NEW DELHI: Almost 90% of car sales in India are influenced by consumers going online to conduct research and watch videos, according to a new industry report.
Research conducted by Google India and Kantar TNS states that 89% of car purchases in India were “digitally influenced” in 2017 compared to 75% in 2016, Autocar reported.
The study, entitled “The Drive to Decide”, also found that potential car buyers in India show three key digital behaviour patterns when it comes to their preparations.
Nearly all of them (96%) search online, 80% watch online videos, while another 88% prefer to research on their smartphones about the possible car they intend to buy.
It suggests that online video is fast becoming a preferred information source that allows buyers to explore a new car from different perspectives, the report said.
For example, the research found that the percentage of online video used in the process of buying a car nearly doubled to 80% in 2017 from 43% in 2016.
And in terms of the information Indian consumers seek from online videos, 41% are about vehicle safety tests, 41% showcase the technology and features of the car, 38% are on performance, while 33% of them are customer reviews.
Furthermore, the report highlights that 79% of consumers who view online videos are expected to act on them, which emphasises the importance of online video in the decision-making process.
“YouTube has over 225m Indian smartphone users watching online video every month, auto content itself has witnessed an astounding 225% year-on-year viewership growth,” said Vikas Agnihotri, Industry Director at Google India.
“From an advertiser perspective, what makes this trend even more relevant is that car manufacturers can now measure the exact impact that online is having on offline sales, and we believe that is a real game-changer,” he added.
Research conducted by Google India and Kantar TNS states that 89% of car purchases in India were “digitally influenced” in 2017 compared to 75% in 2016, Autocar reported.
The study, entitled “The Drive to Decide”, also found that potential car buyers in India show three key digital behaviour patterns when it comes to their preparations.
Nearly all of them (96%) search online, 80% watch online videos, while another 88% prefer to research on their smartphones about the possible car they intend to buy.
It suggests that online video is fast becoming a preferred information source that allows buyers to explore a new car from different perspectives, the report said.
For example, the research found that the percentage of online video used in the process of buying a car nearly doubled to 80% in 2017 from 43% in 2016.
And in terms of the information Indian consumers seek from online videos, 41% are about vehicle safety tests, 41% showcase the technology and features of the car, 38% are on performance, while 33% of them are customer reviews.
Furthermore, the report highlights that 79% of consumers who view online videos are expected to act on them, which emphasises the importance of online video in the decision-making process.
“YouTube has over 225m Indian smartphone users watching online video every month, auto content itself has witnessed an astounding 225% year-on-year viewership growth,” said Vikas Agnihotri, Industry Director at Google India.
“From an advertiser perspective, what makes this trend even more relevant is that car manufacturers can now measure the exact impact that online is having on offline sales, and we believe that is a real game-changer,” he added.
Sourced from Autocar; additional content by WARC staff
