Jumpstart Automotive Media, a leading media, insights, and marketing solutions company, today released its monthly path to purchase report with a focus on shopper interest during October’s “truck month.” The report shows that month-over-month shopper interest was up 14% for Full-Size Pickups and 11% for 3/4 and 1-ton Pickup Trucks.

October is known in the industry as the month auto brands typically spotlight trucks (e.g., Ford F-150, RAM 1500) with additional advertising during sporting events such as football games and the World Series, and interest levels usually increase as a result. And interest in trucks this October was particularly strong due to continued post hurricane Harvey and Irma vehicle replacement activity. According to Jumpstart, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado led that interest with increases of +27% and 13%, respectively compared to October 2016.

For larger trucks, the Ford F-250 Super Duty and RAM 2500 each had month-over-month growth in interest (+22%), helping drive overall growth for the Full-Size Pickup Truck segment. Full-Size Pickup Trucks and 3/4 and 1-Ton Pickups had the highest share of shopper interest in October compared to the rest of 2017, with a 4.8% and 1.8% increase, respectively.

Interestingly, October also marked the fourth consecutive month that share of interest declined for the Subcompact SUVs/CUVs segment after interest peaked in June when the segment held 3.8% share. The segment has seen a 29% decrease in shopper interest since June 2017.

“Between increased advertising focus, truck replacement needs, and continued low fuel prices, shoppers had many reasons to turn their attention toward pickups and SUVs during the month of October,” said Colin Thomas, senior analyst, strategic insights at Jumpstart. “However, what’s curious today is that shopper interest continues to wane for smaller utility vehicles, which have been very popular for versatility, functionality and value.”

Jumpstart’s Path to Purchase Reports
Jumpstart analyzes share of shopper interest regularly to gain insight into what consumers are considering when researching their next vehicle purchase, as well as how long it takes them to make a decision and how media influences their shopping process. These insights are based on the shopping patterns of more than 17 million in-market auto shoppers who are researching vehicles across the company’s portfolio of automotive publishers.

Jumpstart Automotive Media, a division of Hearst Autos, offers high-impact and performance-driven marketing and advertising solutions that achieve optimum results. An industry thought-leader known for its in-depth shopping reports, Jumpstart connects automotive marketers with the largest, high-performing audience of car shoppers and enthusiasts through partnerships with: Car and Driver, U.S. News Best Cars, J.D. Power Cars, NADAguides, Autoweek.com, Autobytel, Autolist.com, Daily News Autos, LeftLaneNews.com, CarSoup, CarBuzz, CarStory, and VehicleHistory.com.