The Indian Automobile Industry

Trends

In 2019 India sold over 21 billion passenger cars making it the second fastest growing automobile market in the world.
India's passenger car segment is among the largest and fastest growing in the world.
The Indian Auto Expo 2020 witnessed the largest overseas participation of auto brands across countries and a turnout of millions' people.
This indicates a phenomenal increase in consumer demand as well as rise in the number of players entering the Indian market.

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The Indian Internet User

Internet Usage in India

564.5 million are active internet users in India
- Active internet users are those users who have accessed it at least once in a month
87% of these are regular users and 100% are daily users
70% of all internet users belong to an online community
1 out of 4 users access internet on their mobile devices

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Profile of Indian Internet Users

Over half of internet users are 'employed', half of whom are 'corporate employees'
'25-35 years' forms the 'single' largest age group among internet users
Their 'average' claimed monthly family income is '3 times' the national average of at least 2 times higher ownership levels for the more 'evolved' modern day assets

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Indian Internet Users Online Buying Behavior

Online buyers base has grown tremendously to 330 million
40% online shoppers 'bought' online (+18% points over last year) - indicates that mere 'window shoppers' are giving way to the 'serious' buying - intending shoppers online
3/4th of internet users have 'responded' to some kind of 'marketing stimulus' when online

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Online Automobile Market

Indian Car Brands Online

Online buyers base has grown tremendously to 330 million
40% online shoppers 'bought' online (+18% points over last year) - indicates that mere 'window shoppers' are giving way to the 'serious' buying - intending shoppers online
3/4th of internet users have 'responded' to some kind of 'marketing stimulus' when online

Maruti claims to have sold over 1,00,000 cars originating from digital executions last year.
Tata Motors' website received million hits and generated large no. of customer bookings online.
It is also claimed that internet is responsible for driving over 25% of Honda's total sales in India.
Pegged at Rs. 61,878 crore ($8.76 billion) in 2018, the Indian advertising market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 10.62 per cent till 2021, to reach a market size of Rs. 85,250 crore ($12.06 billion)... This year, digital advertising will cross the $2 billion mark in India, in actual money spent by clients.

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Indian Car Buyers Online Behavior

72% of customers intending to purchase a car prefer to use internet to gather relevant information about their choice.
- Only 44% rely on dealers for information
- 25% rely on both internet and dealers
- Only 52% rely on Magazines (Print) and a mere 26% rely on TV.
Customers intending to purchase a car rely heavily on internet for Vehicle Specification, Safety Features and Brand Image over other offline sources
62% of customers indicated they have shared an auto related experience/opinion online.
- 54% of these shared a positive experience
53% of customers use social forums to communicate experiences and opinions
- 83% indicated that they were likely to use an online automotive community to find and share car related news

Inside the Mind of the 'Wired' Car Buyer
- Webchutney

The Web Showroom

Internet and Mobile Growth

Internet is estimated to cross 565 million users by 2020
Broadband service is expected to see 500% growth
India already has over 346.2 million Facebook users and that number is growing at more than 100%
With the launch of 4G networks and 5G to be auctioned later this year and increasing adaptation of smart phones, mobile internet usage will increase tremendously

Decision Making and Technology

Ever growing number of cars available makes it impossible to visit every showroom - Over 100 cars to be launched in India in 2020 & 2021
Increased rate in the spread of internet and new technology
Automobiles lead all other product categories in terms of number of search queries on Google Search
Customers rely on and trust peers and family more than dealers and advertisements
Most customers who walk into a showroom are already informed and do not rely on salesmen for much other than a test drive and a general feel of the car
Emergence of social media and dependence on online peers for buying advice and opinions

WebShowroom

The Web Showroom Idea

One point for all car information and contact needs
Make the buying process simplified and swift
Create a two way sustainable communication channel between the dealer and the customers
Have a showroom in every home and soon every persons pocket
Decrease the cost of acquiring a customer / lead
Have a more accurate understanding of customer acquisition spends

Front End Features
Back End Features

Introduction Video (Flash)
Company Information
View products, specifications and features
View pre-owned cars in stock along with image of the specific car
Car comparison between all models and variants
Read professional and user reviews, and watch video reviews
View how vehicles look in different colours available
Download e-brochure
Schemes and Offers running for each model and variant
Commercials and videos on each page relevant to page being viewed
Pricelist and EMI calculation
Accessories and Quotation Request (with details of each accessory specific to particular model along with image)
Make a sales enquiry
Book a test drive (with pick up option)
Car valuation Request
Rate a car (can view how other owners have rated a car)
Insurance and Warranty information
Insurance and Warranty Renewal Request

View service charges and extra treatments, offerings, etc.
Book car service (with pick up and drop option)
Request car service history
Dealership location and contact information along with Google Maps link (includes work timings)
Dealership gallery
Service, sales and website feedback forms online
Car care manuals and tips
Advertisement and special offer banners
Message board (Birthday and Anniversary Wishes)
One vertical ticker and one horizontal ticker (for news and updates)
Customer Login (Once registered, contact information on forms get automatically filled in)
Testimonials & Chat (With Sales / Service)
Contact us enquiry
Downloadable content (Car wallpapers, videos, etc.)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Job openings & Recommend site to a friend
Social Media Links (Facebook Page, Orkut Community, Twitter, Blogspot, YouTube Channel)
Quick links to key forms and options

Web Showroom Backend Features

SMS and Email alerts for all types of requests (Sales Enquiry, Test Drive, Quotation, Accessories, Valuation, Service Booking, Service History, Insurance Renewal, Extended Service Warranty) sent immediately to the respective department.

