Mobile devices have become a necessary tool utilized in most consumers’ daily lives. But does that usage stretch between routine activities and decisions both large and small? Over the past year, consumers have looked to their mobile devices more and more, even for guidance when it comes to big decisions, like renting a house or buying a car. Though mobile may not have played a crucial role in car buying in the past, the emphasis on mobile has now spread into this process as well.
This year, we wanted to explore how American mobile gamers, specifically, interact with their mobiles during the car buying process. For brands and advertisers looking to reach consumers during the car buying process, they should feel satisfied knowing that mobile gaming is the correct avenue to reach these consumers as most Americans are mobile gamers. And as discovered, these mobile gamers are looking to their mobile devices for guidance during the car buying process, so brands that deliver creative messaging through mobile games will have a great chance of impacting a wide variety of consumers.
Though ad spend in the automotive industry may have taken a hit last year, 2021 has seen an 18% growth, and this is expected to increase next year as well, according to eMarketer. Consumers are spending more time shopping for cars online and will continue this habit even when shopping at dealerships as well. As noted in Kelly Blue Book, dealerships are also catching on to this shift toward online and are working to improve their websites in order to be more user friendly — a trend that will most likely continue for years to come as mobile devices play a larger role in this purchasing process.
AdColony conducted an updated version of the Car Buying Survey to analyze mobile gamers’ importance of mobile during the car buying process, online activities, and device preferences. Check out highlights from the survey below and don’t forget to download the infographic for all of the insights!
Highlights from the Study:
Mobile is a necessity in car purchasing. — The majority of mobile gamers (62%) who own/lease or plan to own/lease a car believe that mobile is important in the car purchasing process. In this process, respondents use mobile devices to look up reviews, compare car prices, look up general information on the car, and book test drives.
Most mobile gamers are driving frequently. — 75% of mobile gamers drive a car at least once a week, far outpacing gamers who never drive or drive less frequently.
Gamers who value mobile use it in the car buying process. — A significant amount of mobile gamers (67%) who think mobile is important in car purchasing use a smartphone or tablet to look up general information about a car during the car buying process. Additionally, over half of gamers (52%) who think mobile is important in car purchasing use a smartphone or tablet to watch online videos of the car. These mobile gamers value their mobile devices in the car buying process and will look to those devices for information and video interaction.
Gamers planning to get a car think mobile is important. — The vast majority of mobile gamers (76%) who are planning on purchasing or leasing one or more cars (in the next 12 months) think mobile is important or very important in car purchasing, and therefore will look to their mobiles for guidance and direction during the purchasing process.
Gamers looking to purchase a car will use a mobile device during the process. — Out of the mobile gamers who are planning on purchasing or leasing one or more cars (in the next 12 months), many will use a mobile device to look up information about the car, search for consumer reviews, compare car prices, watch online videos of the car, and check availability of cars at local dealerships.
About the Study
The survey was developed by AdColony and GWI and distributed online to mobile gamers. All figures in the study (unless noted otherwise) are drawn from GWI’s online research among U.S. internet users who are mobile gamers aged 16-64 via an online questionnaire. GWI only interviews respondents aged 16-64 and their figures are representative of the online populations of each market, not its total population. The survey garnered a total of 1,044 respondents in the U.S. over an eight-day period in Q2 2021.
About GWI
GWI is a target audience company that provides consumer insight across 47 countries to the world’s leading brands, communication agencies, and media organizations. The company runs a global survey representing more than 2 billion connected consumers, which offers up over 40,000 data points on the behaviors and perceptions of internet users around the world. Using the subscription-based platform, clients including Twitter, Google, Spotify, WPP, IPG, and Omnicom Group can gather in-depth insights into audience behaviors, attitudes, and interests through a combination of survey data and analytics.
Join the Conversation
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