Leading Brands in the US Auto Category: Q4 2024 Performance Overview

Introduction

In the competitive landscape of the US automotive industry, digital engagement is a critical success factor. As we analyze data from Q3 to Q4 2024, three leading brands—Toyota, CARFAX, and CarMax—emerge with significant trends in audience engagement across their websites and applications. Powered by Sensor Tower's comprehensive data insights, this article explores these brands' digital footprints, highlighting key performance metrics and advertising strategies.

Toyota

Toyota, a global automotive leader, maintains a robust digital presence through its website, toyota.com, and the Toyota app.

• Audience Trends: Throughout Q4 2024, toyota.com maintained a consistent monthly audience with unique visits fluctuating around 8.5M to 9M. The monthly deduplicated audience remained stable above 11M. The web platform consistently attracted a larger audience compared to the app, although the app's monthly user base showed incremental growth.

• App Engagement: The Toyota app saw a steady increase in monthly active users, hovering around 3.2M to 3.4M by December, indicating strong mobile user engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Toyota's monthly advertising spend peaked in July at over $24M, primarily through OTT channels, which delivered substantial impressions. A noticeable decline in spend occurred in November, dipping below $15M.

CARFAX

CARFAX, known for vehicle history reports, extends its reach through carfax.com and the CARFAX - Shop New & Used Cars app.

• Audience Trends: The website experienced a spike in December, reaching over 10M visits, with unique visits around 8M. The monthly deduplicated audience decreased to approximately 8.3M in December, suggesting a shift in user engagement patterns.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users remained relatively stable, slightly declining from 250K to 227K by year-end, reflecting a steady but modest mobile presence.

• Ad Spend & Channels: CARFAX's monthly ad spend saw a significant increase in December, climbing to over $3.5M, with a focus on OTT and desktop video channels, resulting in a substantial boost in impressions.

CarMax

CarMax, a leading used car retailer, supports its digital ecosystem with carmax.com and the CarMax: Used Cars for Sale app.

• Audience Trends: Carmax.com maintained a stable performance with unique visits nearing 8M in December. The monthly deduplicated audience remained strong, hovering around 7.9M.

• App Engagement: The app showed a gradual decline in monthly active users from 237K in July to 206K in December, suggesting a shift towards web engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: CarMax's monthly advertising spend reached its peak in December at over $2.5M, with significant investments in Instagram, boosting impressions substantially.

Conclusion

In Q4 2024, Toyota, CARFAX, and CarMax each showcased unique trends in audience engagement and advertising strategies. Toyota's strong web presence, CARFAX's December surge, and CarMax's strategic ad spend underscore the diverse approaches within the auto industry. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data offerings provide critical insights, enabling brands to navigate and thrive in the digital arena. For more detailed insights, explore our Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics products.