--- generated_by: surveylegend-page-markdown title: How to Survey Customers in Their Car Buying Journey description: Every car buyer goes through a car buying journey. Here's what that entails and how car dealerships can use car buying surveys to help. canonical: https://www.surveylegend.com/shopping/car-buying-journey/ --- # How to Survey Customers Throughout Their Car Buying Journey [Create your car-buying experience survey, it’s free!](https://www.surveylegend.com/register/) 6 min read **Published: ** July 22, 2022 **Updated: ** April 2, 2025 ![Car Buying Journey](https://www.surveylegend.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Car-Buyer-Journey-Main.png) Share this article [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F)[LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F)[X ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F\&text=How%20to%20Survey%20Customers%20Throughout%20Their%20Car%20Buying%20Journey)[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F\&title=How%20to%20Survey%20Customers%20Throughout%20Their%20Car%20Buying%20Journey) Category: [Customer Experience](https://www.surveylegend.com/category/customer-experience/) Share: [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F)[LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F)[X ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F\&text=How%20to%20Survey%20Customers%20Throughout%20Their%20Car%20Buying%20Journey)[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveylegend.com%2Fshopping%2Fcar-buying-journey%2F\&title=How%20to%20Survey%20Customers%20Throughout%20Their%20Car%20Buying%20Journey) AI: - 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We love our cars (and trucks, SUVs, and so on). According to Statista, approximately 75 million new [cars are sold each year](https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/us-auto-sales-statistics/) worldwide, with the United States accounting for about 17 million car sales. Because the purchase of a new car can be a big expense, dealers and sellers want to be sure they’re providing good customer service. To do that, it helps to understand the car buying journey. ## What is the Car Buying Journey? The latest [Cox Automotive Buyer Journey Study](https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights/2021-car-buyer-journey-study/) reveals that most consumers are happy with their car buying experience. The report notes that most frustrations were due to a lack of inventory and high prices. However, 75% of vehicle buyers in 2021 noted they were highly satisfied with the dealership experience. So what is the car buying journey, exactly – and how does a customer car buying survey work? Car shoppers go through a number of stages in the buyer cycle called the “Car Buying Journey.” This leads to making the final purchase. Car buying has changed over the years, however, with the advent of the internet; according to Google, a car shopper can have about 900+ digital interactions between the research and the final purchase. This means that car dealerships need to ensure they are using every digital touchpoint to attract and influence buyers. **Understand the journey from the driver's seat.** Ask customers about their priorities and experiences at each stage of buying a car. Create your own car buyer feedback survey with SurveyLegend and start for free. ### Stage 1: Awareness A lot of consumers are unsure of what they’re looking for – and many new car buyers just need a new ride. So, they go online to find something that fits within their budget and meets their needs (safety features, technology, mileage, and so on). Approximately 95% of car shoppers use the internet to first gather information. During their research, they will look at various makes and models in different budget brackets. They may also look at the following: - Blogs - Videos - Comparison sites - E-books - Social media posts This shows that it’s important for dealerships to provide online information that can help potential customers navigate through the car buying journey. Offering detailed information regarding vehicles they may be interested in is also important to help them make an informed decision. Understanding the importance of online vehicle research, many dealerships now offer 360-degree videos that put the shopper in the driver’s seat virtually. Check out some of these [virtual car tours](https://www.car360.ca/) here. A few tips for creating a good virtual test drive include: - Using high-quality and clean car images - Displaying multiple car angles for a better perspective - Using 360-degree interior and exterior spin videos for immersive experiences - Including a video of someone driving the vehicle ### Stage 2: Consideration Following their research, most car buyers will go further in determining the best deals and the options available. This is when they collect any and all information about the vehicles they may be considering. During this phase, car dealerships and car sellers can leverage digital media to position them for success and influence a customer’s buying decision.  However, at this stage, many customers have already decided to visit a dealership or seller offering the vehicle they’ve researched. They may have a lot of questions, and if they’ve done their research in stage one, they will be pretty knowledgeable. So, it goes without saying that salespeople should be just as current on vehicle prices, amenities, and offerings to not be caught off-guard. **Before your next decision, ask what matters.