Maruti sells 2 lakh cars through digital-only channel, boosts online presence
Maruti Suzuki on Monday informed that its online sales channel, first launched in 2018, has been witnessing increased traction with each passing month and that the company had sold 2 lakh units since April of 2019 through digital means alone. The country's largest car maker informed that more than 1,000 dealerships have been integrated into its digital sales channel and that it sees the share of virtual retail spaces growing further in the times to come.
Underlining how dealer websites have been witnessing increased user traffic, Maruti Suzuki informs that it has seen a five-fold increase in sales through digital means which now stand at 20% of total sales. Covid-19 related factors have resulted in digital enquiry exceeding 33% in the last five months.
The car maker highlights that a solid technology backend and a data-driven Hyperlocal marketing approach have enabled it to reach to the masses while ensuring a personalized experience to each user who has the facility of one-to-one communication channel. "Customers first research online and then buy at the physical dealerships. While online experience provides the complete spectrum of information to the customers, at the last mile the customers seek assurance of the deal from their trusted dealer advisors," says Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited. "Interestingly, customers who enquire through our digital channel end up purchasing a car within 10 days. This reaffirms that with a robust online to offline platform executed by a digitally enabled salesforce, converting digital enquiries into sales becomes easier."
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A Google Auto Gear Shift India 2020 report recently stated that around 95% of new cars sales in the country are digitally influenced. As such, a strong online presence is being widely recognized as a crucial way to reach out to prospective buyers. While OEMs like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and a few others also bolstered their respective online sales platforms before the pandemic, the Covid-19 outbreak saw others doubling down on their online presence as more and more people have now started to make purchases from the comfort of their homes.
There are many who still identify a high-value transaction involving a vehicle as a massive decision but the facility to browse through products online, check specifications, interact virtually with a sales executive and order a test drive at a convenient location is fast making the digital option more viable than it has ever been in the past.
