Online shopping or new car sales point

At present, many countries including China and the United States have huge demand for online shopping, among which Chinese consumers are the most. Surveys show that Chinese consumers are more than twice as likely to purchase cars online as consumers in countries such as the United States.

In the digital age, the way consumers are doing is fundamentally changing. In the face of increasingly fierce market competition, under the huge sales pressure, major car companies' marketing departments have begun to place greater hopes on the Internet.

Recently, during the "Automotive Festival" launched by a shopping website, the daily turnover of nearly one hundred vehicles allowed car dealers to see an important new sales channel. Many brands such as SAIC, BAIC, Mazda, Geely, and South East Automotive actively participated in the event and clearly stated. Said that the network sales have been listed as one of the key directions for future promotion by the manufacturers.

In the face of the rise of Internet shopping carts, an executive from a joint-venture car company disclosed in an interview with a Beijing-based business newspaper reporter that they have now invested more than 90% of their market expenses in online marketing. Experts also generally predict that as car companies continue to increase digital marketing, online sales are likely to become a new outlet for car sales.

Digital marketing efforts increase

Relevant surveys show that with 90% of the market share, the Internet has become the main channel for consumers to learn about car information. When talking about auto makers' efforts to increase online sales, the car home CEO Qin Zhi clearly pointed out that in the era of micro-growth, with the changes in consumer behavior, car digital marketing is something that car companies must do. “Auto digital marketing has entered the stage of deep plowing, and car companies and marketing platforms must be adequately prepared.” Qin Zhi said.

It is understood that the core of digital marketing is "aggregate effective users - find leads - form a purchase - sales increase." In other words, for auto makers, deepening digital marketing has not only been a simple brand marketing, but more importantly, the digital marketing platform has been used to increase sales.

Car companies continue to increase the number of digital marketing, the main purpose is undoubtedly to be able to sell more cars. During the interview, a reporter from Beijing Commercial Daily learned that there are now 974 distributors in Geely have set up a special Internet marketing department to better participate in various activities initiated by Geely Group and even launch various promotions on the vertical Internet. , And by the person on the phone to track the customer, test drive, etc., and ultimately the intention of the customer into a car buyers.

SAIC relevant person in charge said that last year, SAIC Motor's sales volume has exceeded 10,000 units, accounting for 5% of the total sales for the whole year, and the proportion is quite high. The effect and feedback from consumers are also beyond imagination. According to reports, SAIC Motor's future efforts in online marketing will continue to increase.

It is worth noting that the incremental market for automobiles is also continuously growing. Statistics show that domestic automobile sales reached 10.78 million in the first half of this year, an increase of 12.34% year-on-year. Among them, passenger car sales were 8.66 million, up 13.8% year-on-year, and demand for private cars was still quite large. Yan Jinghui, deputy general manager of the Asian Games Village Automotive Trading Market, said: “With the increase in market growth, the proportion of online car purchases will also increase. This is obviously a scale market that car manufacturers value, and the proportion of sales to Internet marketing will gradually increase. Big."

The advantages of online car sales have gradually faded

While companies continue to increase their efforts in network marketing, in order to convert sales leads into actual purchases, automotive websites are constantly exploring. It is reported that, in addition to Tmall and other shopping sites have launched car sales business, the various automotive vertical sites are also changing roles, from a simple media platform to a service platform.

Taking the car home as an example, due to the increase in the coverage of dealers last year, there are currently more than 20,000 dealers who have opened services on their website platform covering more than 370 cities across the country. According to the survey, half of the customers completed the purchase after obtaining the automotive sales leads through this platform. From this we can see that the role of digital marketing in increasing the sales volume of car companies is extraordinary.

Yan Jinghui believes that the current complementary marketing model between online car sales and physical stores is becoming a trend. The Asian Games Village automobile trading market is also considering the use of the advantages of multi-brand to participate in it, in advance of the layout of digital marketing to attract consumers.

It is understood that online sales of cars have a price advantage due to lower operating costs, which has already had an impact on sales of offline 4S stores. Yan Jinghui believes that from the current point of view, the proportion of online car purchases is gradually expanding, which for dealers may lead to a reduction in shoppers. However, Yan Jinghui also pointed out that if the car sales are successful, consumers will still choose to go to 4S stores to do after-sales maintenance and services, which can also bring value-added income to the 4S shop.

Qin Zhi said that the commercialization of the Internet continues to bring irritation and challenges to the traditional automotive industry. With the promotion of the automobile Internet marketing platform, the sales value it brings will have more room for development.