MUMBAI: A recent SEMrush study revealed that during the current downturn, stalwart automotive brands Maruti, Hyundai, and Honda are the 3 most searched for automotive brands. India’s leading automotive brand Maruti was searched an average of 492,626 times each month between January to August 2018 and an average of 452,250 times during the same period in 2019. Hyundai, the second leading automobile brand in India, was searched an average of 309,375 times each month between January to August 2018 and an average of 295,625 times during the same period in 2019. Honda was searched 295,625 times between January to August 2018 and 280,375 times during the same period in 2019.
The SEMrush study reflects that the current slowdown is impacting how many times online searches for automobiles are made. That demand for automobiles is falling is understood, the SEMrush study shows that fewer online searches for automobiles are concomitant with a fall in demand for automobiles. Clearly, when searching for a new automobile Indians use the internet to make a buying decision.
Searches were made for other automobile brands as well. The fourth-highest numbers of online searches were made for Tata Motors followed by Mahindra, Volkswagon, Ford, and Renault. Each of these brands was searched for fewer times between January to August 2019 than during the same period in 2018, except Tata Motors, which was searched more often in 2019 than in 2018.
Several reasons have been given for the slump in the automotive sector of which one is that people are increasingly using ride-hailing services. The SEMrush study shows that view is not quite correct as during the period January to August 2019, there was a huge drop in the number of times people searched for cabs online compared to the same period in 2018. The number of searches made for the 4 leading ride-hailing companies Ola, Uber, Meru, and Mega fell dramatically from 683,825 to 465,350 in the 2 mentioned periods.
Yet ride-hailing companies aren't going anywhere according to the SEMrush study. While people may be searching less often for ride-hailing companies, traffic to the site of ride-hailing company Uber increased in January to August 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The number of visitors to Uber’s site in January to August 2018 was a little less than 4.5 million while during the same period in 2019 it increased to a little over 5.6 million.
The SEMrush study suggests that a majority of those who know of ride-hailing companies and can use their services already do so as the number of people searching for them online is falling.
Speaking about the results of the study Mr. Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush commented, “Our study has verified that there is indeed a slowdown in the automotive sector. That there is a slowdown isn’t news, yet that it shapes what consumers search for online is something few in India know. Our study verifies that online searches and demand for goods in the economy are strongly correlated; it also verifies that Indians are growing accustomed to learning about products online before buying them.
He further added: The flow of online traffic also highlights consumer behaviour. Traffic to Uber’s website is increasing while the number of those searching for it online is falling. This highlights that there is significant awareness among consumers about Uber's services. Most consumers directly visit the company’s website to use its services and don’t need to perform a search for it”.
