NEW YORK, May 02, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IgnitionOne, a global marketing technology and data analytics provider with a focus on the automotive sector, today released its Q1 2019 Automotive Industry Report highlighting year-on-year (YoY) growth in key categories, including site visits, engagement, lead volumes and segment trends, within North America and Europe.
While Q4 2018 proved to be a significant quarter for YoY growth and consumer interest, IgnitionOne’s report found a decrease of 3% in YoY site traffic during Q1 2019. However, in North America, engagement among site visitors who convert is 93% higher YoY. This means that consumers are spending more time on automotive websites, conducting research or comparing models, indicating higher engagement when they eventually convert. This increase in engagement can be attributed to how marketers are targeting and messaging audiences, allowing them to identify highly engaged users more accurately, and deliver hyper-personalized content to each individual.
In Q1 2019, mobile continued to grow as a valuable channel. In North America, mobile now accounts for over 48% of total site visits, a 14% increase from Q1 2018. That said, engagement on desktop has increased at a higher rate than that on mobile: consumers are 71% more engaged on desktop YoY, compared to only 11% more engaged on mobile. While mobile devices are an essential part of the car buying process, they have driven increased fragmentation. Instead, consumers are increasing their reliance on larger-format devices for product research.
With this fragmentation across devices, marketers are faced with the challenge of bridging the customer journey and creating a seamless experience. Only 15.3% of organizations can currently identify their audiences, which can prove detrimental to any brand’s marketing strategy. Identity resolution must be a cornerstone in any marketer’s digital strategy to drive engagement and ROI.
“As the number of connected devices per consumer continues to increase, auto marketers need to focus heavily on creating a consistent, engaging experience throughout the customer journey,” said IgnitionOne CEO Will Margiloff. “A hyper-targeted personalized approach, powered by Customer Intelligence, is the key to identifying and understanding customers, no matter the device or channel. We now live in an online market, where, in order to win the customer, marketers must create a seamless experience every step of the way.”
Additional highlights from the report include:
- Mobile growth continued to perform well, particularly in EMEA where there was a 16% increase in mobile traffic. Desktop traffic fell 19%, emphasizing the value of mobile as the primary driver of site visitation.
- SUVs continue to drive consumer interest, dominating site visits. Light trucks accounted for 69% of sales while cars accounted for 31% in 2018. Lower fuel prices and improved fuel economy have bought trucks additional time at the top of the mix. However, Q1 2019 showed some warning signs for larger vehicles as SUVs logged a 29% drop in lead volume.
For more information and to download the full report, visit here.
Methodology
Based on first-party data gathered from more than 350 automotive manufacturers and dealer websites across more than 50 countries, the Automotive Industry Report looks at global car trends including website visits, visitor engagement, and cumulative leads. The proprietary IgnitionOne Score™ models and defines, in real-time, each site visitor’s propensity to convert, based on the individual’s level of engagement and on-site behavior.
About IgnitionOne
IgnitionOne’s leading Customer Intelligence Platform empowers marketers to find and engage their most valuable customers across channels using a data-driven approach. By focusing on cross-channel scoring and robust personalization, IgnitionOne’s technology provides real-time, actionable insights for smarter marketing decisions and omnichannel engagement to maximize overall results. IgnitionOne is one of the largest independent marketing technology companies in the world, currently scoring over 600 million users monthly in 75 countries and powering more than $60 billion in revenue each year for leading brands, including General Motors, CenturyLink, La Quinta and Acer, as well as advertising agencies such as 360i, GroupM and Zenith Media.
For more information, please visit http://www.ignitionone.com or follow the company on Twitter @ignitionone.
Media Contact
Kite Hill PR, Rachel Jermansky
rachel@kitehillpr.com