The October Dealer DataView index – which captures data through September 30, 2017 – showed that total website visits in September dropped 6% compared to August. This represents a notably less significant shift when compared to prior year seasonal changes. In 2016, Dealer.com saw a 9% drop in total traffic in September compared to August, and in 2015, the monthly difference was 10%.

The DataView index also revealed that aside from the total traffic drop, engagement remained generally consistent with this year's overall trends. Engagement remained generally consistent with this year's overall trends of increased mobile traffic and SUV popularity. Mobile visits continue to climb and now accounts for 57% of total visits. New vehicle detail page views account for 44% of total VDPs; used VDPs stand at 53%, and SUVs remained the most popular body style at 35% of all VDP views.

Search advertising cost-per-click, another leading indicator of demand, climbed by 4% again last month, and is now averaging $3.47 nationally. As the fall season begins, advertising budgets may need to be adjusted to account for this trend.

"A critical value of the DataView reporting is providing context and understanding around cyclical industry trends such as seasonal fluctuations," said James Grace, Senior Director of Analytics Products, Cox Automotive Media Solutions. "As dealers continue to carefully monitor the sales climate, the October reporting points to continuing demand and purchase intent from U.S. consumers."

Separately, in a bid to better understand the link between natural disasters and car shopping behavior, the Dealer.com team analyzed proprietary data from impacted regions. Their research revealed that car shopping is a bellwether for a local economy in reacting and responding to these tragedies:

• In the days following the landfall of Hurricane Harvey on August 26, the Houston area saw a significant drop in both traffic to Dealer.com websites as well as leads submitted to dealerships. However, that drop was immediately followed by a spike as people bought new cars to replace those that were damaged in the storm. About a month later, things returned to normal levels.

• The situation in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Irma on September 11th was similar, but slightly different in an important way. In Florida, there was a steady drop in web traffic and lead volume leading up to the hurricane's landfall and a subsequent return to normal levels about five days later. What didn't emerge was the same spike of demand, which suggests that the damage in Florida was a bit less severe.

The data referenced above is based on visits to Dealer.com hosted websites. For more insights and to view the full October DataView report featuring detailed regional breakdowns. please visit:

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