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Car Industry

Buy a car online?

The retail car industry has been one of the last industries to fully embrace ecommerce, but that is no longer the case.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many businesses that did not traditionally see themselves as ‘online car businesses’ having to embrace digital change – and quickly.

There are very few car dealerships that don’t offer some aspects of ecommerce and at the very least a hybrid solution.

We are starting to see (as happened with other industries) consumers and dealers becoming more comfortable with purchasing and selling a car online, or at least part of the transaction beginning online (e.g. researching or booking a car) and then the deal is finalised in the dealership.

This trend has increased because of covid-19 which had accelerated the move to ecommerce and we are seeing suppliers to the industry offering tools and resources free to help dealers make the transition to ecommerce.

Understanding consumer behaviour online is a key element for car dealers in reaching out to potential customers who are searching online.

To gain some insight into how the market currently sits let’s consider a simple search phrase that a potential customer would key into Google – ‘Buy a car online‘.

‘Buy a car online’ is currently typed into Google approximately 300 times per day, over 9,000 times per month or 100,000 times per year in the UK.

At current prices, it costs approximately £3.50 to purchase a click for this phrase to your car dealer website  from Google.

We will look at search volumes on mobile phones, in particular, as the mobile phone audience is by far the biggest audience by device for searching for cars.

Which car dealeer websites rank for ‘Buy a car online’?

The following table is a list of the top 100 websites that rank for the phrase ‘buy a car online’ in Google.

‘Buy a Car’ Top 100

wdt_ID Rank Name SEO Title Type Url
1 1 Cazoo Cazoo Car Dealer http://cazoo.co.uk/
2 2 Buy a Car https://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/used-cars/475/buying-a-used-car-online Car Dealer http://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/used-cars/475/buying-a-used-car-online
3 3 Auto Express How to buy a car online | Auto Express Online Magazine http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/101422/how-to-buy-a-car-online
4 4 Car Supermarket https://www.carsupermarket.com/ Car Dealer https://www.carsupermarket.com/
5 5 Bristol Street Motors Buy Cars Online | Online Car Dealers | Bristol Street Motors Car Dealer http://www.bristolstreet.co.uk/buy-online/
6 6 Autosave Autosave | UK car supermarket | used cars for sale Car Dealer http://www.autosave.co.uk/
7 7 Carwow How to buy a car online | carwow Car Buying Comparison Site http://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/buying/how-to-buy-car-online
8 8 Car Supermarket https://www.carsupermarket.com/ Car Dealer http://www.carsupermarket.com/
9 9 Auto Express How to buy a car online | Auto Express Online Magazine http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/101422/how-to-buy-a-car-online
10 10 Car Next Buy your car online | CarNext.com Car Dealer http://www.carnext.com/en-gb/buy-your-car-online/
11 11 Car Store Hello, Welcome to Car Store! Car Dealer http://www.carstore.com/
12 12 The Car Expert How to buy a car online | Car buying advice | The Car Expert Advice Website http://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/how-to-buy-a-car-online/
13 13 Parkers How to buy a new car online | Parkers Price Guide How to buy a new car online
14 14 UK Car Discount UK Car Discount Car Dealer http://www.uk-car-discount.co.uk/
15 15 Car Store Hello, Welcome to Car Store! Car Dealer http://www.carstore.com/
16 16 The AA Used Cars for sale | Second hand cars for sale | AA Cars Car Rescue http://www.theaa.com/used-cars/
17 17 What Car New Car Deals | Buy cars online with What Car? | What Car? Online Magazine http://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals
18 18 Auto Village Used Car – Search over 400,000 Used Cars for Sale Car Dealer http://www.autovillage.co.uk/used-car
19 19 The AA Used Cars for sale | Second hand cars for sale | AA Cars Car Rescue http://www.theaa.com/used-cars/
20 20 Citizen’s Advice Buying a used car Advice Guide http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repairing-a-car/buying-a-used-car/
21 21 Parkers How to buy a new car online | Parkers Price Guide http://www.parkers.co.uk/car-finance/advice/how-to-buy-a-car-online/
22 22 Autocar How to buy a car during a pandemic | Autocar Online Magazine http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/how-buy-car-during-pandemic
23 23 Which Magazine Where to buy a car – Which? Advice Guide http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/new-and-used-cars/article/where-to-buy-a-car
24 24 The Car Sales Company Buy Online – The Car Sales Company Car Dealer http://www.thecarsalescompanybury.co.uk/buy-online/
25 25 Toyota Buy a Toyota Vehicle Online | Toyota UK Manufacturer http://www.toyota.co.uk/buy-online
26 26 We Buy Any Car Sell My Car | Buy My Car | webuyanycar.com http://www.webuyanycar.com/
27 27 Popular Mechanics The 7 Best Sites to Buy and Sell Your Car Online http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a16593/best-sites-to-sell-your-car-online/
28 28 Financial Times Time to buy a car? Industry hopes for coronavirus silver lining … Newspaper http://www.ft.com/content/488d5886-c6af-4e80-a479-36aca26edd1d
29 29 Money Savings Expert 20+ tips for buying a new car Advice Guide http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/car-finance/buying-new-car/
30 30 Auto Coin Cars Auto Coin Cars| Buy cars with Bitcoin Car Dealer http://www.autocoincars.com/
31 31 Car Buyer How can I buy a car during the coronavirus restrictions … http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/tips-and-advice/172470/how-can-i-buy-a-car-during-the-coronavirus-restrictions
32 32 Mitsubishi Motors Buying A New Car | Mitsubishi Motors Manufacturer http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/buy
33 33 Mitsubishi Motors Mitsubishi Buy Online Manufacturer http://buy.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/
34 34 Telegraph How to buy a car online if you don’t want to visit a dealership Newspaper http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/buy-car-online-dont-want-visit-dealership/
35 35 Chorley Group Car Dealer | Lancashire & Wigan | Chorley Group Car Dealer http://www.chorleygroup.co.uk/buying-online/
36 36 John Clark Buy Used Cars Online | Specialist Cars Renault Aberdeen Car Dealer http://www.john-clark.co.uk/renault/buy-online/
37 37 Hyundai Buy a new Hyundai Car Online on our Click to Buy Platform | Hyundai … Manufacturer http://clicktobuy.hyundai.co.uk/
38 38 Narpo Drive NARPOdrive | UK car supermarket | used cars for sale http://www.narpodrive.co.uk/
39 39 The Car Sales Company Buy Online – The Car Sales Company Car Dealer http://www.thecarsalescompanybury.co.uk/buy-online/
40 40 Peugeot How to buy online | PEUGEOT UK Manufacturer http://www.peugeot.co.uk/buy-online/
41 41 We Want Any Car We Want Any Car: Buy My Car | Sell My Car Fast http://www.wewantanycar.com/
42 42 Digital Trends The Best Used Car Websites of 2018 | Digital Trends http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/best-used-car-websites/
43 43 Parkland Motors Buy your car online – Parkland Motors Car Dealer http://www.parklandmotors.co.uk/buy-your-car-online.php
44 44 Thame Cars Used Car Dealer | Thame near Aylesbury | Thame Cars Car Dealer http://www.thamecars.co.uk/buying-online/
45 45 Wizzle Car Buying | Wizzle Car Buying Comparison Site http://www.wizzle.co.uk/car-buying/
46 46 Arnold Clark Click & Collect | Moving cars closer to you | Arnold Clark Car Dealer http://www.arnoldclark.com/click-and-collect
47 47 Peter Vardy Click and Collect Cars, Online Buying Habits | Peter Vardy Car Dealer http://www.petervardy.com/buy-a-car-online
48 48 AM ONline 27% of UK car buyers would purchase online without a test drive … Online Magazine http://www.am-online.com/news/market-insight/2019/06/27/27-of-uk-car-buyers-would-purchase-online-without-a-test-drive
49 49 Digital Trends The Best Used Car Websites of 2018 | Digital Trends http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/best-used-car-websites/
50 50 Car Dealer Magazine Can I still buy a used car during the coronavirus lockdown … Online Magazine http://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/can-still-buy-used-car-coronavirus-lockdown/189569
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We can see that there is a great deal of information about buying a car online available.  

