REPLY: New Research Entitled “E-commerce Trends: Mobility & Car Sales” Looks at the Current Perception of the Concept of ...
May 18 2021 - 2:30AM
Business Wire
The Trend Sonar monitoring platform analyses the evolution of
e-commerce in the automotive sector and how the digital world is
virtually extending the concept of mobility
Through its proprietary Trend Sonar trend monitoring platform,
Reply recently conducted a study to examine how the e-commerce
model has evolved over time – particularly in the automotive domain
– revolutionising the sector and consequently influencing customer
expectations.
A digital approach and a strong online presence have become
indispensable in the automotive sector, especially since last year
when the global pandemic placed the digital realm in a preferential
lane, rewarding businesses that have been able to change their
business model quickly in favour of digitisation.
Over the past year (more specifically from April 2020 to March
2021), analysing the frequency of mentions of millions of online
sources – expert media articles, mass media, patents and scientific
publications – Reply’s Trend Sonar monitoring platform has, indeed,
confirmed a 61% growth in content related to automotive e-commerce
compared to the previous 12 months.
An evolution that starts from afar. The automotive sector
is not new to change: in the last 20 years it has been the
protagonist of an unprecedented revolution. Reply’s analysis, in
fact, shows that all the conditions and prerequisites are in place
for the sector to find itself on the threshold of a new
discontinuity.
The first online marketplaces for used cars date back to 2000,
while a few years later the first online broker platforms began
gaining popularity, directly connecting authorised dealers and end
consumers and offering online booking, car configuration and
digital brochure services. This was followed by the first online
dealerships and, in recent years, car manufacturers have started
selling their vehicles directly to the end consumer, adopting
Direct to Consumer models.
Today's scenario: between the physical and the digital
worlds. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the pace of digitalisation
has greatly accelerated: digitised analytics systems, pricing tools
and financing processes are now a necessary standard to help
increase leads in the sector. Reply’s study highlights precisely
how, at this point in time, we find ourselves at a crossroads
between the offer of digital and traditional services. Indeed, in
the near future, services such as 3D showrooms, virtual test
drives, advanced configuration tools and digital concierge services
are expected to see increasing use, allowing consumers to test and
configure products directly online.
By opting for direct online sales to customers, native digital
car manufacturers are turning the traditional car buying model
upside down. The customer journey has also been impacted by the
current revolution underway: leasing, financing, choice of
insurance providers and coverage or even vehicle registration have
recently digitised and automated the customer experience,
shortening waiting times and eliminating paper documents.
The future of mobility is increasingly more virtual.
Since car sharing services have entered the market, mobility has,
in fact, begun to be perceived as a service built around the
digital world. Many car manufacturers and industry suppliers
are adopting an approach in which the car is becoming a
platform capable of providing access to a broad digital
ecosystem of app-based data and services. In fact, in the future,
in addition to a means of mobility and transport, cars are expected
to be increasingly used as a tool to collect data on customers.
Access, exchange and sharing of this information will be decisive
for defining future dynamics and for offering the customer a range
of more complete and personalised services, which may even include
solutions proposed by customers themselves.
More information on the research is available on Reply’s website
at “E-commerce trends: mobility and car sales”.
Reply Reply [MTA, STAR: REY, ISIN: IT0005282865]
specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on
new communication channels and digital media. As a network of
highly specialised companies, Reply defines and develops business
models enabled by the new models of AI, big data, cloud computing,
digital media and the internet of things. Reply delivers
consulting, system integration and digital services to
organisations across the telecom and media; industry and services;
banking and insurance; and public sectors. www.reply.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210518005081/en/
Media Contacts
Reply Fabio Zappelli f.zappelli@reply.com Tel.
+390117711594
Aaron Miani a.miani@reply.com Tel. +44 (0)20 7730 6000
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