J.D. Power and Associates Reports: For Automotive Manufacturer Websites, Striking the Right Balance Between Branding and Usability is Key to Satisfying Vehicle Shoppers

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 27, 2010; Auto manufacturer websites that focus primarily on brand image promotion and interesting design features rather than usability may be hindering vehicle shoppers in their search for information, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study(SM) (MWES) -- Wave 2 released today. The semi-annual study, now in its 11th year, finds that websites that maintain focus on usability, along with branding and design features, are the most successful in satisfying vehicle shoppers. For example, two high-performing sites, Honda and Kia, each focus on usability and allow shoppers to access information quickly and easily. As a result, both Honda and Kia perform well in each of the four measures examined in the study: speed, appearance, navigation and information/content. "The Honda and Kia websites are prime examples of particularly straightforward sites that focus on providing appropriate information to shoppers easily and quickly, which has been a crucial element in their strong MWES performances during the past 12 months," said Arianne Walker, director of marketing and media research at J.D. Power and Associates. In contrast, some of the lowest-ranking websites use an edgy, brand-centric design that put marketing goals ahead of meeting shopper needs. As a result, they perform particularly poorly in the appearance measure. Certain design elements on these sites hinder speed, ease of navigation and user access to information and content. For example, some websites feature links to streaming music and options for selecting the website background scheme, which distract users from vehicle shopping. Other websites deviate from traditional pull-down menus in an effort to incorporate brand logos into the site design, which forces shoppers to learn an entirely new navigation scheme. "Sites can miss the mark when traditional navigation is ignored for the sake of including interesting design features," said Walker. "Shoppers expect sites to function a certain way based on their experiences with other websites. Failing to follow navigation conventions often makes it difficult for website shoppers to find the information they seek." Other sites manage to achieve a more equitable balance between incorporating unique design elements and usability. For example, the MINI website uses a branding-oriented design scheme and non-traditional visual elements and images. However, this is balanced by the use of traditional navigation menus throughout the website. "The desire to provide a sense of the brand and personalities for the vehicle models depicted on the website can and should be considered when establishing a web presence," said Walker. "However, achieving success in this area is highly dependent upon balancing strong visual branding with intuitive usability." Honda ranks highest among automotive manufacturer websites for usefulness in new-vehicle shopping with an index score of 871 on a 1,000-point scale. Following Honda in the rankings are Kia (868), Mazda (866), Acura (860), and Infiniti (860). The 2010 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study -- Wave 2 is based on evaluations from more than 10,621 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded in May 2010. Source : http://www.theautochannel.com    (7/27/2010)