Hyundai has launched its 'Click to Buy' online sales platform in India. The platform enables customers to purchase cars online. It has over 500 dealerships.

The customer can select the model of their choice, variant and the colour. The customer can then choose the dealership. Once that is done, the website generates a quotation and displays the financing options and delivery method. At the end of this process, the customer can place an order.

Hyundai has also provided an online concierge service to clarify any doubts that the customers might have.

Earlier this year, 'Click to Buy' was initially launched as a pilot in Delhi-NCR.

Tata Motors is reportedly planning to set up a new network of virtual reality dealerships. This step is being taken to attract tech-savvy customers. Initially, the company will be setting up these new dealerships in key metro cities, while it will be extended to other cities after seeing the customer response. The automaker is aiming to open its first virtual reality dealership in the second half of 2017.

Through the new dealership chain, Tata Motors is aiming to provide a 5D like experience to its customers. A customer visiting the virtual reality Tata dealership will be able to get a 3D experience of the car, try various customization options and even get a drive experience of any Tata vehicle.

This will help Tata Motors to set up touch points in posh localities of major cities like Mumbai and Delhi, where the expensive real estate makes it difficult to open conventional dealerships. These virtual reality showrooms will be self-operated and will likely be manned by only one sales executive who will be responsible for receiving visiting customers and collecting their data.

Tata Motors is also expanding its conventional dealership network. The company has increased its workshop & dealership count from 255 to 540, in two years. The manufacturer is planning to continue this expansion as it prepares for three new product launches scheduled for the next year, including the Hexa, Kite5 and Nexon.

Source: Autocar Professional

A recent study by Accenture has found out that a majority of the surveyed recipients wish to have a greater role of digital media during the car-buying process. Contrary to the older process where the car-buying experience was all about visiting multiple dealerships, test driving different vehicles, negotiating with the dealers for the best deal etc. car-buyers today have changed preferences.

The global survey was conducted among 10,000 car owners across 8 different countries - India, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Some key findings of this survey are as below:

India-specific findings

• 84% of the drivers would choose to go through an entirely online procedure to buy a car, which includes financing, price negotiation, paperwork and home delivery of the vehicle.
• 53% of the respondents claimed to have been influenced by car websites and online automotive publications, when making a car-buying decision.
• 82% are interested in online financing and negotiations in the car-buying process.
• 69% Indians claimed that free oil changes or maintenance options would influence the choice of buying/leasing a new car.

Global findings

• 80% of respondents looking to buy a new vehicle use some form of digital technology to research.
• 62% initiate the car buying process online (which includes seeking help from social media channels) before visiting a car dealership.
• 75% would consider their entire car-purchase process online. Interestingly, 92% of the Chinese respondents were 'for' this idea while 80% of the Japanese were 'against' it.
• 63% would be interested in buying a new car via an online auction. 90% of the Chinese respondents were interested in this while 80%, 65% and 55% of Japanese, French and Germans were against the idea.
• >50% respondents hopes that the automobile industry improves the online channels to make researching a new vehicle easier. Users are more interested in getting tailored information available online, more demonstrations and more sites which provide an opportunity for comparison shopping.

French carmaker Renault, is gearing up to open a digital dealership in India. This showroom will have no vehicles. Instead, cars will be showcased on digital screens. Customers will be able to access product information on internet-enabled large TVs. The dealer will store inventory in a stockyard. The digital dealership concept is expected to reduce the dealer's costs as floor space of a showroom is more expensive than that of a stockyard.

Sumit Sawhney, CEO and Managing Director of Renault India, has said that the digital showroom will be an experience centre. He believes that consumers see a car on the road before going to the showroom to have a closer look. So not having cars in the showroom will not be a dampener. If the idea is successful, it will be replicated across other showrooms.

The digital dealership concept has been developed by TVS & Sons, parent company of the TVS Group. It believes that digital showrooms will allow dealers to operate on a tight inventory. The company claims that the model will be cost-effective for dealers who have to invest frequently on variants and operate on low margins.

Renault's current market share in India stands at 2%. It is aiming to increase it to 5%. The company's only successful model has been the Duster compact SUV. In such a scenario, we believe that Renault is taking a huge risk with digital showrooms. Indian customers like to touch and feel vehicles before they decide on purchasing. Many customers could give Renault cars a miss if they are not allowed to experience the vehicles physically. Nobody would like to find differences in what appears in a virtual showroom and what is delivered in reality.

Information, images and even videos on various car models are available on numerous websites on the internet.

Source: ET Auto