by David Toscano, Trade Content Editor, carsales.com.au
Watch the news or read the paper and you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s no demand for cars in Australia right now, as lockdowns force Australians to work from home and limit social interaction …
That’s not what we’re seeing on carsales.com.au. With car buying now involving a laptop perched at the dinner table, or relaxation with the smartphone on the couch, consumers are visiting carsales and other digital showrooms at all times of the day and night.
In fact, 2.2m Australian car buyers visited carsales last week, contributing to 5.4m website sessions – falling just 11.8% YoY1 despite unprecedented social and economic conditions. Average session duration was recorded at nearly 6 and a half minutes1 – indicating that there are plenty of great deals and inventory to shop.
And the strong audience and engagement last week on carsales is backed up by genuine purchase intention. Over 1600 respondents to a survey on carsales showed that Aussies are still looking to put a new car in their driveway, with 19% of respondents planning to buy now, and 50% planning to buy within the next month.2
55 million searches
With continued strong buyer interest on carsales, how visible are your inventory and retail offers in search results?
55 million searches for cars were conducted last week on carsales, across brand new, demo and used cars.
The strong search volume shows healthy interest in purchasing a car, helping dealers develop a pipeline of sales opportunities to nurture and convert – both immediately and over the next few months.
Stimulus announcements fuel Light Commercial?
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has handed the private sector a $700 million boost, in the form of an expanded instant asset tax write-off scheme for small business.
The effects of the announcement were felt immediately on carsales.
Already the biggest segment on carsales, view share of the Light Commercial segment shot up 15% YoY last week, as these vehicles become a prime candidate for the assistance measure.1
Contrastingly, view share of Small Passenger car segment under $40k, the second most viewed segment on carsales, fell -11% YoY.1
With even more incentives to buy, will the ute further cement itself as the work, play and family car of choice for Australians, and steal more share?
Working hard or car dreaming?
Is working from home also fuelling more dreaming? Or are car buyers simply in a mood to treat themselves – whether it’s now or a few months down the track?
Large SUVs over $70k, Medium SUVs over $60k, Passenger Sports over $200k and Passenger Sports over $80k were all in the top 10 viewed categories for the week on carsales. Each of these segments delivered surprising growth in view share YoY, with Passenger Sports over $200k and SUV Upper Large under $100k delivering the largest view share growth across the board, respectively 25% and 27%.1
Suzuki benefits from unmissable ATL investment
You can’t miss their Above-the-Line blitz and it’s helping to fuel more Suzuki views on carsales, up 21% on the previous week.1
“Interest and views of the Suzuki Jimny, Vitara and Swift have increased on carsales, potentially as consumers head online to take a closer look at the Japanese brand’s offerings and retail offer,” says Jeremy Moger, Head of Commercial Insights at carsales.
And whether it’s FOMO (fear of missing out), cult followers wanting an upgrade or just those yearning for a piece of exclusivity, demand for the Jimny is even getting a little out of hand.
Contextual and online marketplaces like carsales can be beneficiaries of above the line OEM activity designed to increase awareness of a brand or model, as buyers consider taking a closer look in a familiar and trustworthy online environment.
Source:
1 carsales internal data, 16-22 March 2019 vs 2020
2carsales.com.au, onsite survey, 19-20 March 2020, i=1661