Our Customers - Getting to know you

If you were born between the late 70s...maybe into the early 80s...you are a member of a powerful consumer category known as Generation Y, aka, Millennial Generation, a demographic  chronologically following Generation X.   Experts in the field suggest Gen Y having birth dates roughly around the late 70s...possibly early 80s to the early 2000s.   While we have a better definition of Gen X in terms of age, as they were born between the early 60s through the early 80s.  BTW, Gen X was preceeded by the "baby boomers".  

The dates for the 'Millennials' is not that well defined.

It's believed that Gen Y has an evolved method of shopping.  This process is influenced as much by the 'shopping experience' as it is by the product itself.  While it's wise to be neutral in many situations, Gen Y expects more.  Earlier models for the prioritization of their buying motivations,

 

Historically we've focused on the following buyer motivations:

 

• Quality and Durability
• Safety and Security
• Performance and Engineering
• Comfort and Convenience

These still stand as a reliable framework for adapting a presentation to the customer's, Gen Y customer's, needs.  As it turns out...Gen Y, Millennials have their own framework based upon a new level of research that they carry out before they visit the showroom.

Before making a purchase, Gen Y conducts research—a lot of it:

• 86% use search engines
• 87% visit the auto manufacturer's website before visiting a dealership
• 88% visit vehicle-reference sites to compare features and prices before making a purchase

By the way these stats hold for all demographics these days.  The big difference with the Millenials is that the actual experience, that begins with the first contact with the dealership...carries much more weight with them.

Interesting concept, i.e., a great 'experience' may have just as much, maybe more influence over the buying decision than the pure feature, function, benefit orientation of generations of the past.