WSI has made a research in Automotive Industry, collecting together Digital Marketing Facts and Trends. Automotive Industry: * Industry Overview * Business Challenges * Industry Opportunities * Digital Marketing Trends * Advertising Spending Increase * Traffic to Automotive Retail Websites * Purpose of visiting Automotive Retail Websites * Automotive Mobile Websites * Consumers Use Social Media to Research Vehicles * Digital Marketing Opportunities

1. Automotive
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Industry Overview
The automotive industry includes mechanical repair, collision repair, car washes, and lube or oil changes. This industry’s
demand is dependent upon car usage and the number of cars on the road. Profitability of individual companies can be
shaped by the convenience of their location and the strength of their marketing. Typically, large companies can
maximize use of more expensive equipment and can easily leverage advantages in marketing. On the other hand,
smaller companies can compete by providing superior customer service or by offering specialized services. Industry
competition includes venues that also provide automotive services, including gas stations, car dealerships or some
branches of chain stores, like Wal-Mart. Promotional channels in this industry typically include phone directories,
signage, local newspaper ads, direct mail, TV and radio.
Business Challenges
The complexity of the various types of purchases in the automotive industry – from the point of sale to ongoing annual
maintenance – also shapes the complex challenges of the industry.
Competition From Car Dealers: The sales department is often much less profitable than the parts and service
centers of car dealerships. And to compensate for inconvenient locations, many dealers will offer evening and
weekend hours. Additionally, if dealerships offer initial warranty services to a consumer’s satisfaction, there is
an increased chance that more customers will return for maintenance and repair services even after warranties
expire.
Public Mistrust: Because of the complexity of cars, consumers are unable to easily judge whether they have
been treated fairly by a repair shop. Polls indicate that a high percentage of consumers believe that repair shops
overcharge, perform unnecessary repairs, or use inferior parts.
Growing Car Complexity: As cars become more technologically complex, maintenance and repair services have
followed suit and have become more difficult and expensive. There is a stronger need for shops to invest in
special diagnostic equipment and tools to perform repairs to advanced systems. Service technicians also require
additional training to work on the latest car models.
Industry Opportunities
The opportunities in this industry directly reflect the growing trends and desires of consumers, as well as the variety of
technological advancements in everyday vehicles.
Alliances with Car Dealers: Often, owners of expensive cars are more likely to prefer using the service
department at their car dealer. By allying with a car dealership, local repair shops can be referred new business
from a dealership in exchange for purchasing auto parts from the dealer. Collision repair in particular is a key
opportunity for shops because an increasing number of dealerships are opting out of offering body shop
services.
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

2. Automotive
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Servicing Non-Traditional Vehicles: Growing sales of fuel-efficient vehicles – like hybrids, electric cars, and cars
that operate on alternative fuels – have increased the demand for specialized repair services. Additionally, some
consumers may require restoration, custom paint jobs, “retro” engine parts or special attention. Auto repair
shops can leverage such needs and create a niche by developing expertise in non-traditional or specialized
vehicles. Non-traditional vehicle owners tend to be passionate about their cars and are much more likely to
spend more money to maintain them.
Service for Car Electronics: In recent years there has been a proliferation in electronic devices in cars. This
includes cell phones, CD players, MP3 players, navigation systems, video systems and Internet access devices.
Naturally, this provides greater opportunities for shops that develop expertise with these systems.
Digital Marketing Trends
Advertising Spending Increase
The automotive industry saw the largest advertising spending growth
in 2010 among other industries, according to a statistic released by
eMarketer citing a press release from The Nielsen Company. In 2010,
companies in the automotive industry increased their total
advertising spend by 20.3%. Meanwhile, those in the financial
industry increased their ad spending by 17.9%. Clothing and
accessories companies spent 10.8% more on advertising that year,
while the media and entertainment industries increased their ad
spending by 6.1% and 5.5% respectively.
Traffic to Automotive Retail Websites
When evaluating how worldwide website visitors arrive at
automotive retail websites, we see that search engines are the most
common channels. In Q1 of 2010, 32.2% of traffic to automotive
retail sites came through search engines. The following quarter,
search engine traffic to automotive retail websites account for 33.4%
of total traffic. While some people use search engines, others type
specific URLs into a browser. In Q4 2010, 27.3% of total website
traffic came from typing in URLs. Meanwhile, 6.7% of traffic came
through ads during the last quarter of 2010. Other paths used to get
to automotive retail websites include: bookmark/favorites, email
links, blog links and referral links.
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

