Not to discount the car purchases made by men, if there is a lady in the home then there is a good chance she has a say in what they buy.
In many cases, women are the ones going out to buy the family car. Anne Fleming could tell you that.
Through Anne’s own positive experience buying a used car from a dealership, Women-Drivers.com was born. Women all over can find how their local dealers rate or post their own car buying experience for the world to read.
What was your inspiration for Women-Drivers.com?
I had purchased a used BMW at a new car dealership and had a wonderful experience with respect to both the purchase and service of the vehicle. I asked to fill out the dealership’s CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) form, but was told that this form was only made available to consumers who purchased new cars. I wrote a letter to the owner of the dealership regarding my kudos and gratitude to the saleswoman and the service manager and their treatment toward me.
I then began to research what on-line formats were available to women to share their satisfaction at the dealership – and found very few outlets. Women purchase 54% of all automobiles and influence the purchase of 80% of the deals. What would it look like to provide a forum where she could share her experience — since every woman can recount down to the detail, her last, or most interesting visit to the dealership?
A business and marketing plan ensued that would give women a voice to share their experience based on WSI, or, Women Satisfaction Indexâ„¢ rating system. These scores, from a 5.0 Excellent to a 1.0 Marginal, allow women to connect with women-friendly dealers –based on consumer’s reviews — not the dealership’s internal CSI scores or marketing campaign.
What must someone do if they would like to submit a review?
Register to gain full access to the site. Click on the WRITE/REVIEW icon on the home page; enter your zip code, mileage radius and the brand of interest. A list of dealerships in that area will appear – click on PURCHASE, BROWSE or SERVICE to begin your review. Answer the questions and hit SUBMIT — the WSI score for that dealership will automatically be tabulated and saved. The entire process takes 3 — 4 minutes.
How has your website expanded since the beta launch almost 1 year ago?
We are partnering with three national sites late Q1, as well as national dealership groups. Also, with so many women buying cars through on-line venues now, we recently added the ability to rate her PURCHASE experience, not just at the dealership, but also “on-line”.
What goals do you have for Women-Drivers.com in 2009?
Our key priority is get reviews. With a national audience, and over 19,000 new car dealerships in our database, getting the word out through trade and consumer social media outlets is paramount.
We market to dealer clients who are interested in becoming more women-friendly. Women-Drivers â„¢ collects and sells the experiences, preferences and demographics to dealerships via the Women’s Satisfaction Index (WSI) INSIGHTâ„¢ subscriptions. These real time reports provide correlative tools which empower and educate dealerships on ways to improve their service to women, ultimately increasing their loyalty, referrals, and market share of the dollars spent by women.
Do you have any plans for expansion, either on this website or with a new startup?
Due to requests from our members, we have added our Groovy Gadget & Gear Reviews. We have a line-up of ladies must-haves that our staff will be reviewing. We have established 9 criteria for rating and will launch these later this month.
How can someone find reviews for the dealerships located near them?
To locate a dealership, members click on the WRITE/ READ a REVIEW icon on home page; enter your zip code, mileage radius and the brand of interest. A list of dealerships in the area will appear in the search engine listed from highest score to lowest score. We also have the ability to research “Woman-Owned” dealerships as this ability is important to some of our members.
Besides reviews, is there anything else that your website has to offer?
One of our highest visited areas is the interactive NEGOTIATING TEST; take this simple test to see if you are a Cozy Chic, Brazen Babe, Driven Diva — and, receive strategies on how to approach the dealership visit based upon what kind of personality you have. Check out 2009 New Car Reviews written exclusively for Women Drivers â„¢ by our partners at TheCarConnection.com. Other areas of interest include Safety, Technology, Green, and Parenting. IN THE SPOTLIGHT section showcases national women and their expertise in their respective businesses.
Since your official launch in November, what has the feedback been like from the members?
The feedback has been extraordinarily favorable. Our members love the fact that they have an opportunity to rate their visit so other women can benefit from their own experience.
What was the process like for taking your website from idea to official launch?
It was a very creative, dynamic, and intentional approach. We interviewed many different creative and web 2.0 companies to help develop the template and stayed on track and on course and launched within two weeks of original plan.