Digital hits the road The more digital car buyers become, the more they miss the showroom. OEMs need to raise their game—both online and of.For today’s drivers, purchasing a car should be much like buying any other consumer product: a swift, convenient and cost- effective exercise in online self-service1. New Accenture research reveals that only one third of customers who bought a new car in the past five years would do so again from a standard dealership in the future. Most prefer different options, regardless of whether they are premium or volume customers2. Our research also reveals a paradox: the more digital car buyers get, the more they seek a rewarding physical experience. Indeed, early adopters of new technologies—“digital natives”—visit car dealerships more often than “digital laggards”. Having made their decisions online, they have very specific reasons for their visit to a store. They want the excitement of the showroom, and to be really listened to and understood. 1What Digital Drivers Want, Accenture 2016 2Accenture surveyed a representative number of private car buyers in the US, China and Germany in spring 2016. About the survey Accenture’s research was carried out in spring 2016 as an online survey in three major automotive markets: US, China and Germany. The survey participants are a representative number of private car buyers in each market who had purchased a new car in the past five years.THE MORE DIGITAL CAR BUYERS GET, THE MORE THEY SEEK A REWARDING PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE. Liquid Expectations All of which suggests that if OEMs could collaborate with dealers to offer more engaging offline customer experiences, while leveraging more active online options, and ensure that “customer geniuses” are on-hand in both channels, they could control the customer interface more effectively—and fend off the new entrants whose platform business models have already disrupted the second-hand car market. Such a shift—from product- to customer-centricity, and from passive online information provision to active online consultation—would mirror what has already occurred in other retail spaces where providers struggle to retain control over the increasingly liquid expectations of their customers.THE DIGITAL PARADOX Despite their online enthusiasm, car buyers still seek a personal touch. Sixty percent of all digital natives visit the dealership more than twice before making a purchase. Only 47 percent of digital laggards do the same. However, customers don’t believe that in-person interaction is necessary at every step: 49 percent of respondents would use (or would strongly prefer to use) a digital channel for purchase advice, as long as it was “neutral”. For every purchase, customers visit the dealer only two to three times, including to sign the contract and to handover the vehicle (see Figure 1). VOLUME CUSTOMERS = PREMIUM CUSTOMERS OEMs have traditionally regarded premium customers as more demanding than volume customers. But our research shows that both premium and volume customers have much the same expectations when it comes to the sales process. Moreover, customer experience—not product—is the critical differentiator. For example, in-person interaction with sales staff is of equal importance to both customer types (see Figure 2). Figure 2: How important to you is in-person interaction with the sales staff during the buying process Volume CustomerPremium Customer 3.012.94 Copyright 2016 Accenture All rights reserved Scale: 1 – Not important at all 2 – Nice to have but ok if doing through mail/phone 3 – Important to have somebody to talk to in person 4 – Essential in every step REGIONAL DIFFERENCES COMPLICATE THE PICTURE There are clearly regional variations in retail format expectations. While in Germany and the US, the standard dealership is still an important first option (for 45 percent and 35 percent, respectively), most car buyers would prefer a different format. And Chinese car buyers have a strong preference for flagship stores (see Figure 3). Copyright 2016 Accenture All rights reserved Digital Laggards Copyright 2016 Accenture All rights reserved Figure 1: How many times did you visit the location where you purchased your vehicle during the buying process US and German customers prefer a standard dealership. In the future, standard dealerships will be complemented by flagship stores. Especially for Chinese, male, urban and digitally-savvy customers. Figure 3: Only one third of customers want to buy their car at a standard dealership in the future. 2.28x Digital Natives 2.45x 4 。。。。。。以上简介无排版格式，详细内容请下载查看