Automotive News Canada - April 2022 - 12

12
* APRIL 2022
Google exec: Strive to connect buyers with inventory
Consumers are
accustomed to the
efficiency of online
shopping, getting
what they want,
when they want it
By STEVE MERTL
VANCOUVER CORRESPONDENT
CANADIANS' INCREASING
comfort with online shopping
has created fresh
marketing opportunities
for the country's
automakers and dealers,
said Al-Karim
Awadia, head of
industry for automotive
at Google Canada.
Of particular importance is
building out data on inventory
" so you can advertise specific
vehicles that you have in
stock, " he said during the March
18 Automotive News Canada podcast.
" And this is information
that you know the distribution
teams and the [automaker] level
have access to. "
Awadia, 45, joined Google 10
years ago but previously held
positions at General Motors
Canada, including in consumer
marketing and advertising as
well as national accessory sales,
working with dealers. He now
leads Google Canada's effort to
help dealers grow their online
business.
RETAIL TRENDS
SPOTLIGHT
The COVID-19 pandemic, with
its lockdowns and strictly controlled
access to stores, pushed
many consumers to shop online,
a concept they might have resisted
before. As such, less than one
per cent of vehicles were being
sold online pre-pandemic, said
Awadia. That has since jumped
to six per cent for new cars and
13 per cent for used, he said.
Though still a fraction of
overall transactions,
such a sharp jump
was unexpected.
Consumers are now
used to the efficiency
of online shopping,
with the ability to get
what they want, when they want
it, he said.
Buyers are well informed
when they arrive at the dealership
and they're taking advantage
of available digital tools,
" great platforms that a number
of [automakers] have launched
to do walk-arounds for consumers
in a virtual way with a virtual
showroom, " he said.
The opportunity to research
and comparison shop online has
drastically cut the time between
customers contacting a dealer
and purchasing a vehicle,
Awadia said. Forty per cent buy
not working. [They should be]
really thinking about [their]
omnichannel strategy, [they're]
selling strategy, reflecting on
how other
industries have
rapidly moved
into an omnichannel
world.
And it probably
includes
deploying new
Awadia: Dealers must be
testing and learning when
it comes to their media and
customer experience. " Figure
out what's working and just
continue to do more of that. "
SUPPLIED PHOTO
in less than two weeks and 18 per
cent within one week. A Google
Gearshift/Think Auto Research
2021 survey showed that 54 per
cent of Canadians said they
would now be willing to make a
purchase completely online with
zero contact.
" That says something about
how it's impacting our industry
and auto and how [automakers]
and dealers and dealer groups
are reacting. "
HOW CAN DEALERS IMPROVE
THEIR ONLINE PERFORMANCE?
" [Dealers should be getting
their] measurement strategy
refined [for] a better understanding
of what's working and what's
e-commerce solutions that we're
seeing a number of [automakers]
start to bring to market. And
then the last thing would be ...
we always say it's important to
be testing and learning, both in
[their] media and [their] customer
experience. Figure out what's
working and just continue to do
more of that. "
IS THE INDUSTRY PROVIDING
ENOUGH INVENTORY INFORMATION
TO CUSTOMERS?
" I think on the used-vehicle
side, we've seen a lot of innovation
in that space, where customers
expect to see exactly
what they want and are willing
to have it delivered to them or
drive a little bit of a distance to
get it. But on the new-car side, I
think we have a lot of progress to
make there right now, going to
an [automaker website], searching
for inventory, getting a dealer
location, going to a dealer
site and seeing what they have
in inventory. That information
has to be extremely accurate and
updated. "
HOW DOES CANADA STACK UP
FOR ONLINE DEVELOPMENT?
" We are one of the most innovative
markets globally, so
Google works across countries.
And we're very closely connected
to how the Google auto teams
around the globe are working,
and they lean on Canada a lot for
how we're leveraging innovative
digital solutions. And so I would
say we're definitely ahead of the
curve. "
HOW WILL THE INDUSTRY ADAPT?
" I think every [automaker]
is going to start launching platforms
that enable customers to
at least make a deposit online.
And so in order to do that, price
transparency has to be there.
Information has to be readily
available. I think the ways we
used to negotiate and purchase
a vehicle are going to change
because there's going to be a lot
more transparency. "
WHAT TRENDS ARE EMERGING?
" We're seeing queries for EVs
grow 12 times what it is for internal-combustion-engine
vehicles,
and so that is definitely a trend
that is growing. It's [an] expectation
that consumers have. "
- ANC
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Automotive News Canada - April 2022

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