It’s time to get serious about mobile marketing. A growing tide of research reveals what digital dealers may already know: Tech-savvy shoppers using smartphones are low-funnel sales opportunities who are searching “on the go” and are ready to buy (and soon).

I wrote this thought leadership piece for a national automotive dealer magazine to be useful to GMs and Internet managers who see the mobile revolution unfolding before their eyes, urging them to update and optimize their websites and online marketing campaigns to take advantage of this accelerating trend.

The most relevant findings from the xAd-Telmetrics Mobile Path to Purchase Study include:

• Nearly 50% of smartphone users purchase a car or truck within 24 hours of conducting Web searches with purchase intent. (Within this group, more than a third (36%) convert “within an hour.")

• Nearly one-third of all Web queries using automotive keywords with purchase intent now come from tablets and smartphones.

• 66% of smartphone users search on the go, with 42% searching in their car. 49% search for auto dealers within local driving distance.

• Mobile auto buyers use a Web browser to conduct searches over dedicated apps 92% of the time.

• Tablet users spend more time researching dealer reviews and special offers from home.

• Fresh projections show that mobile Internet use will surpass traditional desktop use, while more than 25% of Internet users in the U.S. say they are “mobile-only” and rarely go online via laptop or desktop computers.

Let’s add one more fresh data point to the mix: Google’s Compete-Polk study shows that local dealer websites are now the top source of research data for local buyers, surpassing OEM websites for the first time.

Useful tactic (via Dealer Communications magazine):
Mobile Marketing Strategy