The Growth of Women Car Buyers: Four Ways to Attract Them

Women consumers are responsible for 65% of new vehicle purchases and service work done at dealerships, and they are a growing segment of car buyers. As shown by the data, many are playing a significant role in car purchasing decisions. As a result, dealers and companies are starting to notice this. Recently, Digital Air Strike, a social media and digital marketing company, partnered with Women-Drivers.com. The latter is a dealership rating and review site by women for women.

This partnership is meant to introduce Digital Air Strike’s dealership clients to Women-Drivers.com’s Certified Active Dealer badge program. When dealers receive enough reviews from a certain number of women car buyers, they will receive the badge. The purpose of the partnership is to provide dealers with a straightforward way to connect with women car buyers while also increasing trust and engagement with this audience.

Again, tactics like these are necessary when the demographic of the typical car buyer is shifting. Nevertheless, there are many things dealers can do to capitalize on attracting women car buyers in addition to tactics like the one mentioned above. What are they, and how can your dealership benefit? Check out the takeaways below:

Invest in and Monitor Reviews

According to Digital Air Strike’s Annual Automotive Digital Retailing Consumer Trends Study, 87% of women visit social and review sites to help them in dealer selection. This stat is a crucial point. Most of the coverage of automotive retail research has centered around the car itself. However, this information shows that ratings and reviews about dealerships are just as critical. If you are looking to engage women car buyers further, it’s vital that you invest in gathering reviews and ratings. Additionally, don’t forget to respond to and interact with reviewers, as this tactic can increase credibility and engagement.

Increase Female Staff

Last year, women only represented 17.9% of automobile dealers and 9.9% of repair and maintenance employees. Having women on staff can have a significant impact on their purchasing process. According to JP Morgan Chase, an Arizona-based auto center developed a program where women could be paired with female sales, finance, and service department staff.

They found that this strategy made women feel more confident and comfortable during the car buying process and even caused some men to feel less pressure during their time at the dealership. People are impacted when they can buy and interact with those who come from similar communities. Ultimately, adding more women to your staff can help appeal to this growing community of buyers.

Discover Their Needs

Whenever you are looking to grow your audience base in a specific segment, it helps to understand their needs. This step is where things like surveys and focus groups can be a tremendous help. One of the best ways to get a sense of how you can make your dealership more inviting to female buyers is simply asking them.

You can use Likert-sale style questions that allow them to rate their satisfaction and your proposed tactics. However, leave some space for open-ended answers as they may have some insights you haven’t thought of.

Focus on Practicality

According to Forbes, women are less brand loyal than their male counterparts. While they might favor a particular brand here and there, the focus is on how a car will fit into their lives. Their guiding question may be: “How will it allow me to move through my day efficiently?”

Helping women car buyers answer questions like these will aid them in making the best decision for themselves. Also, safety, reliability, and comfort are three attributes that women primarily look for when buying. So, keep them in mind as you work with women during the consultation.

The Results Are There

Resources like Women-Drivers.com impact the way women car buyers shop for vehicles, and it has a positive impact on both them and dealers. According to Anne Fleming, president of Women-Drivers.com, there are economic benefits to engaging in the Certified Trust Dealer program:

“The economic benefit of being a Certified Trusted Dealer is achieving an average of 5% increase in annual revenue, which translates into $1.5 million per dealership.” She also discussed how authentic reviews could help women find dealers that show trust and an equitable culture. Again, this segment is purchasing more cars than men, so having a plan in place to appeal to them and turn them into lifetime customers can help your reputation and bottom-line.

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