New research from Google into the purchasing behavior of retail tire customers shows a marked increase in online tire purchases. This comes as no surprise to Tireweb Marketing, a company dedicated to providing customized websites for tire dealers focused on conversion rates and sales data. What may be surprising to many tire dealers is the increasing sophistication of the consumer and the importance for high-quality, visual information on tire websites.
"In the last year, we've seen a big change in the behavior of tire shoppers and Google research supports that," says Matthew Walker, president of Tireweb Marketing. "Tire buyers rely more on retail websites than any time in the past, and they're spending more on each transaction as a result. It's become vital for tire dealers to have the right information on their website and it needs to be highly visual, dynamic information."
Digital Helps Tire Brands Gain Traction is new research from Google exploring the impact of digital on automotive tire purchases. More than 1600 tire purchasers were surveyed over a 12-month period. In addition, their online shopping and research activities were tracked and analyzed to understand what made them convert from researching tires to actually purchasing.
"The habits of online tire buyers have matured. The average buyer is doing more research and considering more dealers and brands," explains Walker. "That's great news for tire dealers with sophisticated websites that have pricing, tire comparisons, contain video and display high quality tire images. It's also apparent much of this consumer research is being done on smart phones or tablets so tire websites have to use responsive web design to capture this new generation of consumer."
Another key finding of the Google research is the increasing importance of brand and reputation when it comes to purchasing. Being able to view the physical appearance of tires has increased in importance by 28%. Another significant trend important to consumers is the desire for recommendations based on vehicle type.
"It's no longer enough to have an attractive website," continues Walker. "Nearly 70% of tire purchases have an element of online research, an increase of 21% from just a year ago. Almost 40% of in-store purchases start online. Pure online purchases have grown by 300% in the past year. That's a staggering change when you think about it."
"It's easy enough to get traffic to a website with paid advertising and social media campaigns. What's difficult is attracting the customer that's ready to buy tires. Tireweb Marketing has always focused on conversions so we're confident our websites are aligned with this new generation of tire buyers," says Walker.
"The good news for tire dealers is they don't have to learn how to become a Webmaster or SEO expert. They can focus on what they know best, running a tire store and providing good customer service."
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