FRANKFURT, Sept. 18, 2014—Physical proximity and customer satisfaction are the most important factors for German repair shop customers, while price continues to drop, according to a new study from TÜV Rheinland released at Automechanika in Frankfurt on Thursday.
Similar to customer behavior trends in the U.S., 54 percent of German drivers surveyed in the study said that physical proximity was the most important criteria when choosing a shop. Nearly 43 percent then cited previous customer satisfaction, while less than a third of the 1,442 drivers surveyed listed low price.
While 21 percent of drivers said they still price shop before selecting a shop, nearly 60 percent of those drivers believe that cheaper estimates are not always the best.
When it comes to deciding factors, 81.3 percent of drivers said they ask friends for recommendations, while online reviews and appointments are growing in popularity.
“This reflects the commonly growing use of the Internet in everyday life. For repair shops, this means modern and mobile websites will be a key element in acquiring business and service,” said Torsten Brämer, business development specialist at TÜV Rheinland.
