megatrends

Industry viewpoint
OEMs and dealers
must not ignore online
car-buying
Luca Mentuccia, Accenture
The global automotive industry has come
a long way since the upheaval of a few
years ago, as evidenced by the recent
2013 North American International Auto
Show (NAIAS) in Detroit: not only was
there an array of gleaming new vehicles
and greener models, but also a new
optimism thanks to an industry rebirth
that is, in large part, working.
Yet the ability to sustain success results
from taking full advantage of every
opportunity, and some OEMs and dealers
are not focusing enough on digital
marketing, an area that can have a direct
impact on the bottom line. The first stop
for more and more car shoppers is not
the dealer showroom, but the Internet.
And, while conventional wisdom would
suggest that car websites should aid and
support sales performance, a new
Accenture global survey of 13,000 drivers
in 11 countries suggests that the current
state of industry websites may be
hindering it.
75% of consumers surveyed
say they still need to turn to
more traditional offline
media for the information
required to make their carbuying
decision
The study, conducted in Brazil, China,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy,
Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and the US,
found that while consumers are generally
satisfied with their online experience,
they want content on automotive
industry websites customised to be more
relevant to their specific car-buying needs,
and they believe such a change would
make the process simpler and faster. Of
65 Automotive World Megatrends magazine | www.automotiveworld.com Q1 2013