News release
Contact:
Serj Heera
Press Relations Executive, Automotive & Insurance
+44 (0) 115 976 8945 Tel
serjeet.heera@uk.experian.com Email
experian highlights opportunity in a challenged car market
Nottingham, UK, 5 September 2008 - In a recent survey exploring the key concerns currently affecting consumer confidence, almost nine in ten British car owners have admitted that they are worried about the rising costs of living, but two in five would delay buying a car as a result, according to a survey[1] by Experian®, the global information services company.
Kirk Fletcher, Managing Director of Experian’s Automotive division, said: “People are clearly worried about the current economic climate. However, it is interesting to find that the influence of these concerns is not as overwhelming as expected. People are certainly thinking about these issues when they are considering a car purchase, but not as many people as expected are actually delaying their purchase. People are still buying cars.
“For example, just over a third of the British car owners change their cars regularly (within a three year period). Of these, 83 per cent have admitted that they are worried about the current costs of running a car, but only 20 per cent would actually consider delaying buying a car at the moment. There is still an opportunity to reach the car owners who are still likely to change their cars within that three year cycle.
“The focus for dealers now is to make the most of opportunities that are already present in their businesses. For example, the most effective revenue-building asset in a dealership is the customer database. Dealers can maximise a database’s value by using it to understand their customers more, then identify and target those who are most likely to buy soon. A key part of this, however, is ensuring that their customer records are up-to-date. Regular data cleansing is a small price for the significant amount of wasted expenditure it will save in the long run.”
Key findings included:
Kirk concluded: “Much of the industry has accepted that the difficult trading conditions will continue for a while and our contact with dealers has shown they are reacting practically to a very challenging environment. For example, many dealers are increasingly recognising the huge value and potential of their customer databases and the need for regular data cleansing to reduce costs and maximise on opportunities they already have.”
For further information about data cleansing, please contact Experian’s Automotive team on 0870 414 0310 or email automotive.enquiries@uk.experian.com
[1] Based on an independent online survey conducted by Research Plus on behalf of Experian. A total of 1016 British car owners aged 18+ were surveyed between 4th – 8th July 2008.