The 2024 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) Study, which assessed responses to online customer leads at 3,957 dealerships, highlighted Infiniti as among the top performers in engaging with potential customers.
Pied Piper conducted mystery shopper inquiries on the websites of 3,957 dealerships, asking specific questions about vehicle inventory.
An ILE evaluation yields a score between 0 and 100 by combining more than 20 different measurements. 34% of car dealerships received scores above 80 in this year’s research, while 21% received below 40.
After improving their scores by more than six points since the previous year’s survey, Dodge, Genesis, Honda, Kia, and Infiniti were the brands with the biggest gains. Seven brands saw a drop in performance: Fiat, Rivian, Hyundai, Jaguar, Cadillac, and Acura. The industry average performance score rose four points to 62, the highest recorded over the previous 14 years.
Different car brands and dealerships have varied response rates to customer web inquiries. Polestar, Infiniti, and Porsche dealerships are the most responsive to emails, while Tesla, Buick, and Lucid are less so. Regarding texting and phone responses, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Alpha Romeo, Jeep, Nissan, and Ram are the most responsive, while Tesla, Polestar, Fiat, Lucid, and Rivian are not. Infiniti, Volkswagen, and Volvo have the highest percentage of comprehensive follow-ups, while Mitsubishi, Fiat, Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian have the lowest.
Fran O’Hagan, Pied Piper’s CEO, states, “Car dealers are facing more challenges in the business environment in 2024, and many have responded by improving their interaction with online customers.” Pied Piper has discovered that revealing to dealers what their website visitors are experiencing— frequently unexpected—is the key to improving website reaction and increasing sales.
Since 2011, yearly Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) studies have been carried out. To gather data for the 2024 Pied Piper PSI ILE vehicle Industry Study, a sample of 3,957 dealerships nationwide—representing all major vehicle brands—were contacted directly through personal online inquiries between October 2023 and January 2024.
