JD Power and Associates Rate Manufacturers Websites

With more and more choices facing new car shoppers today, it stands to reason that manufacturers would want to inform their customers of their various models benefits by any means possible. In past years this meant a lot of magazine, radio, and TV ads, all of which were popular enough decades ago to cause crowds to gather around dealerships before the unveiling of a new model. But with the advent of the internet, informing the masses of a particular model release or comparing cars became easier than ever. Or at least it should have.

But anyone who has spent time on the internet knows that some companies simply cant seem to grasp the concept of less being more. And given that youre reading this, its safe to assume that youre familiar with the wild and crazy space that is the web. And chances are good that at some point youve probably happened across one of the many websites produced by an auto manufacturer. And quite possibly, with most manufacturers huge marketing budgets, that website was big, flashy, and more than likely complex. So, it stands to reason that when JD Power and Associates conducted their inaugural Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study, the highest rated site belonged to one of the simplest manufacturers around: Kia.

Ranked on (in order of importance) information/content, ease of navigation, appearance, and the speed of page loading, the study found that while companies like Kia, Hyundai (who ranked second), and Mazda (who rounded out the top three) placed highest, luxury manufacturers such as Lexus (ranked twenty-third, or second to last) and Mercedes-Benz (twentieth)  ranked poorly thanks to exceedingly complex and slow websites filled with too much content.

According to Rohan Lobo, manager of automotive syndicated research at J.D. Power in the Toronto office, "Luxury sites tend to be more content heavy, which can affect the speed aspect of overall satisfaction," said Lobo. "The implication seems to be that content and functionality somewhat counterbalance each other. There is a fine line between the right amount of information and too much, which then imposes on ease of use, appearance and speed."

Conversely, those websites that ranked at the top of the list were found to contain quite a few common aspects, like easily accessible home pages and a reduced need for mouse clicks. Also, the study found there to be a significant difference between the level of satisfaction a given page provided by age; with those 35 and under rating sites better as a function of generally feeling more comfortable with the online shopping experience. Lastly, males generally rated sites lower than females, with only two of the 24 sites being rated higher by males.