ATLANTA, March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Autotrader, the industry's most influential listing site¹, claims the most traffic among its competitor third-party car shopping sites² for the nineteenth consecutive month, according to comScore Media Metrix^® February 2017 ratings. However, with quantity also comes quality, and the long-standing traffic leader is delivering unparalleled value to its dealers.

"While our legacy in attracting the largest monthly consumer audience to Autotrader for more than a year and a half is an impressive achievement, we are even more focused on our unrivaled aptitude for driving superior leads to our clients that help them sell more cars," said Steve Lind, senior vice president of operations and general manager of Autotrader. "Success also hinges on understanding and innovating around the customer journey and the different shopping methods of car buyers. We offer solutions that are flexible and customizable to each shopper and how they prefer to engage, increasing consumers' confidence before they walk into a dealership."

Quantity AND Quality
All leads are not created equal. Autotrader focuses on driving real car buyers to dealer lots, influencing more qualified and ready-to-buy customers than any of its competitors, outperforming CarGurus, Cars.com, TrueCar and Edmunds. In fact, twice as many actual car buyers used Autotrader during the shopping process than CarGurus, according to the 2017 Car Buyer Journey Study conducted in coordination with IHS Automotive.

The higher propensity to purchase is measured scientifically by observing digital behaviors, known as "buying triggers," which indicate that a shopper is very close to making a purchase at a dealership.  Buying triggers go beyond emails or phone calls, and look for information-rich exchanges with the dealership, such as saving a vehicle to a personal shopping cart using Autotrader's helpful Save Car tool, clicking on directions or a map to a dealership, initiating a chat session or text message with a dealer or submitting criteria to receive an Instant Cash Offer on a trade-in.

Autotrader is leading the way to establish greater transparency for dealers to eliminate having to pay for hollow or inflated leads – user activity that is repetitive, exploratory or aspirational, and not motivated by serious intent to transact. The third-party car shopping leader is investing in the latest data science and analytical capabilities and turning them into simple, mobile-friendly tools for its clients to quickly gauge information and make business decisions. This sophisticated approach also makes it easier for dealers to understand the extraordinary value and return provided by Autotrader.

About Autotrader
Autotrader is the most visited third-party car shopping site, with the most engaged audience of in-market shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered consumer looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing solutions guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience.

Autotrader is a Cox Automotive™ brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader^®, Dealer.com^®, Dealertrack^®, Kelley Blue Book^®, Manheim^®, NextGear Capital^®, vAuto^®, Xtime^® and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

¹ 2017 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study
² Defined as: Autotrader.com, CarGurus.com, Cars.com, Edmunds.com, and TrueCar.com.

SOURCE Autotrader