Study Finds Web Experience on Auto Sites Significantly Influences Car Buying Process

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 5 -- Vividence Corporation today released the results of a major study of automotive manufacturer websites that reveals that visitors who have a positive experience with an auto manufacturer's website are 64% more likely to be converted into stronger sales prospects than visitors who have a poor online experience. Furthermore, the Vividence report reveals that a poor online experience can actually decrease purchase likelihood, with 31% of people becoming less likely to purchase from an auto manufacturer after having a low quality of experience with their website.

Vividence, the leader in Customer Experience Management (CEM) products and services, conducted an independent study of five leading automakers U.S. websites. By sending 400 online consumers, whom had expressed intent to buy a vehicle, to interact with these sites and tracking every click and comment, Vividence was able to reveal which features are most likely to improve the customer experience -- and in turn make a real impact on automobile sales. Out of the key tasks that consumers perform on automaker websites, the study reveals that the process of requesting a dealer quote and the capabilities around vehicle customization have the strongest impact on consumers' likelihood to purchase. Furthermore, despite the fact that requesting a quote from a dealer online is a significant purchase driver, the study reveals that consumers find it very difficult to successfully request online quotes, with nearly 40% of people failing to complete the process and 68% of people expressing frustration with the process.

"Auto manufacturers stand to make a serious impact on vehicle sales if they can effectively capture consumers on the web and offer them a fantastic customer experience," said Jeff Greenberg, president and CEO of Vividence. "The findings from our study are consistent with what we see as we help our automotive clients make their websites more effective. For one large automotive client, Vividence uncovered a significant opportunity to increase leads generated by their website. Vividence revealed that almost half of consumers were prematurely abandoning the dealer quote process due to poor site design and recommended site improvements that are expected to increase sales leads from the site by up to 40%."

The automotive research study, performed with online consumers, also reveals that 94% of consumers that have begun the car shopping process have conducted online shopping activities while only 67% have visited a dealership in person. This finding illustrates the importance of the Internet as a key part of consumers' decision-making process when buying a car.

Vividence's Customer Experience Management products and services help four of the six largest U.S. automotive manufacturers capture and understand the experience that consumers have on the web. Vividence uncovers the insights needed to improve the online customer experience, yielding successful web strategies and improved sales.

To obtain a copy of the Vividence Research Report: Driving Quality of Experience on Automotive Websites, please visit www.vividence.com.

About Vividence Corporation

Vividence is the leading provider of Customer Experience Management products and services to the customer-driven enterprise. By capturing and interpreting the behavior, thoughts and attitudes of customers on the Web, the Vividence XMS Suite(TM), a collection of hosted software applications, research and customer panels, yields business insights that improve profitability. More than 200 customers, including Citibank, Compaq, Dell, FedEx, Macy's, Microsoft, Pfizer, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, Wells Fargo and more than 100 of the Fortune 1000 use Vividence. For more information, please visit www.vividence.com.