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Where Enthusiasts Go For Automotive Info A survey conducted in April 2010 by Fast Lane Research finds that automotive enthusiasts are still inclined
to use automotive magazines as a major source of information. Some of the magazines they turn to may be digital rather than
paper, but magazines are still selected by more enthusiasts as an information source than any other source out there.
Forums come in second and manufacturers’ websites come in third in enthusiasts’ quest for knowledge, while catalogues and car shows rounded out the top five. It is interesting that 3 of the top 5 information sources cited by enthusiasts are traditional rather than high tech. Granted the magazines and catalogs may be digital, but the point is they are old school approaches to supplying information to industry consumers. It is also apparent that automotive enthusiasts are interested in what the manufacturers have to say. Notice that 66% of enthusiasts look to manufacturers’ websites and 33% turn to catalogs. In both cases the information comes from the folks who produce the products that are used to modify vehicles. The percentages in the following table will not add up to 100%, because we asked enthusiasts to tell
us all the sources they use. So 90% of those who responded in our study use automotive magazines as a source
of information about vehicles, custom parts and accessories.
Automotive Magazines 90% Automotive Forums 71% Internet - Manufacturer's Websites 66% Catalogues 53% Car / Truck Shows 42% Friends/Family 41% Internet - Retail Store Websites 38% Car club & club members 33% Custom Shops / Installers 32% Internet - Auction Websites (i.e. eBay...) 29% Chain Auto Parts Stores 26% Independent Parts Stores 21% Vehicle Dealership 20% Internet - Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. 14% Newspaper Classifieds 4% Retail Department Stores 2% Other, please specify 4% Interestingly, only 14% of enthusiasts use some of the better known social media forms in their search for automotive information. |
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