There’s no mistaking that today’s consumers live in a world where technology reigns supreme. The rapid growth and adoption of e-commerce, social media and on-demand services has transformed Filipino's into an incredibly tech savvy and informed consumer. As internet penetration surpasses 50% and smartphone adoption exceeds 55% it's becoming more important than ever for brands to embrace online platforms as part of their customer pipeline.
In the auto-industry, there’s no denying that the online landscape plays an important role in customer acquisition. In one way or another customers are coming online to research what vehicle to buy and (in many cases) make contact with a dealer. The days of customers hopping from one showroom to another are dead and gone.
Aside from the huge benefits of accessibility to information, there are numerous other reasons why dealers should consider using an automotive e-commerce platform. Noted below are three of the more obvious reasons.
1. Prospects are inquiring while at work and when your dealership is closed.
As the average income rises and the chances of auto-loans getting approved increase, more and more Filipino’s find themselves (for the first time) with the ability to purchase a vehicle. During the working week (Monday to Friday) peak usage of AutoDeal occurs throughout the working day when most prospective customers are at their office or place of work. Interest further increases into the late evening when dealers are closed and even continues throughout the night through the 20% audience share of Filipino Overseas Foreign workers. Using an online automotive e-commerce platform like AutoDeal is advantageous for prospective buyers as they can communicate digitally rather than having to answer the phone.
AutoDeal site usage between the hours of 8am to 5pm is 51% higher on a weekday than it is at a weekend.
2. Prospects are inquiring on smart-phones (and you’re not there).
More than 65% of AutoDeal inquiries are now generated from smartphones with 75% of our traffic originating on mobile and tablet combined. Combine the steady decrease in Google search on mobile, the fact that many local automotive brands don’t have mobile websites, and many dealers don’t have a website at all and you’ve got a huge volume of prospective car buyers who are immediately drawn to a platform like AutoDeal.
3. There are more options for customers than ever before.
Based on our latest data, we’ve found that consumers affinity with specific brands are becoming less and less common. On platforms like AutoDeal, a customer on average will make two simultaneous brand choices and browse through an average of three of four different car-makers. Not only will the customer inquire among two different brands, but could also review from a variety of same brand dealers. If your dealer (or brand) isn’t on the table, then the opportunity for capturing the new-generation of tech-savvy buyers is rapidly decreasing.
