Two-thirds of women feel uncomfortable shopping for a used car in-store alone, a new survey has found.
Used car retailer CarShop quizzed 1,500 people and discovered many women feel apprehensive about the used car buying experience and, as a result, don’t feel comfortable shopping for a used car alone.
When asked about their preferred way of buying a car, 24 per cent of male respondents said they would usually go in-store by themselves – and only 11 per cent of women said the same.
In fact, the survey revealed that women are six times more likely to shop in-store with another person, than to shop alone.
When asked how comfortable they would feel shopping in-store for a used car alone, less than one third (32 per cent) of women opted for ‘very’, compared to 57 per cent of men.
At the other end of the spectrum, nearly four times as many female respondents said they would feel ‘not at all comfortable’ shopping in-store alone, compared to men.
When asked what they would be most apprehensive about when buying a used car, nearly 10 per cent more men than women chose ‘paying more than the car is worth’.
But a higher percentage of women answered that they would feel most apprehensive about ‘being talked into buying a car or extras I didn’t want’ and ‘nervousness around going into an unfamiliar environment’.
Six times as many women than men answered that they would feel most apprehensive about ‘the assumption that they did not know’ about cars.
What the survey findings show us – and to other car dealerships listening – is that there is a real need to change even further
CarShop also asked respondents what the best thing about the car buying experience is.
For both men and women, the most popular option was ‘having a car that better suits my needs’, but a higher proportion of women chose the experience ‘being easy, comfortable, and enjoyable’, compared to men.
CarShop said this could imply that women place more value on the feeling of the experience than men, who – as the following findings will reveal – place more value the outcome of the sale.
Natasha Holland, CarShop’s head of marketing, said: ‘As a brand, we’ve always tried to make the car buying experience as enjoyable as possible for all our customers and we understand that for some people – including many women – buying a used car can be daunting.
‘What the survey findings show us – and to other car dealerships listening – is that there is a real need to change even further.
‘Adding an online offering, as CarShop has already done, is a brilliant way of servicing customers that simply prefer to buy online but this is not a “clap your hands, job done” moment.’
Holland added: ‘Intimidating showrooms, barky salesmen and awkward haggling over prices are a thing of the past – our prices are fixed so there’s definitely no hard sell.
‘The car buying experience is transforming fast and we are determined to be at the forefront of taking any pressure or worry out of the car buying experience.
‘We’re also making a huge effort to bring in specific training schemes and opportunities on the subject as well as recruit more female colleagues across a range of different departments and levels – from our on-the-ground sales and technical teams, to our head of business roles and leadership board.’
CarShop name to be rolled out globally as Penske Automotive looks to double its used car dealerships
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