When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in the first quarter of 2020, it badly hurt businesses. The automobile industry was no exception. The resultant lockdown and the disruption in the supply chain stopped or limited their production. Even when the lockdown was lifted, the production took some time to gain momentum. In addition, the fear of infection kept the buyers away from the showrooms.
The pandemic posed a wide array of challenges for the industry owing to the considerable change in the buyer journey, and marketers looked towards technology to overcome them.
While digitalization is a new arena for the auto industry, prominent automobile companies have already opted to provide a memorable customer experience with digital technologies. Automobile companies are increasingly employing emerging technologies such as VR (Virtual Reality), IoT (Internet of Things), AR (Augmented Reality) and multi-hybrid cloud network architectures to engage their prospective customers in new exciting ways. Here’re how technology is shaping the automobile industry in 2021.
Virtual Showrooms
Automobile brands have created virtual showrooms to enable consumers to evaluate their offerings as per their convenience from the comforts of their homes. Featuring exciting videos, product shots and details, finance options and more, these virtual showrooms enable consumers to make informed decisions without stepping into a physical showroom.
Virtual Events
As large gatherings are not possible nowadays, automobile brands are engaging their customers and partners through virtual events. From product launches to customer engagement events to partner meets, virtual events are changing the way automobile brands engage with their stakeholders.
Online Communities
With ride outs and other customer engagement events not on the cards in the near future, automobile brands are creating online communities wherein customers can interact with each other and the brand. These communities are driving conversations around topics of common interests and enabling brands to take their customer engagements levels to new heights.
Here's how we helped a leading superbike brand create brand resonance and drive leads by starting conversations by building an online community
One of the leading superbike brands in India was experiencing an unprecedented dip in sales owing to the pandemic and the resultant slowdown in business. Consumers weren't visiting their showroom to take test rides and buy new luxury motorbikes due to the fear of infection.
We developed an online community for motorbiking enthusiasts to drive conversations around biking. Integrating the product details on the landing page, we generated organic leads through social media. As a result, BMW Motorrad was able to secure 650+ bike bookings, 200 UGC and 40 organic leads from social media conversations. Along with that, they were able to create an active BMW Motorrad riders WhatsApp group with 171 members.
Technology is proving to be a boon for automobile majors in today's social distancing age. It is enabling them to connect and engage all their stakeholders and create solid foundations for their future growth.
