Contrary to perceptions, potential car buyers in the country do not depend on social media or dealerships during their decision-making process, old-fashioned, word-of-mouth along with car reviews are bigger influencers in the purchase process, according to the findings of a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd.
“While social media strategy is high up in the priority list for manufacturers, the customers seem to attach the least importance to what they get out of the social networking sites,” it added.
However, test drive remains a key activity for potential car buyers, although customers do not want to spend more than 45 minutes for the dealership visit and the test drive.
The report found that consumers have a rational approach to buying cars and they consider utility and value for money to be highly important. Family need is rated as the top trigger in purchase decision of a car, and is eight times more important as a trigger than better brand image. For repeat buyers, technology and need for more space are the top triggers.
The study also stated that people recommend cars to potential customers regardless of whether they own it themselves or not, implying that vehicle manufacturers need to continuously engage with customers beyond sale of cars.
