U.K. women are more than twice as likely as men to describe the auto-showroom environment as stressful and are much less likely to report an enjoyable car-buying experience.
As a result, online retailer BuyaCar.co.uk says, women are spearheading rapid growth in online car buying.
Noticing a 2-year surge in female customers, it surveyed almost 1,000 car buyers and found the number of female car buyers going online almost doubled last year.
Their No.1 dislike is aggressive salespeople but they also are more likely than men to admit their dislike of negotiating over price. They also report feeling confusion over the range of car choices more often than men.
BuyaCar.co.uk’s female customers increased 58% in 2015, compared with a 29% increase among men. But last year growth among female customers surged 75%, while upswing among men was 22%.
BuyaCar.co.uk believes the rapid growth in female customers is linked to several aspects of the traditional car-buying process:
- When asked how they feel about the car-purchasing process, nearly half the women reported feeling stressed by the experience, compared with only 20% of men.
- One in four women said confusion over the vast array of car features and even finance options caused them discomfort in the traditional showroom environment, while only 11% of men said they felt confused by the range of choices offered.
- Salespeople pushed women’s stress buttons, with 58% saying they were put off by face-to-face sales pitches. Men weren’t far behind, with 55% describing a hard-sell approach as off-putting.
BuyaCar.co.uk Managing Director Austin Collins says growing consumer acceptance of buying cars online and having them delivered without setting foot in a showroom is proving to be a growth area for motor retailers.
