This document discusses digital marketing strategies for automotive retail in India. It provides statistics on the large and growing Indian automotive industry. Key growth drivers include a growing middle class, increasing incomes, and favorable government policies. While customers currently prefer offline purchases, most research is already done online. Effective digital strategies include targeted email campaigns, landing pages, marketing automation through drip campaigns, and SMS/mobile integration to improve customer attraction, engagement, and acquisition. These strategies can help automotive retailers adapt to changing customer expectations and behaviors in an increasingly digital purchasing process.

1. DIGITAL MARKETING FOR
AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL
MARKET
Neeraj Mishra | Co-Founder, Mcounts | +91-7799656664 | neeraj@mcounts.com

2. INDIAN AUTO INDUSTRY STATISTICS
Domestic Market share FY'15
13%3% 3%81%
employs 19 million people Largest Market by 20163 rd
million vehicles
produced23.36
million vehicles
exported
3.57
nation's
manufacturing GDP
45%
of country's GDP7.1%
2-wheeler
producer
2
Commercial
Vehicles
1
Motorcycles
5
International Rankings

3. GROWTH DRIVERS
CAGR during FY 2014-2021
18% 19%8%
India has the world’s 12th
largest number of
high-net-worth individuals
Increasing disposable
incomes in the rural
agri-sector
growing working
population and an
expanding middle-class
large pool of skilled and
semi-skilled workers and a
strong educational system.
entry of a number of foreign
players and reduced overall
product lifecycle
large number of products
are available to consumers
across various segments
Favourable government policies like
lower excise duties, automotive
mission plans, the constitution of
NATRiP etc.

4. AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL IN FUTURE
Automotive retail will shift from a product-driven
to a customer-centric approach to drive customer
loyalty and to adapt to changing customer
behavior and expectations.
The rise of new mobility concepts and shifting
mobility preferences of private and commercial
customers (e.g., private and business-car sharing,
Cab aggregators and Self-drive vendors and an
increasing role of used cars and fleet) are causing
automakers and automotive retailers to rethink
their current business model.
Customers are able to quickly interact and easily
access information across media and devices —
anytime, anywhere. This needs to reflect in the
customer experience and marketing strategies.
Digitization, regulations,
evolving customer needs and
new competitors necessitate
a rethink of the retail model
Ernst & Young

5. CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Hours spent on average by automotive customers on the
web to search for information and to decide when and
where to buy
10
Buyers willing to finance a car purchase online
46%
Consumers spend more time for online research
per-purchase of a car than for any other product.
Customers will use multiple devices to research a
vehicle purchase80%
New and used car customers visit the
dealer’s website during the purchasing process52%
Consumers feel that an improved online
experience would motivate them to visit
dealerships more often61%
While customers currently prefer to purchase a vehicle offline, a large part of the purchasing journey is
already digital.
While online purchase will certainly pick up significantly, customers need to be given the confidence
through an engaging digital experience. Crafting a holistic Content, social media and digital strategy has,
therefore, become imperative.
Source: Car Buyer of the Future, AutoTrader, 2015;

6. DIGITAL STRATEGY
EngagementCustomer attraction
Marketing Process
Automation
Customer Acquisition

7. Affiliate Email Marketing
Customer Attraction, Engagement and Acquisition
DIGITAL STRATEGY
Targeted Email Campaigns
Designing Responsive Emails & Landing Pages
Detailed Anaytics on Email Statistics
Subject Line Testing for maximizing Opens
A/B Testing to enhance ROI
Landing Page heat-map analysis based on user behavior
Prospective Target
audience is sent mail
via multiple Data
publishers.
The interested customer
signs up for Product Demo /
Test Drive at the required
Date/Time on the custom
made Landing Page.
Pre-Sales / Call Centre Team
confirms appointment with
customer and engages the
sales team.
Sales team engages with
customer and gives a demo
of the product, Test drive
and available financing
options.
Sales happens: customer
drives away in his new car.

8. Rich Targeting Profiles
Pincode based Targeting
IVR Integration (informational)
Engagement Automation
Missed Call integration for Promos and virality
Short Code/Long Code for User intent
establishment
Hyperlocal SMS Activation
DIGITAL STRATEGY
Customer Attraction, Engagement and Acquisition
Sales happens: customer
drives away in his new
car.
Sales team engageswith
customer and givesa
demo of the product, Test
drive and available
financing options.
Pre-Sales/Call Centre Team
confirms appointmentwith
customer and engagesthe
sales team.
Customer can give a missed
call to the dealer (for sales
team to follow up)
Prospective Target
audience sent SMS regarding
offers/test drive in local
dealership and in Pin Codes
covering the dealer.
Send a Y or N to a short
Code (number) displaying
intent and approval to call
Click on the shortlink sent
to smartphone to go to the
landing page and enquire,

9. DIGITAL STRATEGY
Marketing Automation
Drip marketing is a chain of Emails that is triggered one after the other. These first Email goes out as soon as someone shows interest in
your product/service and then follows an automated chain of Emails, which helps you engage your customer better. Drip marketing is
also known as: Automated email campaign, Lifecycle emails, Autoresponders, Workflows, Marketing Automation
Lead Nurturing - For example, explaining unique features of the product to a
prospect.
Welcoming a customer: A customer has booked a car, congratulate the customer. After a week, give details of relationship
manager to customer. After a week, send the customer a checklist of how to take effective care of the car. After a week, send
customer details on nearest travel places to go for a long drive. After two weeks, thank the customer and ask for referrals.
Engagement - Keep your prospect engaged by informing them about the news in Automobile sector
Education - Educate your prospect about Autombile models. Start off with sending a checklist of things to see when buying a
car/bike. After 4 days, explain the common terms like mileage, chassis, throttle, torque, gear-rato etc. After a week, send them an
EMI calculator to understand how to apply for car loans and best loan vehicles in the market.. After 3 high value content emails,
send the customer a product Email about an new product launch. After a week, restart high education emails.
Upselling - Don't miss out on your existing customers. Inform your existing customers every month about your new products and
how to take care of their automobile, a timely service of the vehicle as a best practice?

10. DIGITAL STRATEGY
Marketing Automation
Relevant
You can deliver the right
information to your
prospect at the right
time.
Informed
The leads that you generate
through a drip campaign are
well informed. A well informed
is a high quality lead.
Automation
No more need of maintaining
complex excel sheets for lead
stages. Emails go out based
on automated rules thereby
reducing manual error.

11. ABOUT US
Agency with a creative heart
and a technological backbone
@mcountsIndiasales@mcounts.com
+91-7799656664
+91-9986114420 www.mcounts.co