The auto industry has always been pretty much geared towards men. However, car manufacturers who solely advertise their vehicles to men today, could be missing out on a large percentage of revenue.
Women have far more spending power these days than they used to, and many are interested in spending their hard-earned cash on luxury vehicles. The trouble is, the auto industry knows very little about its female demographic. This means, when a woman does go to purchase a new car, she’s often met with a patronising, dismissive sales person. Many women are also put off by male-centred advertisements.
Now, a survey conducted by the Daily Mail has revealed exactly why auto manufacturers might want to adjust their old-fashioned male focused advertising strategy.
Survey reveals statistics auto industry cannot ignore
It’s a common misconception that women know nothing about cars. While that may have been the case over a decade ago, these days women know a lot more about the motor industry and what’s more, they’re interested in new cars.
The Daily Mail survey showed that when a couple is looking to buy a new car, 89% of the time, the woman is either solely or jointly responsible for the final decision. Despite this, just 29% of women who participated in the survey, felt like car advertisements spoke to them. In comparison, 46% of men felt the ads were targeted towards their needs.
The key difference between men and women when it comes to choosing a car is practicalities. Men are much more concerned with how a car looks and performs, while women are focused on the more practical aspects of the vehicle. Most car ads you see on TV don’t really delve into the technical and practical aspects of the car, which is partially why so many women don’t find car ads useful or enticing.
There’s also a misconception that only men are interested in buying more exotic cars. However, women are also enticed by a luxury model, a fact backed up by top auto manufacturer Mercedes. The company claims most of its SLK sports cars were bought by women, while 13% of Porsche owners are female.
So, more definitely needs to be done by car manufacturers to ensure their ads are updated to include the female demographic.
Women find car dealerships daunting
It’s not just advertisements which shut women out of the car-buying process. While most dealerships have changed the way they talk to and approach women, many still treat women differently to their male customers.
Only 22% of women surveyed claimed they were confident going into a car dealership. This is because they still find they get talked down to or dismissed. This is one of the reasons many choose to shop online through car supermarkets and dealerships such as Imperial Cars.
Overall, women do feel like they can choose their own car, but they don’t feel they’re supported in doing so. While the industry has come a long way, there’s still a lot of work which needs to be done to modernise the way women are treated when it comes to buying a new car.
