Women Buyers are Driving Changes
at Auto Dealerships
When it comes to buying cars, women have the power of the purse and the industry is starting to sit up and take notice. According to Road & Travel Magazine, women now purchase 65% of all new cars and 53% of used cars and they influence 95% of all auto purchases.
Not surprisingly, dealers are anxious to capitalize on this growing segment of the market. Crystal Auto Mall of Green Brook, NJ, is piloting a program, Women Shop Cars, focused on helping women purchase and service their cars.
“Women know what women want,” explains Barre Mizak, who recently joined the dealership to head up the program. “Our ultimate goal is to have a female staff from the time you walk through the door to the time that you sign your paperwork and leave with your vehicle.” The company is planning a website, WomenShopCars.com, which will offer women lists of available cars and direct them to an all-women sales force.
Since women are now purchasing more than half of the cars sold, many general websites are offering information about automobiles targeted specifically at them. They include the online magazine Roadandtravel.com, Edmunds.com/women, and Motherproof.com. AskPatty.com runs a program to certify dealerships as female friendly. According to the website, these are dealers that create “a safe and comfortable environment where women feel welcome” and make the “experience of purchasing and maintaining a vehicle a pleasant one. AskPatty trained and certified dealers are held to a high level of customer satisfaction for women consumers.” Crystal Auto Mall recently qualified for this designation.
DCH Paramus Honda was also recently certified by AskPatty. Recognizing that satisfying women buyers is an integral part of business, General Manager Barry Magnus says, “I want my service personnel to understand that when the female walks into the dealership – that’s the sale.”
Judy Hartmann, Financial Services Coordinator for the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club in Florham Park, NJ, says that when women buy cars they look for ease of maintenance, comfort and reliability. “Women are less likely on the whole to buy a car the first time it shows up on the market no matter how glitzy or neat it is,” she says.
Hartmann stresses the importance of doing research before settling on a car to buy. The AAA New Jersey website can assist buyers with their research, providing crash testing data and car buying tips. These can be accessed by entering an Essex, Morris or Union county zip code at aaa.com and then clicking on Car Buying.
 Magnus finds that women who have families and need a larger vehicle, such as a minivan, want one that is loaded with features, such as the Honda Odyssey. But there is also a group of more mature women, perhaps whose children are grown, who have achieved financial success and are looking for a vehicle that will be fun to drive. Mizak says that the Mazda Miata, “which is a complete sports car,” is popular with these women, as are the crossover vehicles, “an SUV with the soul of a sports car”, such as the Mazda CX-9 or CX-7.
Although car dealerships have traditionally been populated with primarily male employees, programs centered on attracting women buyers are also opening up opportunity for women employees. Dealerships such as Crystal Auto Mall and DCH Paramus Honda increasingly see the need to provide female staff to interface with their women customers.
Too often women find buying a car a frustrating and intimidating experience. Many do not feel comfortable even attempting it unless they bring along a male companion. As more and more dealers recognize the value of satisfying their female clientele, those feelings should come to seem as antiquated and outmoded as a rusting Model T.SPW
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