The study by ShareThis analyzed online social patterns among 13 million users and identified a strong correlation between automotive sharing and purchasing activity, notably among consumers aged 36 to 55. It found that users in-market for vehicles are significantly more likely to share about brands and that ownership of a vehicle greatly enhances advocacy and sharing influence. Furthermore, targeting users who share automotive content with ads significantly boosts brand inquiries and sales compared to traditional advertising methods.

1. SHARETHIS AUTOMOTIVE STUDY
How Sharing Drives Automotive Purchases

2. 2
METHODOLGY
Over the course of 4 months, ShareThis observed the online social
patterns of over 13 million users logging 49 million auto-related
sharing events.
We cross-matched these against a database of 26 million unique
users who owned or displayed interest in several dozen major
automotive brands.
To understand the impact of advertising on sharers, we
monitored over 11 million ad impressions from a selection of
campaigns run by major automotive brands over the course of
one month.

3. 3
HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED
Sharing activity generally correlates with purchase activity:
Consumers aged 36 to 55 are by far the most active, both online and in the marketplace. Regions with
strong dealership presence tend to have an abundance of related social activity.
Car shoppers are more social:
Users who are in-market for a new vehicle are 10x more likely to share about autos, and twice as likely to
share about the brands they’re interested in.
Owners make the best advocates:
Users are 2.5x more likely to share about a particular brand if they own one of its models, and their shares are
43% more influential.
Sharing drives brand consideration and purchase:
Users who share about a particular brand are twice as likely to add the brand to their consideration set, and
twice as likely to make a purchase.
Social users are more receptive to advertising:
Delivering ads to users who share autos related content is 3.0x more likely to generate brand inquiries, and
3.6x more likely to lead to an actual sale.

4. 4
AUTO SHARING, BY THE NUMBERS
TIME FRAME:
4 MONTHS
AUDIENCE:
13 MILLION UNIQUES
SOCIAL ACTIVITY:
49 MILLION SHARES
WHERE DO PEOPLE SHARE ABOUT CARS?
Sharing takes place across a wide array of
social channels:
65%
10%
7%
3%
3%
2%
10%
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Reddit
Pinterest
Blogger
Other
WHAT DO PEOPLE SHARE THE MOST ABOUT?
The most purchased brands and segments are also
generally the most shared:
SEGMENTS BRANDS MODELS

5. 5
SHARING DEMOGRAPHICS ARE BROADLY IN
LINE WITH THE MARKET
Consumers aged 36 to 55 are by far the most active, both online and in the marketplace.
AUTO BUYERS AND SHARERS, BY AGE
4%
19%
22%
26%
19%
10%
18 -25
26 - 35
36 - 45
46 - 55
56 - 65
65+
1%
10%
22%
26%
23%
18%
BUYERS (US) 1
SHARERS
The only exceptions occur at both extremes of the age spectrum: Millennials are more prolific
sharers, while Boomers are more active in the marketplace.
1National Automobile Dealers Association Annual Report, 2012

6. 6
THE SHARES FOLLOWS THE INVENTORY
Regions with strong dealership presence tend to have a abundance of related social activity
1National Automobile Dealers Association Annual Report, 2012
STATES MOST SOCIAL ABOUT CARS STATES WITH MOST NEW AND USED CAR DEALERSHIPS PER CAPITA1

7. 7
CAR SHOPPERS ARE MORE SOCIAL
% OF USERS WHO SHARE CONTENT
RELATED TO CARS
Users who are in-market* for a new vehicle are
nearly 10x more likely to share autos-related
content…
…and nearly twice as likely to share about the
brands they’re interested in.
*In-market” users are those who have made a formal inquiry about one or
more brands online: filling out a questionnaire, requesting a quote, etc
IN-MARKET
10X
GENERAL 0.5%
5.1%
IN-MARKET
13.9%
GENERAL
8.1%
1.7X
% OF SHARING EVENTS RELATED TO
BRAND OF INTEREST

8. 8
OWNERS MAKE THE BEST ADVOCATES
% OF SHARING EVENTS MENTIONING
SPECIFIC BRAND(S)
Users are 2.5x more likely to share about a particular
brand if they own one of its models.
When they do, their shares are
43% more influential.
CLICK-BACKS PER SHARE
OWNERS
4.3%
GENERAL
1.7%
2.5X IN-MARKET
15.9
GENERAL
13.9
OWNERS
19.8

9. MASS-MARKET
20.3ECONOMY
11.2
LUXURY
30.3PREMIUM
23.7
9
THE MORE PREMIUM THE BRAND, THE MORE
INFLUENTIAL THE SHARE
Shares mentioning luxury or premium vehicles draw roughly 70% more click-backs, on
average, than those related to the mass-market or economy segments.
CLICK-BACKS PER SHARE
1National Automobile Dealers Association Annual Report, 2012

10. 10
SHARING DRIVES BRAND CONSIDERATION
Delivering ads to users who share online about cars is 3.0x more likely to generate brand
inquiries.
% OF USERS WHO ADDED BRAND TO CONSIDERATION SET *
AUTO SHARERS
WHO HAVE
VIEWED AT
LEAST ONE
AUTO AD
2.9%
AUTO SHARERS
1.6%
0.8%
GENERAL
1.8X
2.0X
*Defined as having made a formal inquiry about one or more brands
online: filling out a questionnaire, requesting a quote, etc
Users who share about a particular brand are twice
as likely to add the brand to their consideration set.
Delivering ads to users who share online about
cars is 1.8x more likely to lead to a brand inquiry

11. 11
SHARING DRIVES PURCHASE BEHAVIOR
Delivering ads to users who share online about cars is 3.6x more likely to lead to an actual
sale.
% OF USERS WHO MADE A BRAND PURCHASE
By comparison, the baseline conversion rate for digital advertising within the autos segment is about 0.3%,
signifying that sharing is a highly indicative declaration of intent.
AUTO SHARERS
WHO HAVE
VIEWED AT
LEAST ONE
AUTO AD
0.9%
AUTO SHARERS
0.4%
0.2%
GENERAL
2.3X
2.1X

12. 12
…SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR AUTOMOTIVE
BRANDS?
Car shoppers are 10x more social
Target users sharing content to reach them at the crucial stage in the purchase
funnel
Sharing drives purchase consideration, and users will share most about the
brands they’re interested in
Use this information to identify user preferences and reach them with relevant
messaging
Sharers are much more receptive to advertising
Seeking out social users online yields 3.6x the purchase lift of traditionally-targeted
ads
Once they’ve made a purchase, these users drive brand advocacy
Use these advocates to amplify messages to potential buyers