Alchemer, a global leader in customer experience and feedback intelligence, today released two new automotive customer experience reports. The research reveals several important findings about consumer behavior, review preferences, satisfaction ratings, emerging feedback channels and brand loyalty across the automotive customer experience, with Facebook outranking Yelp for automotive service reviews across every generation.
Alchemer surveyed 1,005 U.S. consumers across age groups, genders and locations who recently visited a multi-location automotive dealership, parts supplier or service center. The report examines the customer journey across discovery, evaluation, customer experience and retention.
Online reviews play an important role in how customers choose automotive providers, and the research shows notable differences in which review platforms influence their decisions. More than 67% of customers read online reviews before choosing a dealership or service center, and among those customers, 76.9% say reviews influence their decision.
Google is the leading review source across every age group. Facebook is more influential than Yelp across every age group in the study, with customers under age 45 relying on it most heavily for automotive service reviews, signaling a shift in where younger consumers discover and evaluate service providers.
Mobile feedback is more likely to be acknowledged and acted upon than email feedback. Email is the most widely used feedback channel among automotive customers, with 62.2% of feedback submissions coming through email surveys.
However, comments submitted through mobile apps are rarely ignored and significantly more likely to lead to acknowledgement and visible action. 74.1% of customers providing feedback through a mobile app receive an acknowledgment, compared with 57.6% through email, while 36.4% of mobile app respondents see a visible change after providing feedback compared with just 14.2% of email respondents. Only 4.2% of mobile app respondents say nothing happened after providing feedback, compared with 24.1% of email respondents.
High satisfaction ratings don't necessarily mean high trust. Automotive customers overwhelmingly report positive experiences and strong intent to return, with 88% rating their most recent automotive experience positively and 93% saying they are likely to keep coming back. Yet only 37% say they trust dealerships a great deal, while 60.6% say their expectations are higher than they were two years ago.
The research also reveals differences in the automotive feedback experience between men and women, with women less likely to be asked for feedback and more likely to report receiving no follow-up after providing it. 27% of women say they have never been asked for feedback, compared with 18% of men, and 22.2% of women say nothing happened after they provided feedback, compared with 16.2% of men.
"Alchemer's new research underscores the importance of truly understanding automotive customer preferences and expectations," said Brian Henley, Vice President of Research Solutions at Alchemer. "Where customers look for information, how they provide feedback and whether they feel heard can reveal meaningful insights beyond topline satisfaction scores. Businesses that understand the nuances can build better service, greater trust and lasting loyalty."
About Alchemer
Alchemer gives organizations the power to transform customer and employee feedback into meaningful business action. Combining enterprise experience management, feedback collection, workflow automation, AI-powered insights and deep integrations, Alchemer helps organizations uncover what matters most and act quickly to improve customer experiences and business outcomes. Serving more than 11,000 customers across more than 100 countries, Alchemer empowers organizations to make the voice of the customer a priority.
