ALPHARETTA, GA. – Contact At Once!, the leading chat provider to the automotive industry, today named the top 15 fuel efficient vehicles chatted about across its Dealer Chat Network. The list order is based upon the number of times a specific vehicle was mentioned by car shoppers as they conducted online chats with car dealers across America from May 2011 through September 2011.
The Contact At Once! Dealer Chat Network is comprised of major listing sites like AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, CarsDirect.com, CarSoup.com and EveryCarListed.com, as well as over 9,000 car dealers across the United States. As shoppers search for vehicles on the websites of these dealers and listing services in the network, a “Chat Now” icon displays allowing shoppers the opportunity to anonymously ask questions about vehicles with sales people in real-time.
“People prefer text-based communications,” said Contact At Once! Founder and Executive Vice President, Marc Hayes. Referencing a 2010 Nielson study which showed that text message eclipsed phone calls by 35%. “That number highlights the preference, but there is also a growing desire of the shopper to feel a sense of control over the car-buying experience, and to shield themselves from high-pressure sales tactics. Buying a car is a tremendous financial commitment for most Americans, so online chat is a very appealing option for those seeking immediate information while maintaining their privacy.”
Car dealers are also benefitting from adding online dealer chat to their sales and marketing mix. “Group-wide, out of the 4,800+ cars our internet department sold last year, 10-12% came as a direct result of Contact At Once! chat,” notes Wayne Ussery Director, Information Technology and Manager of Atlanta’s Jim Ellis Dealership Group.
As the economy has tightened and fuel prices continue to rise, Americans are naturally motivated to save money at the fuel pump. Fuel efficient vehicles, as defined by the US Department of Energy’s website www.FuelEconomy.com, are gaining in popularity as a result.
The Top 15 Most Talked About Fuel Efficient Vehicles
#1 Toyota Prius
#2 Lexus CT 200h
#3 Chevrolet Volt
#4 Honda CR-Z
#5 Nissan Leaf
#6 Toyota Camry Hybrid
#7 Ford Escape Hybrid
#8 Honda Civic Hybrid
#9 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
#10 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
#11 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
#12 Ford Fusion Hybrid
#13 Lexus HS 250h
#14 Nissan Altima Hybrid
#15 Kia Optima Hybrid
To learn more about Auto Dealer Chat from Contact At Once!, visit us online at www.AutoDealerChat.com or review our blog at www.DealerChatBlog.com.
About Contact At Once!
Contact At Once! is the leading automotive chat software provider and operator of the industry’s only dealer chat network connecting more than 9,000 auto dealers with the websites car shoppers visit most often. Adding Contact At Once! dealer chat software to a website typically increases a dealership’s sales conversations by at least 25%. Named to the Inc. 500 as one of America’s fastest growing businesses in August of 2011, Contact At Once! is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about the company’s auto dealer chat product, please visit: www.autodealerchat.com.
