PARENTS SHUN CAR DEALERSHIPS AND CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS IN FAVOUR OF REAL-LIFE RECOMMENDATIONS
Published by Gerald Ferreira Date: July 26, 2012
Categories: General News
Mumsnet and What Car? have joined forces to launch Mumsnet Cars, a brand new car reviews section of Mumsnet which offers user-generated reviews as well as expert advice.
The site contains straight talking reviews written by Mumsnet users, answering all the real questions that parents often have about cars: “Will it fit three car seats?” “Is it easy to maintain?” “How much should I be paying for this?” “Can I fit in my entire family and still have legroom?” along with expert insight from What Car?.
Mumsnet Cars (
) has been created to fill a gap in the market for clear, family friendly advice for car buying parents. The site is a one-stop shop for parents researching the purchase of their next family car, including a tool which will calculate the value of your used car, and advice on buying, selling and running a car.
In a survey of car owners conducted on the Mumsnet website to coincide with the launch of the site, Mumsnet users were presented with a list of celebrities whose influence might persuade them to buy a car. Despite the list ranging from Kylie to Clarkson to Cameron*, nearly half of respondents (48%) said that they would not trust any celebrity recommendation. In contrast, over three quarters (77%) say that a recommendation from a friend or a relation would be influential.
The survey also found that:
- Nearly half (46%) felt that car dealership sales people are not honest, and only 25% felt that the advice given at car dealerships is reliable
- 77% find car ads unmemorable, complaining that they all seem the same
- 67% would be influenced by reading a recommendation or positive review in a car magazine or online from other users
- 53% say that both they and their partner are equally responsible for the researching, planning and the car buying decision for the family car
- 89% of parents responding to the survey agreed that their choice of car has changed as their family has changed
Justine Roberts, CEO and Co-Founder of Mumsnet, said:
"When it comes to buying cars, we know that priorities change once people start a family and that parents are looking for safe, economical and practical cars without the hard sell. 80% of our users seek advice or read reviews on Mumsnet when they are planning to buy a child-related product, and judging from the number of car discussions on the site there’s a clear need for similar advice when it comes to cars. ”