Automotive Industry Digest

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CDK Global identifies gender divide in customer experiences

CDK Global research reveals that many women feel they are at a disadvantage when looking to buy a car, due to their gender. Data analysts at CDK Global fed 64,000 reviews into their natural language processing tool and discovered that 43% of women don’t trust the automotive industry and often describe their experiences very differently to men.

Customer reviews provide a valuable insight into understanding what people like and dislike about the dealership experience. However, the words “stressed”, “overwhelmed”, “taken advantage” and “panic” were among the top ten words used by women when reviewing their in-dealership experience, with many saying they felt “unsure” or “stupid” in their Service and Sales reviews.

David Green, UK Region Vice President, CDK Global, said: “It’s already pretty well known that generally women are wary of dealerships, however our research highlights the scale of the issue. Not only do women make up a large percent of the buying population, they also influence even more car-buying decisions, which is why it’s so important for dealers to make sure they’re providing women with the right customer experience.”

The reviews were separated by sales and service, and then further separated them by five-star and one- to two-star reviews. The words used most commonly used by both men and women show that overall most people want the same thing: “fair” treatment and “helpful” staff that leads them to ultimately leave “happy”.

The results highlight significant differences in what influences the experience for men and women at the dealership. In their reviews, men focused much more on the product itself, while women focused more on their interactions with the staff,suggesting that many dealerships need to re-evaluate how they provide customer service and market to women.

For women, “compassion” and “compassionate” were among the most frequently used words in positive sales reviews, often with other adjectives like “kind” and “caring”. In both Sales and Service, women noted that “smiles” from the staff – even the ones they weren’t working with – helped to create a positive experience.

To help guide dealerships, CDK Global’s experts have used the study findings to create the following key advice for creating a better in-dealership experience for women:

Make eye contact and smile – this helps to build trust and lasting relationships

Find out what is important to them in their next car – listening and understanding is highlighted in positive reviews

Empower with knowledge – explaining issues fully can alleviate any concerns and put the customer at ease

Provide regular updates on work – many positive reviews feature the word “continuously” in relation to their communications with the dealership

Provide a welcoming dealership environment – the details matter:

Clean toilets

WiFi in waiting area

Children’s area

Complimentary drinks

Variety of reading material

Create targeted advertising campaigns – differentiate messaging for women

CDK Global’s researchers noted that many dealerships are already getting it right — often to the surprise of their female customers. However, women have such low expectations that eye contact and not being taken advantage of often constituted a positive review. While not having a particularly bad experience might be acceptable to some, the results show there is a real opportunity for dealerships to stand out as a business that supports female customers.

CDK Global invests heavily in research and development, identifying the challenges faced by automotive retailers all over the world to help them improve their service. CDK Global’s integrated DMS technology allows dealer groups to create a consistently high customer experience across all sites.

Automotive Industry Digest

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