com.au
4.08%
2.80%
0.46%
0.42%
0.31%
0.24%
0.84%
0.47%
0.25%
0.12%
0.09%
0.08%
0.88%
0.68%
0.40%
0.36%
0.35%
0.34%
0.32%
0.25%
0.02%
0.01%
4.36%
2.56%
0.38%
0.37%
0.28%
0.21%
0.55%
0.21%
0.25%
0.11%
0.02%
0.03%
1.37%
0.50%
0.39%
0.45%
0.17%
0.28%
0.35%
0.30%
0.01%
0.00%
Browsers are more likely to visit Facebook but Intenders are more likely to be on YouTube, Reddit, Twitter and Instagram, meaning these are key channels for reaching high-intent car buyers.
Car Advice is equally likely to be visited by intenders and browsers, meaning it is more important in early research stages compared to classifieds such as Carsales and Carsguide, which are key for Intenders.
Syndney Morning Herald, Yahoo and Telstra are stronger news sites for intenders than browsers, therefore represent prime pages for campaigns targeting high-intent buyers.
14
Understanding the nuances of how browsers vs. intenders search can help marketers optimise their SEO keyword strategy and search campaigns aimed at attracting high-intent car buyers.
12 weeks ending 2nd Sep 2017 Selection of Key Terms
Top Searches for Browsers vs. Intenders … continued
Top Car Searches Used by Intenders vs. Browsers
Site Intenders Share
Browsers Share
compare car loans
car loan comparison
best car loan rates
car loan calculator
car loans
car loan repayment calculator
car loan
car finance
car insurance
compare car insurance
car insurance compare
car insurance quote
car insurance comparison
0.07%
0.06%
0.04%
0.23%
0.19%
0.12%
0.06%
0.14%
0.72%
0.08%
0.07%
0.06%
0.04%
0.03%
0.01%
0.03%
0.23%
0.13%
0.21%
0.12%
0.16%
0.46%
0.06%
0.07%
0.10%
0.02%
Intenders are highly likely to be comparing car loans and insurance
options. Manufacturers could offer in-depth insurance and loan comparisons on their website and optimise content towards these needs (perhaps create a guide to choosing the right car loan for you).
Browsers are more likely to seek “calculators”, indicating these tools are more important during earlier stages.
15
Demographically, 25-34 is the most important age group for both car browsers and intenders. However, car intenders are much more likely than browsers to be aged 35-44, meaning this is a key age group to target.
When it comes to Mosaic audience segments, the most affluent and urban groups are key targets for both browsers and intenders (Groups A, B and C). However, intenders are more likely to be from multicultural families (Group H), young professionals and students (Group I), and older Australians from regional areas (Group K).
Audience Differences of Intenders vs. Browsers
16
Age Index
Mosaic Index
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
18-24
Exc
lusi
ve
Env
iro
ns
Kn
ow
led
gea
ble
S
ucc
esss
Ind
epen
den
ce &
C
aree
rs
Affl
uen
t A
crea
ge
Dis
tan
ced
E
xist
ence
New
Ho
mes
&
Ho
pes
Mid
dle
A
ust
ralia
Inte
rnat
ion
al
Infu
sio
n
Bo
oks
& B
oo
ts
Pro
vin
cial
Liv
ing
Trad
itio
nal
ly
Gre
y
Reg
ion
al
En
dea
vou
rs
Rem
ote
ly B
lue
25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Intenders Index Browsers Index
Intenders Index Browsers Index
Top Takeaways
17
Benchmark and optimise performance on comparison sites: The car buying journey begins on review and classifieds sites. Benchmarking your performance within these websites is crucial. Track popular pages in order to keep a pulse on what consumers care about, and consider advertising on review sites based on where your model pages rank well.
Take advantage of competitive model launches: Capitalise on the “halo effect” of a new car launch by promoting a similar model of the same class. Consider creating new content based on popular search terms, increasing PR, or partnering with car review sites in order ride the wave of renewed interest in that class.
3. Distinguish the browsers from the buyers: Analyse the onlinebehaviour of people who have booked a test drive or sought alocal dealership — where they go, who they are, and what theyare searching for in the days before purchase. This enables youidentify and to target people with the highest purchase intent.
1. chart-growth
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cash-dollar
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