Auto brands take note of growing digital influence on cars and bike market

With smartphones now replacing in-person research when buying cars or bikes, the digital medium will become key for advertising, sales and marketing

It is not only consumer goods, retail or banking and financial services that is seeing the influx of digital in the purchase process. Automotive brands today are increasingly finding consumers coming to them via the digital route, prompting them to pay attention to the medium closely.
 
To put things in perspective, a recent report by Google-Kantar TNS says that 96 per cent of buyers in India use search when purchasing a car or bike. The smartphone, it says, has rapidly replaced in-person research, pointing to how hard-pressed people are for  time in today’s day and age.
 
The study