Mark Squires, Chairman of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), will be presenting the latest results of the NFDA Consumer Attitude Survey at a conference in Milton Keynes today.
The Consumer Attitude Survey was commissioned by the NFDA and executed by Public Knowledge, an independent market research agency, to explore consumers' perceptions towards franchised dealers in the car servicing industry.
The five major objectives of the survey are to:
- Explore current market perceptions of franchised dealerships and their competitors
- Understand current consumer aftersales behaviour
- Examine factors influencing consumer aftersales decision making
- Determine consumer opinions of the aftersales offering at franchised dealerships
- Assess awareness and understanding of the franchised dealership aftersales offering
The survey is commissioned twice yearly to monitor general trends and analyse how consumers' perceptions change. For instance, the first issue of the Consumer Attitude Survey showed in March that 49% of respondents viewed franchised dealers as 'convenient' or 'very convenient' against 70% who thought independent garages are.
However, the latest results of the survey, which were revealed in October, showed that the percentage of consumers who consider franchised dealers as 'very convenient' has grown by 2 percentage points, whilst independent garages have dropped by 7 points.
Mark Squires continues, "The Consumer Attitude Survey provides dealers with an extremely useful insight into consumers' views across different areas of the aftersales sector. The survey shows what our strengths are, what should be improved and whether consumers' perceptions match the reality. Dealers are encouraged to look at the results and take them into consideration when formulating their market strategies."
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Rupal Rawal, Press Officer Tel: 020 7307 3412 Mob: 07528 977 157 Press Office direct line: 020 7307 3422 Press Office fax: 020 7307 3406 Web: www.rmif.co.uk Email: rupal.rawal@rmif.co.uk
The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.
