Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence – AUTOMOTIVE OEMS: LOSING GROUND TO THIRD-PARTY SITES
Third-party automotive sites continue to grow in terms of both web traffic and functionality. With more consumers turning to the Internet as they research auto, how has third-party traffic compared to OEM-branded sites? Our initial approach was to study site traffic and audience overlap among the top-5 most trafficked third party automotive sites (3PT) and Total OEM Traffic (TOT). Using the most recent CYTD data (January – June), we compared 2006 to 2007. Audience overlap is defined as the percentage of total OEM site visitors who also visited at least one 3rd party automotive site.

Financial Services Advisor – FORECLOSURE.COM: WHO’S SEEKING RICHES IN SUB-PRIME’S WAKE
In a recent Compete blog article it was noted that foreclosure.com had recently joined the ranks of sites that receive over 1 million visitors a month. That got us thinking about why the growing interest and what those people were doing once they got to the site.

TravelTrends – SKYBUS AIRLINES: CAN $10 FARES SPUR A FLYING FRENZY?
Skybus Airlines, a new low-cost-carrier in the US market, began flying on May 22nd. As part of their business model, Skybus has committed to having at least ten $10 seats available on each of its flights. The airline is launching with routes from its home of Columbus, Ohio to Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle and others. To keep down costs, add-ons such as checking baggage, priority boarding, and food/beverages are subject to additional fees.

Wireless Vantage –MOBILE TV MARKET BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE
Since September 2006, interest in mobile TV and video has doubled to almost 1% of all traffic on Big-4 carrier websites. When Compete first reported on the small but growing interest in mobile TV and video content at that time last year, online consumers who exhibited interest in mobile TV and video services comprised just 0.5% of all Big-4 carrier website traffic. Verizon Wireless launched V-CAST Mobile TV in select U.S. cities in March and advertising and marketing campaigns promoting V-CAST have led to a 104% increase in consumers evaluating the service on VerizonWireless.com. With AT&T planning a live video service and Sprint adding channels to its own MobiTV lineup, Compete expects consumer interest in mobile TV and video to continue to increase rapidly over the next year.

Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence – The Configurator: Building More Engaged Prospects
Most OEM websites offer consumers the ability to configure vehicles online. This functionality enables more informed shopping decisions which can ultimately facilitate lead generation for dealerships. The configurator is one of the most trafficked shopping tools, but are the people who use this tool engaged on the site as a whole?

AutoIntelligence: The OCE – Steep Hikes in Gas Prices Drive Shoppers
According to the Department of Energy, the price of gas has been on the rise for the last few years. In May 2007 gas prices climbed to an all-time high of $3.19/gallon. Compete analyzed demand for the (Compact) C car segment* specifically to see what, if any, effect rising gas prices have had on segment demand over the past 15-months.

Financial Services Advisor – Uncovering quality referrals for credit card issuers
Credit cards are a big online business. Top issuers American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank and Discover spent a combined $338 million on media between January and April of this year with almost 10% going to online display advertising. These investments drive approximately 9 million consumers to view credit card offerings on the leading issuer websites each month. But what types of sites actually deliver the highest quality credit card shoppers – i.e. those who apply – to these issuers?

TravelTrends – Does a new rewards booking tool give American an AAdvantage
At the beginning of March, American Airlines announced the introduction of a redesigned online booking tool for its AAdvantage rewards members. The new functionality is intended to make it easier for members of American’s loyalty program to redeem miles online. What impact has the new tool had on American bookings?

Wireless Vantage – After 6 moths of iPhone hype, are consumers read to pay?
The iPhone is generating an enormous amount of industry buzz, but consumers will ultimately decide the device’s fate. After the announcement of the iPhone in January, Compete surveyed 379 people about the device. The survey targeted consumers who had been observed researching an iPod online in the preceding month. In the first week of June, Compete surveyed an additional 680 iPod researchers to look at attitudes toward the iPhone just before its launch on June 29th. Compete targeted recent iPod shoppers in both surveys to identify trends and target consumers who were more likely to be aware and informed of the iPhone. So what are consumer perceptions of the device now, and how have they changed?

Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence - Jeep line-up: Is seven a crowd in 2007?
DaimlerChrysler launched three new Jeep models in the last eight months, meaning consumers can now choose from seven current-year Jeep vehicles. To better understand the impact of this expansion, Compete analyzed the year-over-year change in demand for the Jeep brand – looking for evidence of cannibalization or growth.

AutoIntelligence OCE - Mini USA drives into core audience with hammerandcoop.com
In February, Mini USA launched hammerandcoop.com, featuring a series of short films starring a personified Mini Cooper named “Coop” and a character named Hammer. The “Hammer and Coop” campaign has been marketed through various traditional and non-traditional channels with the goal “to engage consumers in the brand offering in an ongoing, interactive dialogue.” But who is this campaign actually engaging?

Financial Services Advisor - Cutting the “Strings”: Citi Removes HYSA Requirements
In November 2006, Compete predicted that recent entrants to the High Yield Savings Account (HYSA) market would need to restructure their product offerings to effectively compete in the space. Several new HYSA competitors were requiring consumers to also open a checking account (Washington Mutual and Citibank) or maintain a minimum balance (E-Loan and Countrywide). ING Direct, HSBC Direct, Emigrant Direct and Capital One all offered consumers competitive rates without any strings attached – no checking accounts or minimum balance requirements. In March 2007, Citibank was the first of the new entrants to alter its product to better compete with established players.

TravelTrends – Hotwire jumpstarts Planning Activity with Tripstarter
Travel price prediction and modeling tools are evolving rapidly, and Hotwire is the latest to implement such a functionality on its site. Using the Hotwire TripStarter tool that was launched in February, consumers can view trended historical pricing data for flights and hotels. Hotwire’s product joins price modeling offerings from Farecast, Kayak, Farecompare, and others, but are consumers really using this information?

