MAM

How CarDekho is zooming ahead amid Covid2019 pandemic

The brand's marketing strategy is all about content creation

https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/smartcrop_800x800/public/images/tv-images/2020/11/10/gaurav_mehta.jpg?itok=o5LAxvca

NEW DELHI: CarDekho, the flagship site of GirnarSoft, is considered a leader in digitising the auto ecosystem in India. It works directly with more than eight car and motorcycle manufacturers, and accounts for 15-30 per cent of their combined annual sales.

While the Covid2019 pandemic may have brought the auto industry to a halt, CarDekho in the interim has witnessed a tremendous surge in customer traffic on its website and app. As per Comscore data, the brand has moved up from 13M UU in July to 15M UU in August, which indicates that customers are depending on personal mobility more than ever before.

In a one-to-one discussion, CarDekho CMO Gaurav Mehta explained that when the pandemic struck, the business was disrupted badly, resulting in zero car sales in the months of April and May. This, however, didn’t mean the company sat around twiddling its thumbs, rather it tackled the problem at hand with a two-pronged approach. “We worked on two factors, first to work with dealers and provide them with health insurance. Second, to introduce home inspection so that customers don’t come to CarDekho Gaadi stores owing to the safety concerns,” he said.

Due to Covid2019, personal mobility has seen a boost; customers are looking to buy their own vehicle because of the virus risk. He explained, “In June we started to see traffic coming back. We used to be around 36-37 million unique users on a monthly basis in March. In April, it went down to 18 million. In May, it bounced back to 27 million. By June we recovered and went back to the normal traffic. Compared to September, the number now is 51 million unique users on a monthly basis.”

The reason behind the spike, claimed Mehta, is many new users coming online to shop for cars and motorcycles. In fact, even users from tier-2 & tier-3 markets are searching for the latest motorcycle. “The segments that have recovered faster than the others is used cars in the two to four lakh range. Meanwhile, entry-level hatchback segment in the two-five lakh range in new cars is also doing well. The two-wheeler section has recovered to 80-85 per cent.”

Further breaking down these traffic figures, he said that 15 per cent of the site traffic comes from the website whereas 85 per cent comes from mobile platform. In mobiles also, 50-66 per cent comes from website and 30-35 per cent comes from apps.

The brand is also expanding in a big way. It recently launched its online insurance portal InsuranceDekho.com offering services in motor and health insurance. Apart from this, CarDekho has decided to open 50 offline stores in the country within the next six months given the rising demand for used cars. The firm is working on franchise models and the cars sold through these stores will be certified by the company and a warranty will also be provided.

Asked about how the brand utilises its marketing budget across different mediums, Mehta said traditionally, the business has relied on publishing editorial content on a daily basis. Content marketing is something the automobile platform does all year round, with SEO being a core part of it. After this, the focus is on paid marketing. “Eventually, we started focusing on brand marketing and working on different ideas of campaigns to reach people. We are seeing the results also; due to the campaign execution the new users went up by 90 per cent and 110 percent respectively for CarDekho and BikeDekho.”

The company is also dabbling in advertising on TV, though with limited scope and targeted campaigns. “They’re not like a huge campaign where you take up big properties like IPL. We invest in the media mix and then study to understand which medium drives the most amount of growth for us. We are very specific on brand investments because we invest in areas that work for the business. The performance marketing has gone down a lot and brand content marketing is something that we have found very good success in and we're trying to be more aggressive on that,” elaborated Mehta.

CarDekho recently announced its latest campaign for CarDekho Gaadi Store under the theme Karo India Forward, Karo Gaadi Forward with brand ambassadors Rahul Dravid and Mahesh Babu. The campaign highlights how easy it is to sell a used car, sitting at your home, office, or anywhere. It further stresses the thought of moving ahead in life despite all odds created by the pandemic.

In a similar fashion, Mehta projects the ongoing festive season will help the auto industry overcome the tribulations of the last few months. “Car segments like used car, entry-level and two-wheelers will perform well. The financial health of the country is improving gradually. With the fact that personal mobility would be there, I think the festive season will be better than what was forecasted a few months back. Looking at the traffic on the site, it will be a good Diwali for the automobile sector. However, manufacturers are still facing production and supply chain issues, which is holding up the industry somewhat.”

