Forrester Research: Forrester Retail Insights Automotive First Look: Research & Event Highlights From Forrester

 08 Oct. 2003
Little Lessons From Real Retailers
Want to know how Wal-Mart, Gap, Zara, and other regents of consumer retailing do it? My colleagues Christine Overby, Carrie Johnson, Kate Delhagen, and Chris Kelly can help. Here's some of the research that they've done that we gear heads can use:

Online Youth: It's All Talk
Shoppers Rank Wal-Mart, Target, And Kmart
Getting Inside The Heads Of Retail CIOs
Store-Specific Pricing Lifts Retail Profitability
The ROI Of Networking Specialty Stores


You Mean There's No Tooth Fairy?
As one STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail) insider told us recently, "You'd better believe in the tooth fairy . . ." if you think STAR is going to succeed in making dealer systems easier to integrate with.


Recycling: It's Good For The Can, Good For The Car.
Most consumers -- and even most auto-industry employees -- have no idea that as much as 75% of a vehicle is recycled when it reaches the end of its life. In fact, cars are among the most recycled products in the world -- far more than soda cans and office paper.


The New Value Life Cycle Of Autos
The New Value Life Cycle Of Autos

Search
Search Forrester's Web site.

 

Automakers' multimillion-dollar Web sites have been the sexy, high-glam star of auto retail. So it felt a bit risky way back in 2002, when Forrester predicted that DMSs -- auto retail's frumpy, dowdy supporting actress -- would "steal the strategic limelight from automotive Web sites." But that¿s exactly what's happening:

  • At least six North American dealer groups are investing millions to upgrade to a single DMS (or considering it).
  • European automakers are weighing how DMS integration could slow defections to multibrand dealerships (R&R Global).
  • Every OEM is prying financing and repair data from dealer systems to comply with US Sarbanes-Oxley and TREAD legislation.


    		•

    Auto sites lag other industries' sites One reason that dealer technology is stealing the limelight from Web sites is because Web sites are being booed off stage. In a recent cross-industry study of Web site usability by my colleague Harley Manning, automotive finished dead last. It's heartbreaking when you consider that consumers research their car purchases online more than any other product save PCs and that Web sites are more important to carbuyers than any other information source except the venerable Consumer Reports.

    All of a sudden, auto retail is back in strategic vogue. Last time this happened, in 1999, carmakers and dealers nearly killed each other in a battle for control of the consumer. After a four-year break, the issue is heating up again, and we believe that OEM-dealer systems integration will be the No. 1 issue in automotive technology for the next 24 months.

    Want to join us in the front-row seats as auto retail technology takes center stage? Send me an email at markbunger@forrester.com.


    Research Referenced In This Issue
    If you printed this email, get links to the research featured in this week's issue by going to www.forrester.com/go and entering the five-digit number of the report you'd like to read.

    Connecting Dealership Computing (14901)
    Getting Inside The Heads Of Retail CIOs (16766)
    OEMs Gain SPM Traction With TREAD Compliance (16881)
    Online Youth: It's All Talk (32831)
    Recycling Recovers Auto Profits (17075)
    Shoppers Rank Wal-Mart, Target, And Kmart (17213)
    Store-Specific Pricing Lifts Retail Profitability (16876)
    The Best And Worst Of Site Design, 2003 (17189)
    The ROI Of Networking Specialty Stores (16095)
    Web Services Jump-Start Automotive CRM (14793)

    EMAIL: Email this issue to a colleague.

    PRINT: View a printer-friendly version of this issue.

    VIEW ARCHIVE: View past issues of First Look.

    TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Call the Client Resource Center
    1 866/FORRESTER (1 866/367-7378) or +1 617/613-5730

    UNSUBSCRIBE: We hope you like First Look. But if you want to unsubscribe, please go to our email subscriptions page.


    Entire contents © 1997-2003, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Forrester, Forrester Oval Program, Forrester Wave, WholeView, Technographics, TechStrategy, and TechRankings are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Forrester clients may make one attributed copy or slide of each figure contained herein. Additional reproduction is strictly prohibited. For additional reproduction rights and usage information, go to www.forrester.com. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change.