Autotrader, a Cox Automotive brand, has uncovered a major flaw in how dealerships track vehicle sales. According to a white paper using Clarivoy data, only 8% of 875,000 automotive sales were attributed to a CRM lead. That means 92% of buyers never submitted a lead form but still purchased a vehicle. Many dealers still rely on last-touch attribution, which credits only the final marketing channel, often missing the numerous interactions buyers engage in along the way.
Here’s why it matters:
Dealers are missing sales opportunities and wasting advertising budgets by tracking only a small portion of the buyer journey. Without recognizing the impact of early touchpoints, especially from third-party marketplaces, dealers undervalue key digital channels. Multi-touch attribution provides dealers with a clearer view of customer behavior, enabling them to reallocate marketing dollars, enhance lead quality. and close more deals. Embracing this model helps stores compete in a market where buyers engage with multiple platforms over months before making a decision.
Key takeaways:
- Dealers fail to track most vehicle sales
Clarivoy data shows 92% of marketplace-assisted vehicle sales weren’t recorded in CRMs because customers never submitted a lead. - Buyers rely heavily on marketplaces—not dealer websites
Nearly half of all shoppers (48%) start their search on third-party marketplaces, compared to just 14% on dealer websites. - Most dealerships only capture a sliver of the whole journey
The average car buyer engages with 62 touchpoints, but dealers typically track just two, capturing only 3.5% of the journey. - Multi-touch attribution reveals hidden impact
When dealerships used multi-touch tracking, Autotrader was credited with influencing 55% of vehicle sales, more than 2.5 times the number credited under last-touch methods. - Smarter attribution boosts profitability
Dealers who adopt multi-touch attribution can shift focus from chasing leads to measuring real engagement, helping them close more sales and improve return on ad spend.
