Kelley Blue Book, one of the leading providers of new- and used-vehicle information, just announced the results of the latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence survey of in-market new-car shoppers. The survey revealed consumers’ likelihood to purchase a new car on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27) and the effect of additional Black Friday-specific discounts and incentives on purchase timeframes.

 When generally asked how likely they would be to purchase a new car on Black Friday, 55 percent of car shoppers said they were somewhat likely, and only 12 percent said they were extremely likely. That’s still a whole lot of likely, and when surveyors asked them if additional discounts and incentives would make them more likely to close a Black Friday auto deal, 32 percent turned into “very likelys.” Almost all others – 62 percent – said they’d consider moving up their purchase plans to Black Friday because of the incentives. Yes, many knew of current incentives not specific to Black Friday, but 17 percent said these incentives weren’t good enough.

 What’s especially important news here for auto vertical publishers is that 96 percent of these new car shoppers revealed that they weren’t aware of any manufacturer or dealer-offered Black Friday incentives.

“The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence survey data shows that car shoppers are hungry for deals this Friday and would seriously consider buying a new vehicle then if the price was right,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, in the announcement. “However, there is a perception gap about what special deals actually are available to new-car shoppers on Black Friday. This should motivate auto makers to heavily promote any special discounts or incentives so new-car shoppers can help positively contribute to the bottom line for manufacturers’ and dealers’ November sales.”

This Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Survey was fielded to 121 in-market new-car shoppers on kbb.com from November 20-23, 2009, and the preliminary data contained in this press release is based upon 51 qualified respondents. 

Auto vertical publishers would do well to design spec campaigns complete with suggested incentives and present them NOW to their local auto dealers in time for their Wed. and Thurs. papers and Web sites, and their Twitter feeds and Facebook fan pages.