Add and edit banners (advertisments, offers, notices)

Can be image or text along the bottom, top or side of the page
Can be linked to more information
Can be set to run for a particular period of time
Can be set to display only on specific pages

Add reviews and videos

Allows for videos to be added only to specific pages

Create different levels of administrative accounts to restrict level of access and distribute web showroom responsibilities (Customer support, Service Management, Sales Management, HR Management, Pre-Owned Cars, etc.)

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Send anniversary, greeting and birthday cards to customers (Once customer details are filled in, there will be a greetings message automatically generated on the message board on their birthday/ anniversary)

Add and edit test drive schedule

Can block test drive slots in schedule for which test drives have already been booked so that they do not show to other customers

View list of people who have registered to the web showroom along with detailed information

Add and edit messages, headlines, news etc.

Can be set to run for a particular period of time

Add and edit products - Make, model, variant along with features, specifications, images for both new and pre-owned cars

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Additional Features

View list of people who have registered to the web showroom along with detailed information
View request summaries by type of request with detailed information
View request summaries over a specific time period to check traction
Add and edit service charges
Add and edit accessories list
View registered users activity report
Add and edit rate of interest
Add and edit free camp information and images

Add and edit testimonials
Add and edit pricelists
Add and edit job openings
Add and edit accessories lists
Add and edit special offers and schemes
Add and edit locations and contact information
Add and edit FAQs & Create and send HTML newsletters

Modules

Home Page

View all products
Chat with showroom / service
Social Media links and customer speak
Promotional banners

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Location Selection Page

View Location Image
View address and contact numbers
View Work timings
View location on Google Maps

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Product Selection Page

Select a car
View brief overview
Go to specific product page

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Product Overview Page

View product related video reviews and commercials
View product model/ variant pricing and calculate product Equated Monthly Installments scheme (EMI)

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Interior Features Page

View key features description along with images

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Color Select Page

See different models in all the available color options

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Test Drive Form and Quick Links Menu

Test Drive Form
SMS and Email alert sent to salesman
Test Drive request and contact details of customer saved on web showroom
Quick Links Menu on the right

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Equated Monthly Interest (EMI) Calculator Page

Choose model/ variant and view price
Choose principal amount and interest rate
Send EMI request form with specified preferences

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Add/Edit Banner

Set from when to when banner will appear
On which page and where on the page it will appear
Upload and preview banner

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View Test Drive Request

See a summary of test drive requests made on the web showroom
View customer contact and request details
Approve the request and assign sales person to customers

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View Request Summary Page

See a summary of all requests made on the web showroom
Click to view in depth details of each request type and each specific request

WebShowroom

Purpose
Activities

Purpose of Social Media

Create communities of customers on different social platforms to increase WOM and improve opinions of the dealership
Create a two way communication with customers - Be a part of the consumers online conversation about the product and dealership
Increase the number of sites linking back to the dealership web showroom
Improve the Google search rank of the dealership
Create new media channels at a minimum cost

WebShowroom

Activities on Social Media

Facebook

Create a Facebook Community for customers to interact among themselves, potential customers and the dealer
Upload and Tag images of customers with their new cars
- Salesmen congratulate the customer on Facebook, check back after a week to see how the new car is doing
- Increases visibility of the dealer
Constantly stimulate a conversation
- Provide maintenance and car care tips
- Inform about offers and schemes
- Keep customers posted on new products and company news
- Ask for their opinions
Use of Facebook ads to promote the dealership

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Twitter

Inform about company and product news
- Create awareness about the dealership in the twitter community
- Build the manufacturers brand and increase it's value perception
Run contests
Reply to queries and requests

WebShowroom

YouTube

Post promotional videos
Aggregate car reviews, comparisons and test drives on the channel play lists
Link videos to web showroom
Upload customer feedback and videos
Run contests
Ask customers for their opinion on a video
Post video responses on relevant videos
- To become part of the conversation
Stimulate conversations over rich media

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Blogger

Used to provide detailed information on subjects of interest to the customer while improving the image of the dealership
Run contests
Provide maintenance tips, car modification guides, product reviews and brand related information
- Expert guest blogs
Share customer experiences and stories

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Orkut

Create a community for people to interact within
Create polls and discussion topics
Use Orkut community to get indexed on Google search

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Google (AdWords - Places - Analytics - Conversions)

Use Google AdWords to increase search traffic towards the web showroom
Use Google Places to increase visibility by having dealer locations displayed on Google places
- Link to Google AdWords
Use Google Analytics and Conversion Tracking to effectively track effectiveness of the web showroom traffic

WebShowroom