We know that everyone is excited about the release of Salman Khan’s upcoming movie – Bharat! But, for the auto industry, it’s a different Bharat that has got them excited.
It’s the Bharat that resides outside of the metro cities in India that the auto industry is cheering for. Because, for the auto industry Bharat has overtaken India. Today, 55% of car related search queries come from non-metro cities, which is greater than the search volume from the metro cities.
Apart from this significant milestone, the auto industry is also experiencing many other significant firsts. Once upon a time, test drives & consumer walk-ins at showrooms used to be the major decision drivers. Today however, consumers are relying more on online research, videos and online bookings. This marks a big shift and the statistics backing this conclusion are as follows:
1. 90% of car buyers research online before visiting a showroom
- 41% of them look for maintenance programs
- 32% look for reviews & recommendations
- 37% look for promotional offers & deals
- 32% look for dealer location & direction to the showroom
2. Consumers are constantly researching…
- 65% of car buyers continue to research on smartphone even when they’re at a dealership
3. YouTube has become one of the most important sources of independent information
- 79% of car buyers find answers & reviews on YouTube before purchasing
- 45% of car buyers viewed videos regarding vehicle features
- 27% of car buyers watched video regarding vehicle performance
4. 87% of those who watched car videos on YouTube took one of the following actions
- Visited a dealer’s website
- Located a dealer
- Scheduled a test ride
5. Consumers walking into showrooms are ever more likely to convert…
- In the past 3 years, average walk-ins per buyer have fallen to 2 per purchase from 4 per purchase
In case you’re wondering: Is Bharat also going to drive the growth in my industry? The answer in all probability is yes. If you’re now wondering where do you begin, please reply to this email with the date & time and we will be happy to tell you how your brand can win over Bharat to become the no.1 brand.
