CLEARWATER, Fla. -

Sixty-two percent of consumers say that they are loyal to an automotive service center despite the low retention rate for the average dealer, according to a recent study.

AutoLoop's 2016 Automotive Digital Engagement study uncovered new insights into the value of engagement for dealers and revealed a varying meaning of customer loyalty among Baby Boomers, Generation X and millennials.

The provider of auto industry marketing and customer relationship management solutions said it commissioned the study to gain fresh insight on how digital media influences customer loyalty and to determine new strategies for dealers to engage and retain their customers.

“Today, the Big 3 automakers account for only 44 percent of the market — a 26-percent decline from two and a half decades ago.” AutoLoop vice president of analytics and data services Doug Van Sach said in a news release. “In this short amount of time, consumer loyalty is no longer within reach, as the average customer retention rate across the industry has sunk below 50 percent.”

As a result, he said dealers loose more than half of their customers each year.

A sample of 1,000 auto consumers across U.S. was surveyed and AutoLoop examined the purchase behavior of more than 4 million customers representing 1,000 dealerships in the country.

AutoLoop found that when customers were asked what loyalty means to them, responses showed a difference in opinion between generations.

“The hard truth for dealers is that most consumers have redefined what it means to be loyal in the digital age,” Van Sach said.

Baby Boomers were most likely to say loyalty means always visiting the same store when they have a need for service, while the younger generations regard loyalty as a “sometimes” rather than an “always” behavior.

And roughly more than half of millennials say they are loyal even though they visit competitors frequently.

Van Sach said, “What these results really mean is that loyalty is more of a convenient activity rather than a commitment. Given this discovery, dealers are faced with a new challenge-prevent their best customers from going elsewhere even if they show no signs of disloyalty."

Both heightened competition and online pricing is somewhat to blame for the decline in loyal consumers, but a pivotal factor is the evolving mindset of U.S. consumers, according to Van Sach.

“Many dealers still use outdated, disconnected marketing programs with little to no coordination across media and touchpoints,” he said.

“To address the lost revenue opportunity, dealers need to dramatically rethink their marketing strategies.”