Press release
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
TORONTO, - Hyundai ranks highest among auto manufacturer Web sites in satisfying Canadian new-vehicle shoppers, improving dramatically from 2008, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study(SM) released today.
Now in its fourth year, the study examines Canadian automotive manufacturer Web sites from the perspective of shoppers who intend to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months. Four factors contribute to overall customer satisfaction: information/content; speed of pages loading throughout the Web site; ease of navigating throughout the Web site; and appearance of the Web site. Hyundai ranks highest in customer satisfaction with a score of 834 on a 1,000-point scale, improving 109 points from 2008. Hyundai performs particularly well in speed of pages loading and ease of navigating throughout the Web site. Toyota closely follows Hyundai in the rankings (833) and performs well in appearance of the Web site. Mazda ranks third with a score of 829.
"Hyundai's redesigned Web site demonstrates the manufacturer's keen focus on providing and enhancing those features that are of the greatest value to shoppers," said Ryan Robinson, senior manager of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Making critical information, such as pricing and vehicle specifications, immediately accessible is more important than adding extra bells and whistles, like videos or simulated test drives, which can be useful but tend to slow down the speed at which the pages load."
The study also finds that high levels of satisfaction with manufacturer Web sites have a strong positive effect on new-vehicle buyer intentions. Among manufacturer Web sites with overall satisfaction scores above the industry average, the number of new-vehicle shoppers who say they "definitely will" consider purchasing the brand increases by nearly 8 percent after they visit the Web site, compared with an increase of less than 2 percent among visitors to Web sites with satisfaction scores below the industry average.
"The improvement in brand consideration by new-vehicle shoppers after visiting a highly satisfying manufacturer Web site underscores the importance of building an informative and functional site," said Robinson. "Increasing satisfaction levels with manufacturer Web sites can ultimately translate into more dealership visits and vehicle sales."
The 2009 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study is based on evaluations provided by 2,168 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they would be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The study was fielded in April 2009.
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
TORONTO, - Hyundai ranks highest among auto manufacturer Web sites in satisfying Canadian new-vehicle shoppers, improving dramatically from 2008, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study(SM) released today.
Now in its fourth year, the study examines Canadian automotive manufacturer Web sites from the perspective of shoppers who intend to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months. Four factors contribute to overall customer satisfaction: information/content; speed of pages loading throughout the Web site; ease of navigating throughout the Web site; and appearance of the Web site. Hyundai ranks highest in customer satisfaction with a score of 834 on a 1,000-point scale, improving 109 points from 2008. Hyundai performs particularly well in speed of pages loading and ease of navigating throughout the Web site. Toyota closely follows Hyundai in the rankings (833) and performs well in appearance of the Web site. Mazda ranks third with a score of 829.
"Hyundai's redesigned Web site demonstrates the manufacturer's keen focus on providing and enhancing those features that are of the greatest value to shoppers," said Ryan Robinson, senior manager of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Making critical information, such as pricing and vehicle specifications, immediately accessible is more important than adding extra bells and whistles, like videos or simulated test drives, which can be useful but tend to slow down the speed at which the pages load."
The study also finds that high levels of satisfaction with manufacturer Web sites have a strong positive effect on new-vehicle buyer intentions. Among manufacturer Web sites with overall satisfaction scores above the industry average, the number of new-vehicle shoppers who say they "definitely will" consider purchasing the brand increases by nearly 8 percent after they visit the Web site, compared with an increase of less than 2 percent among visitors to Web sites with satisfaction scores below the industry average.
"The improvement in brand consideration by new-vehicle shoppers after visiting a highly satisfying manufacturer Web site underscores the importance of building an informative and functional site," said Robinson. "Increasing satisfaction levels with manufacturer Web sites can ultimately translate into more dealership visits and vehicle sales."
The 2009 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study is based on evaluations provided by 2,168 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they would be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The study was fielded in April 2009.