Telecom Vantage – Why Market Share Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Understanding conversion is critical to companies looking to efficiently grow market share in an increasingly saturated wireless handset market. In the U.S., however, handset manufacturers have had little ability to track this metric and understand its implications because of separation between handset makers and consumers in this operator controlled market. Understanding the conversion rate of products – the percentage of consumers considering specific handsets that go on to purchase them – gives both carriers and OEMs critical new insight into how to immediately assess a handset’s potential in a hit driven market.

Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence: The Online Channel – My Cadillac story: the first chapter?
In January, Cadillac launched mycadillacstory.com, an online community for Cadillac enthusiasts. The site features celebrities from Joan Jett to Tiki Barber to Andy Garcia telling their Cadillac story, and also invites non-celebrity enthusiasts to submit their own experiences via the website, YouTube or a toll-free number. Compete took an early look at this site and its impact on visits to cadillac.com.

Financial Services Advisor – Subprime lending: bargain seekers hunt while consumers dismiss foreclosures
Recently, home foreclosures and the disappointing performance of leading sub-prime lenders have captured significant attention. To learn more about consumer attitudes and intentions with regard to their adjustable-rate mortgages, Compete surveyed consumers who were recently shopping online for mortgages.

Telecom Vantage –Telecom bundles take the field
While triple plays are a rarity in baseball, they are the standard in the world of telecom service bundles. In fact, some teams even feature a quadruple play and the players in that arena are quickly growing. Assuming that consumers actually want to buy telecommunications services in bundles, 2007 is shaping up to be a “Field of Dreams” for Embarq and Comcast, while others will need to step up to the plate.

AutoIntelligence– Do vehicle launches have long-term impact on demand?
Since the beginning of 2005, auto manufacturers have launched, re-launched, refreshed, and redone a number of vehicles. The goal of such vehicle launches is to draw in more shoppers and ultimately drive more sales. With significant ad support devoted to most launches, this strategy is effective, but for how long? To better understand the long-term impact of new launches, Compete measured vehicle demand for six recently launched vehicles over the past two years.

Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence - Will the new Saturn Outlook obstruct the VUE?
The new Saturn Outlook has generated significant interest since its January Launch. At the end of its first month on the market, Outlook shopper counts surpassed 29,000. Compete assessed the early launch impact of the Outlook on Saturn’s other SUV, the VUE.

TravelTrends – JetBlue flies steady through turbulent period
Most consumers and professionals are aware of the Valentine’s Day storm that wreaked havoc on JetBlue Airways. The collapse of the carrier’s flight operation was well-documented in both industry and national press as it struggled to re-align its planes, crews, and customers.

Shortly after JetBlue’s operational difficulties were resolved, Compete fielded a survey to over 400 JetBlue Customers and Prospects to gauge their awareness of these events, their opinions of the airline’s response, and their likelihood to fly JetBlue in the future.

Financial Services Advisor - Is Countrywide a good partner for Bank of America?
In the past few weeks, reports have surfaced that Bank of America is considering the acquisition of California-based Countrywide Financial, the largest US mortgage lender. With federal laws prohibiting any bank from making an acquisition that would raise its share of US deposits above 10 percent, the acquisition of a mortgage lender like Countrywide would be a creative way for Bank of America to expand its reach within the confines of this law. To explore the benefits of such a combination, Compete compared online shopping activity for both companies across their mortgage, refinance and home equity products from July through December of 2006.

Every month, the Compete Vertical teams take a deep look into issues effecting the Automotive, Financial Services, Travel and Wireless industries. These articles tend to be very industry specific, but provide good examples of how to leverage web metrics to measure consumer demand and behavior across various industries.

AutoIntelligence - Silverado Making Noise in the Full-Size Pickup Segment
Chevrolet launched the new Silverado 1500 pickup in the fall of 2006. Success of this new truck is critical to maintaining Chevrolet’s position in the increasingly competitive full-size pickup segment. Compete assessed the number of Silverado 1500 shoppers generated during the launch of the new truck and its impact within the full-size pickup segment. Read the AutoIntelligence Newsletter

Financial Services Advisor - Valuing home appraisal sites
With the current unpredictability of the real estate market, tools to help value proprieties are increasingly important to consumers. Addressing this, Zillow.com recently unveiled a significant enhancement to its site that enables home owners and real estate agents to list homes for sale. Unlike other listing services Zillow’s business model relies solely on advertisements to generate revenue. Have Zillow’s site enhancements increased its attractiveness as a marketing vehicle to home loan providers? To better understand the value of advertising on Zillow, Compete compared the site to several of its competitors in terms of overall traffic, and traffic from in-market financial services shoppers. Read the Financial Services Advisor Newsletter

TravelTrends – Fourth Quarter Booking Rates Spike
Booking Rates rebounded strongly in the air and lodging categories in the fourth quarter of 2006, driven by a steady flow of quality traffic to travel sites despite a seasonal decline in overall volume. Late-summer window-shopping from undecided consumers led to declines in Q3, but now Booking Rates are back to levels not seen since the first quarter. Read the TravelTrends Newsletter

Wireless Vantage – iPhone: the iMpact
Shoppers showed strong interest in music-enabled phones over the holidays. While Apple says it will soon reinvent the category with the iPhone, shoppers say price, if not the need to switch carriers, may limit their purchase of the device. In the week after Apple announced the iPhone, Compete surveyed 379 shoppers who researched an iPod online to understand the iPhone’s impact on their music player and cell phone buying decisions. Read the Wireless Vantage Newsletter