does automotive fail women? goodwood event presentation

Why women delight and despair at the automotive experience.

www.different-spin.com/women

This project is a “state of the automotive nation”, understanding the total female experience of automotive. We have spent 3 months running what we call an Experience Lab, completely immersing ourselves in the reality of the end consumer experience, in this case four segments of women: 1.  Millennials 2.  Mothers 3.  Professionals 4.  Empty-nesters

We used a variety of methods to get under the skin of this area in an unprecedented way. We integrated quantitative analysis of large volumes of data with in-depth qualitative analysis via survey, panel and interviews with a total sample size of 48,000 UK women. This has allowed us to clearly understand the experience states of the female consumer when it comes to automotive and get a robust view of where the sector is both delighting and dismaying.



It is said that today the deer have the guns. “In today’s connected world, consumer experience is your brand. Your brand is defined, not by a marketing team or agency, but by how people experience it. This study shows unequivocally what we think the industry has known instinctively for some time, women are disenfranchised by the automotive industry. But the picture is a nuanced one. There are elements of their experience that both delight and dismay the female consumer in equal measure. We explore both at length in the full report. The problem for automotive is that there are key parts of the female consumer experience that are so broken they are tarnishing the entire female perception and therefore experience of the industry. Marketing, dealership and service experiences are so disproportionately exasperating that women have an overarching perception of disenfranchisement from automotive as a whole.

90% of women would not go to a dealership without a male

partner, male family member of male friend


56% Said they feel patronised by car advertising


31% believe NO car brand understands women


Women express delight and dismay at their experience of automotive in equal measure. The challenge is that the times of dismay are so exasperating that they overshadow the majority of the good experiences to leave women feeling (in their own words):

confused

uncomfortable

unpleasant dreadful horrific

tortuous

hideous ghastly

patronising

diabolical

demeaning


Why does this matter?

Women are expected to own

60% of all personal wealth by 2025

www.different-spin.com/women Source: Centre for Economics and Business Research

Brand Experience Buying Experience

Dealership Experience Ownership Experience

1 10 5

SATISFACTORY EXASPERATING DELIGHTFUL

The full report is split into four sections to represent the four distinct “experience states” we observed women identified when talking about their total consumer experience. 1.  Brand Experience 2.  Buying Experience 3.  Dealership Experience 4.  Ownership Experience For each of these four states, we have attributed a satisfaction score to enable you to understand in a snapshot the sum total of the female experience. These scores were calculated using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to provide a real picture of overall female satisfaction with automotive. 1=exasperated 5= satisfactory 10= delightful In our view 5, whilst being satisfactory is hardly good enough to compete in the current consumer-centric marketplace. Let’s explore these four experience states in more detail


Brand Experience unsatisfactory

1 10 5


The industry has indeed moved on from a funnel model for understanding the path to purchase. In recent years, this has been replaced with various iterations of the McKinsey consumer journey model which is certainly a better interpretation of what actually happens and has driven incremental change in automotive over the last 5 years. However, our research shows unequivocally that, what is currently understood as the “awareness’ stage, often depicted as one step in the linear consumer journey, is happening and impacting female consumer decisions constantly. Experience is everything •  Your brand is no longer defined by you. Your brand

is defined by the people who experience it. •  This process is continuous and always-on. Brand

perception is being affected at every moment, with every touchpoint.

•  Most of the time those touchpoints are not controlled by you.


“Car brands understand very stereotypical women.

Not all women, no. They're very generalised in the way

of it being 'All girls like small cars, pink steering wheel...”

Emma, 22


Women think car adverts are…

63%

77%

69%

56%

18%

32%

20%

29%

35%

76%

5%

3%

9%

9%

5%

Boring

Forgettable

Make false assumptions

Patronising

Realistic

Yes No Don't know


“I think the problem is purely the way that it's marketed, I don't think

you can gender a car.”

