CARY, N.C. -

Although three-quarters of shoppers say they use a laptop or desktop as their primary research device, consumers are still taking to their tablets and smartphones to complete auto shopping tasks. And it’s important to know how their usage differs from device to device.

Jumpstart Automotive Group shed some light on these topics in a recent Automotive Shopping Series. 

“When you’re talking about a device or an audience segment, there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Laura Schooling, chief marketing officer for Jumpstart.

“Auto manufacturers need to focus on the core competencies of their brand, and devise a strategy that can scale across devices and audiences. If you try to ‘talk to Millennials’ as a separate strategy, it can be viewed as inauthentic. And if you just resize desktop creative for mobile, it can lose its impact,” she continued.

“Test media messaging, creative and placements while staying true to your product.”

According to Jumpstart, 79 percent of shoppers own a desktop/laptop, 75 percent own a smartphone and 51 percent own a tablet.

Seventy-five percent say the use the desktop/laptop as the primary device.  Eighteen percent use the desktop/laptop as the secondary device; 50 percent use the smartphone as the secondary device; and 40 percent use the tablet.

Jumpstart also broke down the most popular content shoppers are viewing with each respective device, as follows:

Desktop/Laptop
1. Pricing or configuring a vehicle
2. Vehicle listings
3. Photos and videos

Smartphone
1. Photos and videos
2. Vehicle listings
3.  Comparisons, ratings or rankings

Tablet
1. Photos and videos
2. Comparsions, ratings and rankings
3. Expert and user reviews

Stay tuned to Part IV of this series, where we discuss digital trends among Millennials.

Part I can be read here and Part II can be read here.

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.