The 10-Second Version (AI Summary)
What happened: A Bain & Co. survey of 12,000+ car buyers in 11 countries found 90% still complete their purchase at a dealership.
Why it matters: Buyers do more research online and through AI before they visit, so many arrive further along in their decision.
What to do: Make “buyer” your team’s default for every new face, and keep price transparent without making it the whole conversation.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by the ASOTU team.
Has your team made the shift from treating the people who walk in as shoppers to treating them as buyers? More than six in 10 car buyers now start their journey online, and a growing number start in ChatGPT, so most new faces on the lot have done much of their shopping before they grabbed their keys. Bain & Co.’s new Global Automotive Consumer Survey, which we broke down on today’s episode of ASOTU, shows how far that shift has gone and why the showroom still closes the deal.
Nine in 10 car buyers worldwide still complete their purchase at a dealership.
Bain surveyed more than 12,000 car buyers across 11 countries, including the U.S., Canada, China, India and Japan. More than 80% now mix online and offline channels, and more than six in 10 start the process online. Even so, nine in 10 finish their purchase offline. More than half of buyers in the U.S., Europe and China interact with a dealer at least twice along the way.
The digital journey keeps getting longer, and it still ends in the showroom.
How do U.S. car buyers compare with buyers in Europe and China?
Chart courtesy of Global Automotive Consumer Survey by Bain & Co.
U.S. | Europe | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
Top purchase factor | Price (68%) | Price (62%) | Tech and features (58%) |
AI use in car shopping | 55% of younger buyers | 61% of younger buyers | Close to 80% across age groups |
Would consider Level 3 autonomy | 40% | 47% | 84% |
In the U.S., Europe and Japan, younger buyers use AI to shop at more than twice the rate of older buyers. Level 3 means the car drives itself under certain conditions, and the driver takes over when prompted. Brand loyalty is slipping overall, though U.S. buyers remain the most committed to established automakers.
“Technology is now part of the reason customers choose one manufacturer over another.” Klaus Stricker, Bain & Co.
What should dealers do with Bain’s findings?
Start by putting the data to work. If you use AI agents to drive your marketing and customer communications, point them at this survey so they understand how buyer behavior is shifting. These are global numbers rather than a read on your market, but trends that move globally eventually show up locally.
Then rethink the price conversation. Price is still the top consideration for U.S. buyers, so be transparent about it. Just don’t let it become the only thing you talk about. Moving customers toward product- and value-based decisions sets up the relationship you actually want.
The further a customer gets from price as the deciding factor, the easier it becomes to build lifetime value.
That’s why “buyer” should be your team’s default when a new face walks in. Someone who has done the research needs confirmation, answers and a smooth path to delivery. Treat them like a first-time browser and they may walk right back out.
Hear the full breakdown on today’s episode. We dig into how dealers are putting AI to work every week in AutoIndustry.ai.