** Invite your audience to explain the needs and preferences behind their choices. Create your own car buyer feedback survey with SurveyLegend and get started for free. ### Stage 3: Decision  This is the last stage and when the car buying journey comes to an end. At this point, the buyer has decided on a vehicle and is ready to make a purchase. Of course, he or she may still be considering where and how to buy the car and more than half of the shoppers prefer to buy from a dealership that offers their [preferred experience](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-autotrader-study-consumers-want-big-changes-to-the-car-buying-process-300058257.html), even if the prices are higher. Also important to note is that buyers don’t want any kind of hassle or have to wait for hours at the dealership to complete the paperwork. In fact, more than [70% of buyers](https://efgintelligence.com/dealershipcorridor/preparing-market-changes/#respond) like to complete credit applications and financing paperwork online. So, it’s important to make the buying process stress-free and as simple as can be. We have a lot of content about improving your customer experiences here, plus [25 great customer experience resource](https://www.surveylegend.com/customer-insight/25-great-customer-experience-resources-for-marketers-including-surveys/)s. ## A Non-Linear Car Buying Journey The linear car buying journey probably makes a lot of sense. However, this approach to car retail may not be lasting (the pandemic, of course, has a role in this). To address this shift, car dealers and sellers need to break from their “sales funnel” mindset, stop hard selling and develop a culture that prioritizes customer experiences delivered by knowledgeable product experts.  Look no further than Apple. A consumer can have equally engaging product experiences whether interacting with online touchpoints or visiting an Apple store. A shopper can also be confident that, whether they wish to discover new Apple products, consider them, buy them, or access post-purchase support, they can do this online, in-person, or a blend of both, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be penalized for choosing one touchpoint over another. Check out this story on [Apple’s customer experience](https://www.selfstorage.coop/blog/benefits-of-a-customer-centric-approach-to-self-storage) and how it can be applied to any industry.  **A useful idea? Let your audience weigh in.** Ask which options would be useful and what people would change about them. Create your own car buyer feedback survey with SurveyLegend and get started for free. ## Surveying Customers Throughout the Car Buying Journey An important aspect of the car buying journey we have not discussed is the need to survey car buyers throughout their journey. This gives dealerships and car sellers more insight into how they’re performing and whether they’re meeting the needs and expectations of customers.  Car buying surveys can be conducted at any point in the car buying journey. For example: - Surveying customers directly on your website through [pop-up surveys](https://www.surveylegend.com/embedding-in-surveys/pop-up-surveys/) - Asking visitors to your dealership or business to complete a [kiosk survey](https://www.surveylegend.com/kiosk-survey/kiosk-surveys-with-pictures/) - Emailing follow-up surveys to buyers and non-buyers asking about the experience When developing a survey, we always recommend a visual survey. Surveys with photos are more engaging, leading to higher response rates and better data. Take a look at our blog on the [7 Benefits of Using Picture Survey](https://www.surveylegend.com/picture-survey/benefits-of-picture-survey-poll-with-pictures/) and then view a car buying survey example below. [![Car Buying Journey](https://www.surveylegend.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Car-Buyer-Journey-Main.png)](https://www.surveylegend.com/image-media/car-buying-journey-hero.avif) ## Conclusion Although we’ve identified the three steps of the car buying journey, all paths to purchase may not be linear. That’s why it’s important to survey customers throughout their car buying journey. You may ask them how useful they felt your website was, how helpful their salesperson was, and how happy they are with their purchase. To create great visual surveys, which allow you to brand them and even change the visual of the car, get started with SurveyLegend. With SurveyLegend, images can be resized at your discretion, complementing questions or answers, or creating beautiful backgrounds. Of course, you’re also not limited in the types of image polls and image-based surveys you can create! You can use imagery to create clickable image polls, multiple-choice selections, ranking surveys with emojis, and more. So, begin reeling in car buyers and more accurate data with our free survey maker. *Do you regularly use a car buying survey? Do you survey car buyers throughout their journey? We’d love to hear from you in the comments and we’d love to help you survey car buyers with our free online surveys.* ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is the car buying journey? The car buyer’s journey is the thought process a consumer goes through before making a purchase. The car buying journey can be more complicated compared to other purchases due to the expense involved. Why do people care about cars? For many people, a car is the most expensive thing that they own. For people that own their house, it’s the second most expensive thing that they own. Because of this, they put a lot of thought into vehicle purchases. Car buying experience surveys confirm the importance of vehicles to people. Why should car dealerships survey their customers? There’s a lot of competition for car buying today. Using a car buying experience survey, sellers can get a better understanding of the needs and wants of consumers, and discover areas of improvement. ![Jasko Mahmutovic](https://www.surveylegend.com/homepage-media/team/jasko-mahmutovic.avif) Written by ## [Jasko Mahmutovic](https://www.surveylegend.com/author/jasko-mahmutovic/) Online survey tool expert, founder and CEO of SurveyLegend Jasko Mahmutovic has worked in the online survey, form, and polling industry since 2008. In 2010, he founded SurveyLegend with a simple goal: collecting valuable insights from customers, employees, and audiences should never be complicated or boring. He stays closely connected to developments in the market research industry and continues to innovate and advance the online survey industry—now by exploring how AI can make collecting and understanding feedback smarter, faster, and more engaging. [View author profile](https://www.surveylegend.com/author/jasko-mahmutovic/) View author profile [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaskomahmutovic/) The verified LinkedIn profile of Jasko Mahmutovic, founder and CEO of SurveyLegend. Visit Jaskos LinkedIn profile to connect. [Website](https://jaskomahmutovic.com/) Jasko Mahmutovic’s personal webpage, where you can learn how Jasko founded SurveyLegend the best online survey platform and how his journey in Software as a Service (SaaS) started. 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