Press - Media Post

Mercedes-Benz is still topping out in the U.S. when it comes to how its dealers treat shoppers. The Montvale, N.J.-based automaker, which was in the top five of the J.D. Power & Associates dealership experience survey last year behind Lexus and Cadillac, takes the top position in the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI).

The PSI is a mystery shopper-based study that the firm conducted between July last year and June this year, using 4,419 hired anonymous people to shop at dealerships. Mercedes has been number one in the study for the past four years, based on a process that ties mystery shopping measurement and scoring to industry sales success. Acura, Infiniti and Lexus dealerships tied for second.

It looks like Mercedes-Benz' focus on retail, including giving sales staff at dealerships iPads and installing interactive video displays on showroom floors, has paid off. The brand's dealers have gotten the highest satisfaction index ranking for the third year in a row in the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, which uses mystery shoppers to rank the retail experience.

The automaker has just opened a flagship dealership "laboratory" in Manhattan to test some of the above-mentioned retail innovations, pulling up stakes at its old showroom near the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel and heading over to the East Side. The company two weeks ago held an opening bash for the five-story facility on East 54th Street.

The Pied Piper study, involving 3,524 paid, anonymous "mystery shoppers" in dealerships nationwide, suggests overall auto industry performance dropped from 2010 to 2011, after four years of gains.

American and European motorcycle brands are very good at something the import brands are still struggling with: creating a strong brand affinity and satisfaction at the retail level.

For the second year in a row, Polaris' Victory Motorcycle brand is the top-ranking motorcycle maker in prospect satisfaction in the new Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI). Victory led the pack in areas such as providing a product walk-around demonstration, mentioning the availability of financing options, mentioning the availability of accessories, and pointing out features that are unique from the competition.

Lexus, Honda and Toyota dealerships ranked highest in a newly released Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Internet Lead Effectiveness study, which measures dealership responsiveness to customer inquiries over the internet. But industry wide, dealers' internet efforts lag their in-person customer service.

Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the new 2010 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Auto Industry study. But Detroit automakers are the most improved in the study, which uses "mystery shoppers" to gauge how consumers are treated while shopping.

In the study, 25 of 34 major auto brands have higher scores, led by luxury brands: Lexus came in second overall, followed by Land Rover, Acura, Jaguar, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln and BMW.

Chevrolet is the first non-luxury brand to appear on the list, coming in at No. 10 and followed by Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Mazda and Toyota. At the bottom of the PSI are Mitsubishi in last, preceded by Suzuki, Scion, Saab, and Mini. Just above them are Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

Ford, Lincoln and Chevrolet were the most-improved brands, scoring above the industry average for the first time since PSI auto industry benchmarking began four years ago.

The year just past was pretty brutal for the motorcycle industry, with retail sales of on-highway bikes down over 40%. Victory, however, is one motorcycle brand whose dealers others might want to study. That's because Victory dealers seem to understand that doing some basic things -- like learning customers' names and letting them swing a leg over a motorcycle -- can make shoppers happy and help close a sale.

Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the new 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Auto Industry Study. The study measures how consumers are treated when shopping for a new car, motorcycle, RV or boat via 3,531 hired anonymous "mystery shoppers" who go into auto dealerships and measure how each brand's dealerships treat car shoppers.

The 2009 study showed that a brand or dealership's treatment of shoppers paralleled their retail sales success. Eight of the Top 10 brands when ranked by PSI also gained market share from 2008 to 2009, while eight of the bottom ten brands when ranked by PSI lost market share from 2008 to 2009, per the firm.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND DUCATI, BMW, SUZUKI and Victory may be worlds apart in terms of the motorcycles they sell, but a new study suggests they have something in common: if their prospects didn't leave a showroom with a motorcycle, there's a good chance they left feeling good about the experience and the brand.