The FINANCIAL — Buyers of luxury vehicles have higher satisfaction than buyers of volume vehicles in all five measures, according to the J.D. Power 2019 Brazil Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM, published today. The greatest difference is seen in the areas of vehicle delivery process and interaction with the salesperson.
“We have noted changes in the importance of the five measures that contribute to the satisfaction index,” said Fabio Braga, Director of Brazil Operations at J.D. Power Brazil. “When this kind of shift occurs, one can be sure we’re on the verge of a change in the customer profile. In the 2019 study, aspects linked to working out the deal and the salesperson increased in relevance among customers.”
Customers not willing to wait more than a week: Satisfaction among buyers who received their vehicle between seven and eight days is 860 (on a 1,000-point scale). Following this period, satisfaction levels fall significantly, reaching 801 when exceeding 15 days. The study also shows that, on average, luxury vehicle buyers receive their vehicles nine days after the purchase. For volume brand buyers, delivery happens typically in 11 days.
Promises must be kept: Meeting car delivery deadlines is a primary factor has a strong effect on satisfaction, directly influencing customer loyalty to the brand. The study reveals that 91% of buyers received their cars on the agreed date. Among them, satisfaction was 864. However, 9% of buyers said the delivery was not on the promised date, resulting in a steep decline in satisfaction (682).
Implementing the process may guarantee the sale: The salesperson that follows every step of sales process has a better chance of securing a deal. For example, among the dealerships that closed the deal, 85% asked questions to learn exactly what the customer needed. Among shoppers that did not purchase, only 72% were asked the question. Another important measure is the test drive. In the selling dealership, 85% offered customers the chance to take a test drive, while only 63% of the rejected dealerships followed this procedure. Finally, 47% of the rejected dealerships tried to sell a vehicle the customer didn’t want. Among the selling dealerships, only 29% adopted this process.
Customers have sought third-parties sources to determine trade-in value: More than two-thirds (68%) of buyers purchased a vehicle that replaced another vehicle; 21% purchased an additional car; and 11% made their first-ever new-vehicle purchase. The study shows that 68% of buyers traded in their replaced vehicle in purchase process, while 53% used a third-party resource to determine how much trade-in value was worth.
Hyundai-Caoa ranks highest among volume brands with a score of 871. Honda and Peugeot rank second in a tie with 859. Chevrolet ranks fourth with 858.
BMW ranks highest among luxury brands with a record score of 883. Mercedes-Benz (879) ranks second.
The Brazil Sales Satisfaction Index Study, now in its seventh year, promotes an encompassing analysis of the new car sales experience and looks at customer satisfaction based on five measures (listed in order of importance): working out the deal (24%); delivery process (22%); salesperson (20%); dealership facilities (18%) and test drive (16%).
The study is based on the survey responses of 4,630 new-vehicle owners in Brazil within 1-12 months of the purchase. The study was fielded from November 2018 through February 2019.
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