ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., April 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foresight Research, an expert in auto show marketing, reported that the Cleveland Auto Show drew decidedly upscale visitors, with almost two times the incidence of incomes over $100,000 than is found in the population. College education was also high, with two-thirds of the auto show visitors holding a Bachelor's degree or more, versus the population at just over a quarter.
"There are a lot of really strong shopping indications for the Cleveland Auto Show," said Steve Bruyn, CEO of Foresight. "The first thing we do is to ask them why they are there, and these auto show visitors were not just browsing…70 percent of them said they were at the show to shop for a new car or truck. We have other ways to determine whether auto show visitors are shopping and one of those is when they plan to buy their next car. Over 55% plan to buy a car in the next year versus the population at 31%. Fourteen percent intend to buy a car within the next three months, almost three times higher than those intending in the general population."
Another shopping indicator is what messages influenced them and what they look for in a display. Over two-thirds of the Cleveland Auto Show visitors said that they were influenced by 'great opportunity to compare vehicles and shop before going to a dealer.' About eight of ten visitors gave top ratings to shopping related display elements like "full selection to choose from," "ability to access/sit in the vehicle," and "having specific vehicle I am interested in."
Almost one-third of Cleveland auto show visitors participated in ride & drives at the show, with Camp Jeep drawing the most riders and drivers. "We see ride & drives as a powerful way for people to sample new cars, and they had a lot of opportunity to do that with 13 brands offering some sort of ride & drive opportunity," said Bruyn.
About Foresight Research – www.foresightresearch.com
Foresight Research specializes in syndicated and custom studies focusing on the key influencers of purchase decisions in automotive and marine industries. Since 2008, Foresight Research publishes several syndicated reports each year that provide information, strategies and best practices to help auto companies and their partners build, frame, and support marketing insights and actions.