Milllennials spend over two hours more on car shopping than the general population, and most of that is done online.

And the Web is also where these shoppers are most likely to be influenced when it comes to deciding on which car to buy.

So what can dealers do to bulk up their Internet presence to reach Generation Y at this most opportune part of the car-shopping process? Some of the strategies may surprise you — and that’s what Auto Remarketing recently discussed with Isabelle Helms, who is vice president of research and market intelligence at AutoTrader.com.

Earlier this month, Helms shared a comprehensive overview of AutoTrader’s 2014 Automotive Buyers Influence Study, which dives deep into how consumers are shopping both online and in-store as well as the devices they’re using in the process.

A substantial portion of the study involves data on how Millennials behave in the car-buying process.

The first installment of our look at AutoTrader’s study examined how dealers can improve the in-store experience to better reach this generation; this time around, we look at how they can utilize and boost their Web presence to influence Gen Y shoppers.

“The fact that Millennials are spending more time on the Internet and that the Internet is enabling all shoppers, including Millennials, to be more efficient with the shopping process is impactful for dealers,” Helms told Auto Remarketing. “It’s important they have a very strong digital presence.”

Consumers in general — Gen Y or otherwise — are fairly undecided as to what car they want they begin shopping. In fact, 70 percent of Millennials are undecided.  

And while the average time spent shopping by the general population (15.5 hours) and Millennials this year (17.6 hours) is less than it was in 2011 (17.5 hours for general population; 19.1 hours for Gen Y), both groups are spending a greater share of their respective car-shopping time online.

In 2011, the general population spent 62 percent of the car shopping online. This year, that number is at 75 percent.

Similarly, Milllennials spent 76 percent of their car shopping process online in 2011. That has climbed to 82 percent this year. 

The average car buyer visit 8.8 sites, Helms said. Millennials, meanwhile, visit 10.1 websites, on average.

“They’re spending more time online, visiting more sites, so it’s incredibly important for dealers to ensure they have a very widespread presence on the Internet to influence decisions along the way,” Helms said.

Social Media Findings

When it comes to social media, this is not necessarily a sticking point for Millennials during the actual car-shopping process (nor for the general population). Just 5 percent of Gen Y uses it to shop and only 1 percent of the overall population does. What’s more, 78 percent of Millennials and 83 percent of the overall population said social media had no impact on their perception of an auto brand.

“Social does have a place in that it helps brands create awareness for particular makes and models, for instance,” Helms said. “It can have a very strong play for ongoing relationships with consumers, but as it pertains to car shopping and helping consumers make decisions, we see in our research today that it’s just not something consumers are turning to.”

So, essentially, dealers should hone their social efforts for relationship development or efforts like creating awareness of service specials, for example, Helms said. But car buyers are not turning to social for car-buying info.

Mobile & Multiple Devices

On the other hand, mobile is huge for Gen Y.

AutoTrader has noticed a downturn in the use of desktops and laptops during the car-shopping process, and that decline is even more noticeable with Millennials, Helms noted. Conversely, the use of mobile devices for this age group has grown by leaps and bounds.

In fact, 50 percent of Millennials are using smartphones during the car-shopping process.

“For many, many years, dealers — in some ways — have been playing catch-up in establishing a Web presence, a Web site that is compatible with a desktop and a laptop. Now it’s time for them to start thinking about establishing a presence on mobile devices,” Helms said.

“And that’s important because you can’t expect a desktop/laptop experience to translate very well on a tablet and even less so on a smartphone. So, one of our key recommendations is that you have to have a mobile strategy and develop mobile-optimized solutions for consumers,” she added. “Simply rendering your desktop/laptop experience on these devices won’t work for consumers.”

Consider this: a brand not having a mobile site will leave a negative brand perception impact on 35 percent of shoppers within the general population, according to AutoTrader. Among Millennials, that number climbs to 59 percent.

There has also been a big jump — both for overall consumers and Gen Y — in the proportion of shoppers using two or more devices to car shop. For the overall population, those figures have climbed from 23 percent to 32 percent in the past year; for Millennials, the numbers have grown from 36 percent to 44 percent.

“The implication of that is, if you’re a consumer and you’re starting your search on one device, and you want to pick it back up later on a completely different device — let’s say, in another location — those experiences are not connected oftentimes,” Helms said. “I think it’s important for advertisers, dealers, third-party websites and manufacturers to enable consistent experiences and connected experiences. 

“What I mean by that is, if I start my search, I want the ability to save it and pick it back up on a device later,” she said.e

Stay tuned for the next installment in this series on Millennials, where Auto Remarketing talks with DealerRater chief executive officer Gary Tucker about online reputation and its implications on building relationships with Gen Y shoppers.