New research commissioned by Marketing Delivery indicates that most UK car buyers still expect an in-person step before purchase, reinforcing the continued importance of physical showrooms within an omnichannel retail journey.
Key findings
- 56% of 1,000 UK car owners disagreed that they would prefer to avoid a showroom entirely on their next vehicle purchase.
- Only 7% said they would prefer not to visit a showroom at all, implying digital-only purchasing remains a niche preference.
- The prompt’s wording (“prefer not to visit a showroom at all”) sets a high bar for digital-only intent; disagreement signals desire for at least one in-person step.
Generational differences
- 72% of respondents aged 66–75 preferred to visit a showroom before buying.
- 42% of respondents aged 26–35 preferred to visit, highlighting a roughly 30-point gap in attitudes toward in-person steps.
What this means for retailers
- Prioritize a seamless bridge between online research and in-store experiences, including scheduling, test drives, and financing discussions.
- Segment by age: emphasize in-person support and expertise for older buyers; expand digital self-serve tools and faster online-to-store transitions for younger buyers.
- Use automated, data-driven tools to deliver timely, personalized communications and reduce friction at handoff points.
Context and industry moves
Dealers are refining omnichannel operations to connect web interactions with showroom steps through lead management, messaging, and inventory visibility tools. According to the article, Marketing Delivery was acquired by TekCor4, with plans to integrate TekCor4’s insight platform with Marketing Delivery’s AI-powered engagement platform to support analytics-driven campaigns and loyalty initiatives.
Caveats
- No disclosed fieldwork dates, methodology, weighting, or margin of error; results should be viewed as an attitude snapshot rather than definitive behavioral evidence.
- Only headline response shares were reported (56% disagreeing with avoiding showrooms; 7% agreeing), with no detailed breakdown of neutral responses.
Bottom line
The majority of UK car buyers still expect at least one showroom interaction, even as digital research grows. Retailers should invest in connected journeys that let customers move effortlessly from online exploration to in-person validation and purchase.
