Words matter when buying a car: “Bigger” not big with women, “Luxury” scores for many

New research released by CDK Global, provider digital marketing solutions to the automotive retail and adjacent industries, reveals that all potential car buyers are not alike when it comes to language that entices them. In fact, according to the fourth edition of the company’s Language of Closers series, different buyers respond better or worse to completely different words when deciding which car to buy.

When reading car descriptions on review websites, certain words fell flat and failed to lead prospective buyers to a dealership site. For example, the word “bigger” fell flat with women. And all of those glowing descriptions that praise a car’s innovative “design?” Generation-X consumers don’t want to hear it, as “performance” resonated much more than “design” to this particular group. Meanwhile, most parents in 2017 felt that both “sound” and “tech” were low priorities, and often responded negatively to reviews including those words.

Buyers Words without Remorse

In the results, several words resonated strongly across multiple demographics, signaling a common thread among potential buyers. Mentioning “power” struck a chord with several groups, as it helps to describe the experience of driving the vehicle in a relatable way. “Luxury” also stood out to several demographics in vehicle descriptions that referred directly to luxury vehicles, as well as those that simply had luxury-like features or a luxurious feel.

“Customer needs are always changing, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Jason Kessler, lead data scientist at CDK Global. “The needs of those graduating college are going to be much different than those of new parents. Our latest research examined the words that would eventually lead buyers of different demographics to leave a review website and head to a dealership site. In our most recent analysis, we were able to pinpoint specific words that shed valuable light on what vehicle traits matter most to women, Generation-X consumers, recent college graduates, and parents.”

“As a leading provider of websites and digital advertising for dealers and OEMs, we are always looking for the best ways to help our customers bring the right buyers into their dealership. By making subtle changes to the language used on vehicle description pages, dealers can help customers easily identify cars that they both connect with and fit their lifestyle needs,” Kessler said. “Ultimately, these changes will prime both dealers and customers for success.”