When today’s consumer decides to go car shopping, what does that process look like now? Surveys have made it abundantly clear that the contemporary mobile shopper, even on heavily researched purchases like autos, prefers to use their phone or tablet. Two-thirds of auto searches are on mobile devices³.

Millennials and Generation Y have had a dramatic impact on this shopping evolution. Raised with technology at their fingertips, they search the internet daily.  It adds convenience to their lives, confirms they are getting the best price, finds additional services and benefits, and provides answers to just about any question they have.

All of these features are exactly what today’s consumers expect from their car buying experience. By the time they finish their vehicle research, they, literally, may know as many details as the local sales associate.

The average car purchase involves 900 digital interactions³ and shoppers engage with an average 12 automotive sites that include shopping sites, OEMs, automotive info sites – and this does not even include social media⁴.

Auto shoppers look for online resources where information is curated and trustworthy. Transparency is a key driver for successful businesses today and demanded by the shopper. They not only want to know whether they are getting a good deal, and what the vehicle’s history looks like, but what other consumers have to say about their dealership experience through relevant reviews.

Informed, confident consumers are more likely to buy. Dealers must win online to win the showroom visit.

CarGurus has become the largest online auto shopping site⁹. Why? It’s a car shopping marketplace built by engineers to bring transparency to what has historically been a complicated and often frustrating process for the consumer. Dealers looking to improve their online visibility should explore the opportunities CarGurus offers.