- Independent dealer shoppers are researching, comparing, and evaluating their options long before they contact a dealership.
- Small moments of friction can make it harder for shoppers to move forward with confidence during the research phase.
- Your digital presence helps shape first impressions before a conversation begins, making visibility and trust closely connected.
A shopper reaches out to your independent dealership. You react.
This is standard, normal, and common. But new data from Cox Automotive’s 2025 Independent Buyer Research reveals an opportunity many independent dealers may be overlooking.
Independent dealers often serve a buyer who does most of their homework before ever engaging with a dealership. Their needs are different.
Their circumstances are often urgent. And by the time they reach out, they’ve already formed opinions about the vehicles they’re considering. And who they’re willing to trust.
And all of this matters.
For independent dealers, first impressions often happen long before a lead form, phone call, or lot visit.
The good news? You don’t need the biggest marketing budget to compete. You need to understand how today’s independent dealer shoppers evaluate their options and what helps them move forward with confidence.
In this article, we’ll explore what the latest research reveals about the online shopping journey and why earning attention during the research phase may be just as important as what happens when a shopper contacts your dealership.
Today’s Independent Dealer Shopper Is Researching Everywhere
Many independent dealers think the competition begins when a shopper submits a lead, makes a phone call, or visits the lot.
In reality, competition often starts much earlier.
According to Cox Automotive’s research, the average independent dealer buyer spends significant time researching before making contact, visiting multiple websites and evaluating different options along the way. Many are still deciding what vehicle they want, which means they’re also deciding which dealerships they’ve come to trust.
That’s an important shift.
When a shopper isn’t committed to a specific vehicle yet, they’re gathering information, comparing inventory, reading reviews, and narrowing their options. Every listing, photo, and vehicle description becomes part of that evaluation process. Buyers are forming impressions before a conversation ever begins.
The research found that:
- 83% of independent dealer buyers enter the market without knowing exactly which vehicle they want.
- Buyers visit an average of 5.4 websites during their shopping journey.
For independent dealers, that means you’re often competing for attention before you’re competing for the sale. The dealerships that earn consideration early have an advantage long before a shopper reaches out.
And that’s where many independent dealers may be missing an opportunity. If shoppers are forming opinions before reaching out, what influences those opinions in the first place?
The Invisible Friction Undermining Car Buyer Confidence
Many independent dealers assume that if a shopper doesn’t submit a lead or make a phone call, they simply weren’t interested.
But today’s buyers often evaluate multiple vehicles, dealerships, and sources of information before ever reaching out. By the time they contact a dealership, much of their research and decision-making has already taken place.
That means small moments of friction can have a bigger impact than many dealers realize.
What Happens Before the First Phone Call?
| What Dealers Think | What Buyers Are Doing |
|---|---|
| No lead = no interest | Comparing multiple vehicles |
| No phone call = no buyer | Reading reviews |
| Inventory was seen | Evaluating dealership trust |
| Shopper moved on | Narrowing their shortlist |
None of these issues may seem significant on their own. But together, they can make it harder for a shopper to feel confident taking the next step. Fortunately, many of these trust-building moments are entirely within your control.
Your Digital Presence is Working Even When You’re Not
If much of the buying journey happens before a shopper reaches out, then every online touchpoint becomes part of the dealership experience.
- A vehicle listing isn’t just inventory information.
- A dealer website isn’t just a website.
- A review profile isn’t just a collection of ratings.
Together, they help shoppers decide whether your dealership feels trustworthy, transparent, and worth contacting.
The research puts it this way:
“Think of your digital listings as your first salesperson: working 24/7, forming buyer opinions in real time.”
That’s a powerful way to think about the role your digital presence plays in the shopping journey.
Independent dealer shoppers are gathering information long before they call, text, or visit your lot. During that process, your online presence is often introducing your dealership, answering questions, and building confidence before your team ever has a chance to get involved.
That’s because your digital presence is doing the selling before you even get involved. It’s working hard behind the scenes, and on your buyers’ screens: across listing platforms, on your beautifully crafted websites, and on brutally honest review sites.
For independent dealers, that’s a reminder that visibility and trust go hand in hand.
The Takeaway
The biggest takeaway from the research isn’t that buyers are spending more time online. It’s that the shopping journey often begins long before a shopper contacts your dealership.
For independent dealers, that creates an opportunity. The dealerships that earn attention, build confidence, and make strong first impressions during the research phase are better positioned when shoppers are ready to take the next step.
Want to learn more about today’s independent dealer shopper?
Download Know Your Buyer, Grow Your Lot to explore six research-backed trends from Cox Automotive’s 2025 Independent Buyer Research, developed in consultation with NIADA.
Source:
Cox Automotive Independent Buyer Research 2025. Sept 2024-Aug 2025.
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