According to a Globo survey, recommendations from friends and family are increasingly important to 68% of respondents
The journey of buying cars is increasingly shared, as pointed out by research carried out by Globo. Listening to people who purchased a car between January 2018 and August 2021, the broadcaster found that recommendations from friends and family are increasingly important to 68% of respondents. There was also an increase in the sharing of shopping experiences in the period, jumping from 58% to 62%.
According to Eduardo Petribu, commercial director for automotive and finance at Globo, although the journeys are not linear, understanding movement is important because it presents some paths of attention for both manufacturers and car marketplaces, a modality that has grown in the country.
“We noticed that, in the two analyzed periods, the five most impacting stages of the journey remained, such as surveying potential brands, consulting trusted people, checking prices on websites and dealerships and checking the car in person. It is important that the brand is attentive to interact with consumers with the same tone of voice and care at all these touchpoints”, says the executive.
Roger Laughlin, co-founder and CEO of Kavak in Brazil, says he understands information sharing well. “Kavak was born after my two partners and I shared bad experiences when trying to buy or sell a used car.” According to him, it was from these episodes that the executives decided to create a company focused on solving two common problems in the used car market: customer experience and security.
“Consumers are promoters of a brand, and if the experience exceeds expectations, then the path is open and favors the growth of the business. The market and demand are there, it’s a matter of understanding who your audience is, being where they are and betting on solutions that effectively solve their lives”, he explains.
This new reality is also felt by Ford, an automaker that considers spontaneous recommendation as a “fundamental” factor when making a decision. “The relationship between people and brands has changed in recent years and, because of this, it is essential to offer memorable experiences in all our points of contact with the consumer”, says Marcel Bueno, Marketing Director for Ford South America.
It is the “enchantment” process that makes people post, interact and become true advocates for the brands, analyzes Bueno. As an example of these moments, he cites Ford’s positioning, “Ready For More”, which explores the territory of action sports and is now at the center of the brand’s communication, sponsoring athletes such as Ítalo Ferreira, current Olympic Surfing champion; and also the sponsorship of Libertadores and agro events, in addition to the Ford On The Road Experience, an exclusive event with customers and potential consumers.
“In all these brand experience touchpoints, we generate memorable moments for our customers, and the result is spontaneous and real engagement, to that recommendation of the shared purchase process”, he explains. Actions that are leveraged by social networks and activations in more traditional media – when they have an affinity with the message – to increase awareness.
Relevant paths taking into account that, according to the survey, 77% of respondents consider at most two brands. And that the preference for the purchase of cars of the same brand grew from 7% to 16%, when comparing the pre and during the pandemic scenarios.
At General Motors, the understanding today is that the journey is made up of 3 major moments: engagement with the brand, search for product information and effective purchase.
“For the former, we know that people create greater affinity with brands that share interesting content and true purpose, and to achieve that, we are on a journey to build more than just a car brand and we are spreading GM’s values in advertising and content. . For the other two moments, in a fast-paced and connected world, we know that consumers are looking for convenience”, reveals Federico Wassermann, General Motors Marketing Manager.
It is a process that, according to the executive, involves increasingly integrating digital tools, such as a messaging app to create direct connections between sellers and customers, improving the experience and satisfaction of consumers; and a unified platform of websites for dealers, with 80% of the network present throughout Latin America, which ensures that everyone has access to information and has contributed to making media investments more effective.
For Karvi, an Argentinian startup selling used car sales, this more shared journey is the result of users’ insecurity when thinking about purchasing used cases. “For this reason, our communication strategy is fully linked to Karvi’s level of transparency and our commitment to offering the best shopping experience”, says Matías Fernandez Barrio, CEO and founder. The company presents as its main attribute in the communication the “Karvi Certificate”, which includes inspection and a one-year warranty.
Final moment and after-sales?
This purchase process, which ranges from product and brand knowledge, analysis, purchase execution and after-sales relationship, also demands attention. Among consumers who purchased vehicles during the pandemic, 76.6% said that going to the dealership will remain very important for the transaction; 77.4% that the service, virtual or not, is crucial; and 76.3% that the test drive is essential.
Bueno, from Ford, says that this data reinforces how national consumers have a different profile compared to European countries or the United States, with a physical journey that is still very strong.
“But we know that people have started the process of research and purchase decision online, reaching the dealership more decisively, because they have already researched in depth the characteristics of the product, its price and the competition”, he said. A learning experience that led the company to develop a new sales process specific to Brazil, focusing on the consumer experience.
According to Wassermann, from GM, the quality of service is one of the priorities. “We know how important this is for maintaining loyalty and perpetuating business.” He says, for example, that today the Brazilian operation registers the best rates among GM units in the world.
In the case of Kavav, Laughlin says the company has a hybrid model, created with the aim of allowing consumers to choose the type of experience they want to have. “Brazilians can opt for a 100% digital journey, through the company’s website or app, or start the process online and finish in person, in physical stores. If it is easier for the consumer, we can also deliver the car to their home”.
In addition, people have the possibility to return the car within seven days or 300 km if they change their mind. A solution that Karvi should also launch in conjunction with the home delivery service.
