94% of car dealers have a Web site

The number of US auto dealerships with Web sites shot up between 1997 and 2004, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). Only 47% of dealers had Web sites in 1997, but by 1999, a high number of dealerships (74%) had Web sites, and by 2003, nearly all of them did (93%). In 2004 94% of car dealerships had Web sites. NADA finds that 68% of dealerships with a Web site have actually had an online sale. Most dealership Web sites offer consumers the ability to view the dealer's stock (92%), while many offer MSRPs (79%) and links to manufacturer Web sites (71%). Scheduling services are also offered by about two-thirds of online dealerships.