Do YOU have what it takes to buy a car in the early 2000s?
With technology we all know how easy it is to buy a car now. With just a few clicks we can find out about the specifics of the car and compare cars to other models. But do you know how people used to buy cars and look at cars before the development of web 2.0?
Well let me speed you back in time, where buying cars weren’t that simple. Back before the development of web 2.0 we had consumers who would go around dealership hopping trying to find the perfect car for their needs. With car salesman trying to rip consumers off, and not knowing the specifics of the vehicle you purchase, well, that was just the beginning.
As car ‘stalls’ (now a days known as car dealerships) developed in the 70s consumers were more exposed to purchasing cars for their daily needs. Most of the time consumers couldn’t even book a test drive till weeks later the date they viewed the car. However, with new tech, comes new trends and opportunities on buying cars.
With the development of technology, web 2.0 has played a huge role in the car industry and the car selling market. As each year technology becomes faster and rapidly improves, it’s not a surprise that car manufacturers are taking this to their advantage to market their new designs on such platforms.
One major car selling platform that I’m sure everyone has been on when looking to buy a car is Car sales. Having a car selling website from 1997, but being fully recognised as market leader in 2009, many may say Carsales.com has helped make buying a car so much easier. It definitely has helped for me at least when I bought my car.
Instead of going around to dealerships asking questions and specifics, Carsales.com now allows to compare models and find out the specifics of the vehicle like the engine size, does it have Bluetooth, maybe even Apple Car play if you’re lucky – just making a more streamlined and easier process of searching the right car for you. Anyway, with the development of web 2.0 buying cars is just merely the beginning for marketers as it opens a spectrum of doors to promote their speedy, each to their own cars.
Ever since the introduction of web 2.0 car manufacturers has had to find new ways to promote their vehicles using digital media platforms and new marketing methods to lure in potential customers, as such although it is made super easy for consumers to find out information, it may be hard for these car manufacturers to source the right and persuasive information to us.
Was purchasing your first car difficult?
Let me know in the comment section below on how your experience was!
Keeping up to Speed. 
Hi Dorian, I think that car dealerships just have to adapt with the times. You mentioned that the web 2.0 has made it easier for consumers, but more difficult for car dealerships. However, the whole point of a car dealership is that the potential buyer can physically see, feel and either test drive it to see if it elicits a positive response and prompts them to buy it. Car dealerships should be using the web 2.0 and incorporate social media marketing amongst their IMC approaches to be crucial to their strategy to draw in consumers to their dealerships where they can physically see the cars. Do you agree with my sentiments? Or do you believe there are better ways for car dealerships to utilise the web 2.0.?
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I definitely agree with you here Raph. Your point is very true, it is not just the advertisements on web2.0 that stimulate purchases, but rather the feel of the car and physically seeing it in person will play a huge part on decision making.
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Great post Dorian! I’m sorry to say that I’m not much of a car expert myself, and I haven’t bought my first car yet, but definitely I have heard of Carsales.com and my friends have spoken about it too – it seems like a great platform to look at all the different options, and find a car that best fits someone’s needs or interests when it comes to driving. Absolutely with Web 2.0 and especially the extensive use of digital platforms coming into play, it’s important for car companies to be able to communicate information about their different models and their features in a way that reaches the consumers who are seeking to buy a car, and actively gets the brand into their list of considerations. Especially since there are so many options out there, first-time buyers (and even people like me who are clueless about cars) are bound to be confused from the start so using digital platforms effectively to reduce the stress of the decision making process, is another consideration for marketers of car companies!
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Definitely, you’re spot on unpixellate! Hopefully when you do purchase your first car you definitely consider Carsales.com and do extensive research and compare models.
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Love this post!! I certainly think the access we have to technology these days makes it much easier to source information and trusty reviews without having to leave the comfort of our own home. I guess in the future, we won’t even have to leave our house to ‘test drive’ a car, if VR was in place; giving us this virtual experience. Plus car dealerships could also utilise this to their advantage. What are your thoughts? Are you pro this ever-growing tech, or against it?
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