Self-driving cars: what could they mean for your business? Self-driving cars have been discussed for years, but now that the Government is drafting legislation for their arrival on British roads, conversation is moving away from if, to when and what the impact might be.
Read MoreScott Gairns, managing director, said 25pc of buyers are dropping out of the process because they are “frustrated by the mass of often conflicting information on diesel and electric cars”.
Read MoreSophus3, a provider of digital intelligence data to automotive brands, reported that ten years ago the average car buyer visited six dealers before making a decision. Now, the average is less than two visits, largely due to the fact that their research shows over 90 percent of car purchasers used the Internet to research their purchase in advance, most using a mobile device.
Read MoreShould you worry about your car debt? In 2016 alone, UK households borrowed a record £31.6bn to buy cars, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year, according to the Finance and Leasing Association. In fact, nine out of 10 private car buyers are now using low-cost leasing deals to fund their new car.
Read MoreSales of electrified cars in the UK rose 21% in 2018 and automotive researchers at Sophus3 concluded that electric cars are now the fourth most searched-for category online.
Read MoreCurrent changes to marketing within the automotive industry are being led by the digital consumer. For car brands, this means understanding their consumers in the way online retailers already do. That behavioural shift to digital has already happened and marketers are investing increasing time and effort into expanding their knowledge of their online audience.
Read MoreWhat Sophus3 has found is that while consumers are interested in going green, they are frustrated by the online experience they receive. For instance, some car maker are marketing electric as an ‘alternative’ or ‘lifestyle’ choice. However, Sophus3’s analysis shows that consumers considering an electric vehicle are now at a point of comparing petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric on a level playing field. They want to focus on running costs, monthly payments and ownership practicalities.
Read MoreSophus3's report on its findings states that government initiatives are needed to drive EV adoption, and Gairns believes fleets are a good target for these - with the introduction of a 0% BIK company car tax rate for zero-emission vehicles from April this year a good step.
Read More“The ULEZ really puts the cart before the horse,” said Sophus3 managing director Scott Gairns.
Read MoreScott Gairns, managing director, Sophus3, commented: “Based on the online car buyer research behaviour we see in the UK, Sophus3 believes that the ULEZ really puts the cart before the horse. There is demand now for EVs and we would advise that serious consideration is given to promoting the Norway model of a range of perks and incentives combined with aggressive EV targets.
Read MoreCar buyers turning to mobile as the device of choice for pre-purchase research. The figures come from Sophus3, which analyses all volume and premium car brands’ web traffic in Europe, and are based on an analysis of over 1bn online engagements from car buyers.
Read MoreScott Gairns, managing director of Sophus3, which monitors and analyses digital consumer traffic on car manufacturer platforms, appreciates that fleet marketing and sales in the UK are sophisticated and have a long history, but believes they will be disrupted by developing innovations.
Read MoreThe days of browsing car showrooms for your new motor has not ended yet, but the landscape has shifted significantly over the past few years and car showrooms of tomorrow could exist almost entirely online, according to a new report.
Read MoreCar Buyers turning to mobile to research new purchases. There were 1.09bn visits to car brand websites in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France in 2016, a 7 per cent increase on 2015. The average session length was 2 minutes, 51 seconds, with visitors looking at an average of four pages per visit.
Read MoreCar buying online speeds up – fasten your seatbelts. They haven’t (yet) perfected how to reproduce the aroma of new leather interiors, but there is no doubt that taking the car showroom experience onto the internet is growing in popularity. Car buying online, after stalling a few years ago, is now heading into top gear.
Read MoreScott Gairns, Sophus3 managing director, said: “2018 will see a fundamental shift in attitudes towards electric vehicles, from politicians, manufacturers and consumers. “Understanding behavioural attitudes as consumers research, and increasingly buy, online will be key to leveraging all opportunities.”
Read MoreThe British automotive industry is set for a year of “volatility and uncertainty” in 2017, according to Paul Rutishauser, editor of Automotive Market Intelligence.
Read MoreSophus3 is speaking at the 10th Internet Motors in Madrid
Read MoreResearch by automotive analysis company Sophus3 shows three distinct ‘spikes’ in interest for electric vehicles around these dates. Encouragingly, since the beginning of May, this growth in electric car interest has been maintained. “It was both reassuring and exciting to see this surge in online traffic to EV websites from April,” said Scott Gairns, MD of Sophus3.
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