3. Automotive
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Purpose of Visiting Automotive Retail Websites
Statistics indicate that people visit automotive retail websites
for a number of reasons, one of which is to compare models. In
the last quarter of 2010, 17.4% of those who visitied an
automotive retail website did so to compare models.
Meanwhile, 13.3% of respondents admitted they visitied
automotive sites to research prices before purchasing. Almost
11% use automotive retail websites to compare vehicle brands,
while 8.9% research car features online. Other reasons Internet
users worldwide visit automotive retail websites include:
learning about companies and to check inventory.
Automotive Mobile Websites
Automotive retailers are also leveraging mobile websites to reaach
their consumers. About 21% of companies that provide automotive
parts have a mobile website. On the other hand, 15.66% of
automotive dealerships offer a mobile version of their website.
Interestingly, almost 5% of gas stations have mobile websites.This
shows great opportunity for companies in the automotive industry
to expand their current mobile activities.
Consumers Use Social Media to Research Vehicles
The majority of consumers worldwide use social media sites
to read opinions and reviews about specific brands and
models when researching vehicles (34% of respondents in
2010). On the other hand, 27% of consumers use social
media to find special deals and offers, while 26% look for
helpful hints on social media sites. Twenty-four percent of
respondents said they use social media to stay up-to-date on
news about new vehicles. Other consumers use social media
sites to discuss automotive topics with other consumers
(24%) and with auto experts (24%).
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

4. Automotive
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Digital Marketing Opportunities
Immediate Areas of Focus for Social and Mobile
When we look at the latest digital marketing opportunities of social media and mobile for businesses in the automotive
sector, their main considerations and focus should be on how they can use these technologies to increase brand
awareness, increase customer engagement, drive sales, support specific promotions and strengthen their overall
customer relationship marketing. On the social front, automotive companies are leveraging social technologies like
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, forums and review sites to enable the sharing of opinions, reviews and discussions
amongst consumers about their brand and models, communicate special deals, provide information and news about
vehicles, and provide automotive expertise to the general consumer population.
On the mobile front, companies in the automotive sector are primarily focusing on how they can leverage mobile
marketing to create brand awareness, drive leads to dealers and/or enable “in-your-pocket” exploration and interaction
with their products, streamline ways to communicate with prospects and improve the sales experience by making it
easier for their customers to research their brand and models while they are on the go. When it comes to social
technologies and mobile marketing, below is where we see the majority of building and construction companies making
considerations from a strategy standpoint.
Social Technologies
Blog Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube News Feeds/ Social Forums Review
Social Alerts Bookmarking Sites
Mobile Marketing
Mobile Mobile Local Mobile Mobile
Site Search Ads/ Text Apps
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.

5. Automotive
INDUSTRY FACTSHEET
Popular Pay-Per-Click Keywords
Keyword Advertiser Global Monthly Estimated Cost
Competition Searches per Click
used cars 0.9 1000000 $1.39
car rental 0.96 550000 $3.01
cars for sale 0.87 550000 $1.59
car sales 0.37 368000 $0.56
rental cars 0.96 368000 $3.20
used cars for sale 0.94 201000 $1.49
car loan calculator 0.45 135000 $1.13
car hire 0.99 135000 $3.42
car parts 0.63 135000 $0.66
classic cars 0.4 135000 $0.37
car dealerships 0.35 110000 $5.85
electric cars 0.89 110000 $4.05
cheap car rentals 0.99 90500 $2.72
car auctions 0.76 90500 $0.94
cheap cars 0.96 74000 $2.06
second hand cars 0.89 74000 $0.89
used car 0.7 74000 $1.30
hybrid cars 0.79 74000 $6.99
new cars 0.8 74000 $4.11
rental car 0.97 74000 $3.12
Check for more
Copyright © 2011 by Research and Management. All rights reserved.