Bazaarvoice, the market and technology leader in hosted social commerce applications that drive sales, today announced that Cars.com, the leading destination for online car shoppers, is successfully using Bazaarvoice Ratings & Reviews to better engage visitors and convert more of them into qualified sales leads with a strong “intention to buy” from the dealers and private sellers who advertise on the site. Overall, seller contacts increased 16% for visits that included review content as compared to customer visits that did not include ratings and reviews. Visitors that read reviews were also twice as likely to click through to a map of a local car dealership, indicating they were likely to plan a dealer visit.
Cars.com also found that, for visits that included interaction with customer reviews, 45% more visitors sought information on financing options by clicking on the Finance and Loan calculator, compared to visits that did not include reviews – additional evidence of “intent to buy” among the group of visitors who consulted reviews.
“Cars.com puts car buyers in control of the shopping process with the information they need to make the best car-buying choices, so it was a natural decision to add consumer-generated ratings and reviews to the site,” said Bill Swislow, senior vice president for product of Cars.com. “By allowing our visitors to share their credible opinions with each other, they have more information at their disposal and can make the most confident and informed purchase decisions – so it’s no surprise visitors who read reviews are more likely to visit a dealership or make a car purchase.”
Cars.com offers credible and easy-to-understand information to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy, and how much to pay for a car. Since Cars.com does not sell cars directly, but instead offers vehicle advertising to dealers and private sellers across the country, the company implemented Bazaarvoice Ratings & Reviews to positively impact their site visitors’ “intent to buy”, which is measured via contacts made with dealers and other “ready-to-purchase” activity metrics.
“Internet Retailer just released a study that shows that ratings and reviews are the top spending priority for retailers this year – because retailers recognize that rating and reviews drive sales,” said Brett Hurt, founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice. “This new data from Cars.com shows that rating and reviews are just as important in other vertical markets. Companies that don’t directly sell products can greatly benefit from integrating the voice of the customer into their websites to increase the ‘intent to buy’ of their site visitors and drive more qualified leads directly into the sales channel.”
About Cars.com
Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy, and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).
About Bazaarvoice
Bazaarvoice offers outsourced technology, services, analytics, and expertise to help companies enhance the online shopping experience with social commerce applications that drive sales. Bazaarvoice Ratings & Reviews™, Ask & Answer™, and Stories™ deliver immediate success by minimizing implementation risk and maximizing the strategic impact of user-generated content through complete customization, deep integration, community management, advanced analytics, search engine optimization, and syndication across the Web and to offline channels.
Bazaarvoice's recent awards include the 2008 ClickZ Marketing Excellence Award for Best Social Media Marketing Platform and the Austin Business Journal's 2007 Tech Innovator Award. Bazaarvoice currently serves over 270 eCommerce leaders including Borders, Dell, Macy’s, Office Depot, Overstock.com, PETCO, P&G, QVC, Sears, and ZipRealty. The company has headquarters in Austin, TX, and offices in London, Paris, and Singapore. For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.bazaarvoice.com, read the blog at www.bazaarblog.com, or email info@bazaarvoice.com.
Contacts:
Renee Newby, 757-651-6554
renee@bradypr.com
