Diameter, a division of DoubleClick Inc., on April 9 announced that data from @plan Advertising, a media intelligence tool, reveals 45 percent of consumers who intend to buy an auto did their shopping online, demonstrating the importance of online research for auto sales.

The data indicates that the automobile sector is the fourth largest online shopping category, capturing 26 percent of the total adult population of online shoppers after airline reservations (45 percent), books (40 percent), and clothing (29 percent).

"As the information clearly demonstrates, the dynamics of automotive shopping behavior have dramatically changed, and it is critical for marketers to reach these consumers when they are in the research phase of shopping," said Doug Knopper, vice president and general manager of Diameter. "Consumers know what they want and what they will pay before they even walk into the dealership."

According to the data, while 25 percent of the total visitors to automotive sites are currently in the market to purchase a new car, a surprising number of the total visitors to African American sites (22 percent), men's sites (22 percent), and small business sites (20 percent) say "they will definitely or probably purchase a new car within the next six months."

Information from this data also shows that online auto shoppers who are visiting automotive sites are especially interested in sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Twenty-four percent of the total population of online car shoppers who went to auto sites within the past 30 days shopped for SUVs, compared to 8 percent who shopped for sports/convertibles, 6 percent who shopped for station wagons, and 4 percent who shopped for prestige luxury cars. Specifically, this audience segment showed the most interest in purchasing Fords (26 percent) and Chevrolets (20 percent).