Q3 2024 Email Marketing Benchmarks

Email Marketing Benchmarks and Statistics for the Automotive Industry – Q3 2024

Published: October 2024

With the September plate-change month now behind us, retailers will be looking at ways to maximise sales conversions and drive workshop utilisation through the final quarter.

Many retailers will be juggling an influx of enquiries – through various stages of the buying journey – and considering how best to maximise increased volumes of part-exchange stock. AI-powered automated emails can take a lot of the strain, qualifying and maintaining productive interactions with a large number of prospects in a personalised, relevant and timely way.

The numbers in review

In Q3 2024, our VoiceBox software issued over 1.9 million AI-powered emails on behalf of our clients, including a variety of messages, from Stock Alerts, which present new-in-stock to interested customers, to service and MOT reminders.

In the third quarter of this year, our retailer clients received a combined total of 270,581 new enquiries. By leveraging our VoiceBox automated platform, our clients successfully nurtured these leads, significantly enhancing their conversion rate and driving sales growth.

However, for communications like this to be effective, retailers must have seamless access to accurate customer data. When reviewing records from over 500 retailers:

• 9.13% of customers didn’t have an email address recorded

• 7.51% did not have a mobile phone number

• Of those who did have an email against their records, 1.4% were incorrect

Crucially, 27% of the records with a valid email address did not have consent to receive marketing materials, resulting in a missed opportunity. Further optimising data accuracy and ensuring permissions are always in place will increase the proportion of subsequent conversions.

Sales messages destined for success

We know that sales messages are most successful when targeted at specific audiences in a timely matter. With an average open rate of 68%, our sales enquiry follow-up emails are a highly effective means of progressing leads, laying the groundwork for tailored stock update emails. Our Stock Alerts messages target open but unconverted prospects, detailing new-in-stock or recently reduced vehicles that closely match the customer’s desired requirements. With an average open rate of 55% and a 0% unsubscribe rate, we know they are well-received by active car buyers.

These numbers are backed up by a consumer survey we commissioned recently. We found that almost two-thirds (63%) of prospective car buyers are more likely to remain in contact with a retailer that emails them about available stock.

The same survey also unveils a clear expectation among customers that retailers will communicate with them even if a sale was not concluded, with 53% agreeing with the statement: “I would still expect to receive helpful communications from a dealership should my initial enquiry not result in a sale.” Those car buyers who use popular social channels – including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok – will most likely be receptive to emails about stock updates.

Tailoring aftersales messages to change with the seasons

Automation can be a vital tool for aftersales, too. Over the past quarter, our VoiceBox service and MOT reminders achieved an average open rate of 59%, a testament that targeting the right people with the right message at the right time drives engagement.

Although service and MOT reminders are the primary themes for aftersales-related output among our retailer clients, other messages—such as VHC follow-up, seasonal campaigns, and new finance initiatives—can keep the communications ongoing. It’s worth bearing in mind that the aftersales database is often underutilised as a source of prospective sales leads.

We have seen that guiding customers about aftersales payment options is an excellent way of maximising bookings, especially as we approach the winter festive season, which invariably puts pressure on household finances. Additionally, colder weather can encourage visits for winter health checks and re-engage with those who are no longer in active contact. That’s not a new concept for a savvy automotive marketer, but automation is now introducing a level of personalisation that makes it so much harder for customers to ignore.

So, just how productive are automated communications at different points in the ownership cycle?

Enhanced CRM email open rates and click-through rates for UK car, van, and motorcycle retailers

Message	Objective	Ave Open Rate	Ave Click Rate	Hard Bounce	Unsubscribe Rate
Enquiry Follow Up	Nurture active leads	68%	11%	1%	1%
Stock Alerts	Engage open enquiries with new or reduced stock	55%	17%	0%	0%
Appointment Confirmation & Reminders	Improve kept appointments	76%	6%	1%	0%
Lost Sale Follow Up	Capture business insight and re-engage unconverted leads	64%	11%	1%	1%
Post Delivery	Capture reviews and introduce aftersales	83%	17%	1%	0%
Motability Messages	Bespoke customer journey for Motability customers	62%	12%	2%	0%
Service and MOT reminders	Re-engage customers and keep workshop front of mind	59%	8%	1%	1%
End-of-term finance renewals	Warm up existing customers to aid sales retention	65%	10%	1%	1%

Marketing Delivery builds customer marketing solutions exclusively for the automotive sector, with AI-powered, dynamic, and personalised email, SMS, and social media communications. Our nationwide team of automotive experts boasts 300+ years of combined industry experience, providing solutions to 500+ retailer clients.

If you’re looking to enhance your CRM, contact us today.

Disclaimers

The accuracy of email open rates may be impacted by Apple’s privacy changes and their Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) feature, and this should be considered as you interpret open rate data. The data provided on this page is an average of all emails sent between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2024 and may vary from email marketing benchmarks data provided within the VoiceBox application.

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