Overview of the list 

Few on the list could be described as ‘traditional car dealers’  and only one Bristol Street Motors is in the coveted top ten.

The most prominent name on the list is the new entrant Cazoo who are looking to capture the nascent e-commerce market and disrupt the industry.

Other new players in the market (e.g. Cinch) have adopted a similar advertising strategy with the emphasis being on ‘easy way to buy a car online’ or ‘cars without the faff’ –  but also offering the customer the ability to conduct as much of the transaction online as they feel comfortable with.

Two factors, ecommerce adoption and ease of purchase has allowed new entrants to provide a new offering.  It is interesting how many of the top 100 car dealers website’s do not rank well for digital health.

If we look at the top 100 car dealers it is interesting to see their position in this list. The list does not show that many traditional car dealers.  This could be because dealer groups target local geographic areas rather than UK wide.

One of the benefits of full ecommerce is that a dealer can sell to anyone in the country.  

Traditional geographic markets may in the future be less rigid.

Whilst the move to e-commerce has accelerated it is also significant that in a recent poll of motorists only a fifth have bought a car unseen.

75% of motorists have never bought a car unseen and maintain that they never will in the future.

Top Ten Search Rankings for the phrase 'Buy a Car Online'

A ranking in the position of one achieves a click-through rate that is ten times higher than a ranking position of ten.

The top ten websites % of visitors for the phrase ‘buy a car online’.

The following Pie Chart shows the % of searchers that the top ten websites obtain. As can be seen the first 2 positions will receive more than 50% of all searchers.

If you would like to know more about how to get your car dealership to rank well in Google then get in touch.

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