Over the years, the brand has proved itself a bankable property, having raised funds from marquee investors like Sequoia India, Hillhouse Capital (formerly known as Google Capital), HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Times Internet, Trifecta, and Ratan Tata. And from here on out too, CarDekho hopes to keep zooming ahead, a few bumps in the road notwithstanding.

Latest Reads

https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/117.jpg?itok=ipxofbJr
Havmor Ice Cream becomes Gujarat Titan’s official ice cream partner, roping in Hardik Pandya as brand ambassador

Mumbai: Havmor Ice Cream, one of India’s leading ice cream brands and which is almost synonymous with ice cream in Gujarat, today announced its official partnership with the defending champions- Gujarat Titans. The brand which is a subsidiary of the South Korean multinational conglomerate, LOTTE...

MAM Media and Advertising People
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/116.jpg?itok=9WAA1HPY
Wings onboards Shubman Gill as brand ambassador launching its latest campaign ‘Got Game?’

National: Wings, consumer retailer electronic direct-to-consumer brand, has launched its latest campaign ‘Got Game?’ with Shubman Gill, the rising star of Indian cricket, as its brand ambassador. The campaign is focused on celebrating the achievements, daring spirit and fashion consciousness of its...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/115.jpg?itok=XCw1U_On
Rage Coffee’s brand ambassador Virat Kohli aces the company’s OOH campaign in Delhi/NCR

Mumbai: Rage Coffee, a Delhi-based caffeine innovation FMCG company that manufactures, markets, and distributes innovative packaged coffee products, has rolled out a two months-long out-of-home (OOH) campaign at the company’s home turf in New Delhi/NCR. Virat Kohli, the star India cricketer and...

MAM Media and Advertising People
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/112.jpg?itok=adYfpaT2
FairPlay announces partnership with rapper Badshah

Mumbai: FairPlay, a renowned sports and gaming exchange licensed by Curacao authorities, is proud to announce its collaboration with Badshah, the popular Indian rapper, as its brand ambassador. This partnership comes at a time when the popularity of sports and online gaming is on the rise in India...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/110.jpg?itok=1BUM0rDZ
Anushka Sharma & Virat Kohli launches SeVVA

Mumbai: Anushka Sharma & Virat Kohli have decided to merge their respective foundations (Anushka Sharma Foundation & Virat Kohli Foundation) to launch a joint non-profit initiative aimed at helping those in need.  Kohli will continue to provide scholarships in sports and also sponsoring...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/106_2.jpg?itok=jbG2jH09
Celio India launches #CelioDoItYourWay, featuring Emiway Bantai, Ranveer Allahbadia, Umran Malik and Naaman

Mumbai: Laying emphasis on just how important it is to push beyond your limits by following your gut, Celio India, a French menswear fashion brand, has launched an exciting new campaign #CelioDoItYourWay. The brand’s first-ever music video featuring Emiway Bantai, Ranveer Allahbadia, Umran Malik,...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/105.jpg?itok=fGYjyWNp
99acres unveils its latest ad campaign, #LineLagJayegi

Mumbai: 99acres.com, an online property portal, has rolled out its new advertising campaign, featuring a brand film under the hashtag #LineLagJayegi across its social media platforms. The ad film revolves around the brand’s proposition of helping consumers make the right property decision with...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/104.jpg?itok=8mrWXYY4
Haldiram's unveils 'Flavor Wala Fast' campaign

Mumbai: Haldiram's has launched its Navratra delights menu to fulfill navratra cravings. Brand has unveiled the “Flavor Wala Fast" campaign with sumptuous recipes with unbeatable taste. Serving the most hygienically prepared Navratri meal, Haldiram's is one of the first restaurants to start with...

MAM Marketing MAM
https://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/default/files/styles/340x340/public/images/tv-images/2023/03/25/101.jpg?itok=Lo25A21X
Yash encourages irrepressible India to ‘RISE UP, BABY!’ with Pepsi

Mumbai: Pepsi is the spirit of youth in a bottle and as the quintessential culture creator, Pepsi has constantly strived to be embedded in the cultural fabric of India. Celebrating its 125 year with a brand-new positioning “Rise Up Baby!”. The brand has rolled out yet another summer campaign with...

MAM Marketing MAM