Rebecca, 22


Buying Experience

good

1 10 5


This is the part of the automotive experience women are most satisfied with scoring 7 out of 10 in our satisfaction score. Is this because automotives have invested huge amounts in recent years in digital transformation projects that have largely focused on the brand touchpoints experienced by in-market car buyers? Or is this because most of the touchpoints when in-market are not with manufacturers or dealers at all, but with the actual people who have experience of the brand or model “people like me” Our research suggests a bit of both. In-market female car buyers are meticulous in compiling their long list and short list following a remarkably uniform process to reach a decision. They find the process of devising a longlist and then refining it to a shortlist (usually of 1 or 2 models) hugely empowering, using expert opinions, ratings and reviews by other customers and the brand’s own product information (in that order) to establish their shortlist. Crucially most women have made their decision before even setting foot in a dealership but hugely value the test drive experience to validate their decision. A bad test drive or dealership experience can and does turn women off buying a brand, not just this time, but for life. www.different-spin.com/women

“If I were purchasing from a dealership, although I would ask them questions, I wouldn’t go in

blind, and would have to have done a good bit of research online first.”

Maria, 29


7%

17%

47%

13%

16%

My partner is wholly responsible for researching/planning and the decision

I do some of the researching/planning with my partner but they make the final decision

We are equally responsible for the researching/planning and the decision

I make the final decision but my partner is involved with some of the researching/ planning

I am wholly responsible for the researching/planning and decision

What role do you play in decision making when buying a family car?


Dealership Experience

poor

1 10 5


This is the part of the entire automotive experience that is most broken. The problem for OEMs is that it is obvious from our research that female consumers do not differentiate between brand/manufacturer and dealership. A bad experience in a dealership can undo any points gained from clever marketing or customer recommendations. Nevertheless, it is clear from our Experience Lab that women do value the experience of the test drive, largely for validating their meticulous research process. How can OEM’s empower them women by making the ‘test’ part of the buying process empowering and even delightful? •  23% of women named the car dealership as their

number one source of information for buying a car •  But women are 3 times more likely to say they had

an awful experience in a dealership than an excellent one.

•  19% of women would skip the dealership completely (including the test drive)

•  90% would not visit a car dealership without a male partner, male family member or male friend.


“I am ashamed to say I hand over to my husband to contact dealers and

test drive. I absolutely HATE going to

dealerships myself. If I could buy a car at the touch of a

button online, I would.”

Kate, 38 www.different-spin.com/women

19% would skip the dealership

completely (including test drive) www.different-spin.com/women

6 dealership commandments 1. Thou shalt not make wild assumptions 2. Thou shalt not make me feel like a small child 3. Thou shalt not direct all conversation to my husband 4. Thou shalt not look at my children with fear in thine eyes 5. Thou shalt not direct me straight to the family cars 6. Thou shalt listen to my needs


Ownership Experience

satisfactory

1 10 5


The final experience state is Ownership Experience It is reductive to view the purchase of a car as the final step in a customer journey. Moreover it is just one part of a much more complex process that is far from over at the point of purchase. Throughout car ownership, consumers build their relationships with and opinions of car brands, not just the ones they own but any they are aware of through advertising, friends and family, taxi rides and any number of other means. However, whilst these impressions are built continuously, we have found that only a positive ownership experience can result in true advocacy and loyalty for a car brand. Nobody can be blamed for mistaking lust for love on the first test drive, but both manufacturers and drivers know that true bonds are built over time. What Women Want We said in the introduction to this presentation that experience is everything Three things stood out: 1.  A transformation of the way cars are marketed. 2.  A transformation in the way cars are sold. 3.  A product, service and experience that

demonstrates true empathy with women like me. www.different-spin.com/women

“Make me feel grown up - well spec'd and sensible but powerful.”

Leigh, 46

“Traditional and forward thinking, reliable and stylish,

affordable and inspiring.” Faye, 24


[Title] // Good Rebels //

Do one thing Start a “Little Things That Matter” movement •  What micro-marketing activity could we undertake to surprise and

delight our female consumer? - Think clever. •  What micro changes can we make to our dealer network to make the

dealer experience feel empowering? - Think head & heart. •  How could we package our product range to meet the needs of our

customer better? - Think access over ownership. Deep deep understanding of your consumer experience at every touchpoint. Afterall, experience is everything.


Given women are expected to own 60% of all personal wealth by 2025. How are you, the automotive industry, ripe for disruption, going to tap into this potential?

Will you develop experiences that are capable of connecting powerfully with the female market without diminishing its value to men?

Or will it take a bold new entrant (from Silicon Valley?) to finally create a delightful experience for every female car buyer?

It’s time for a consumer experience revolution in automotive.


Buy full report www.different-spin.com/women


Different Spin is the automotive experience

innovation lab from Good Rebels.

Changing the conversation

from advertising to experience.

www.GoodRebels.com

does automotive fail women? goodwood event presentation

Automotive