Indian Consumers Prefer 3D Catalogues As Digital Trend Picks Up: Survey

Eccentric Engine's One 3D platform has been powering the virtual showroom and 3D catalogues for various automobile OEMs has released a survey which reveals 7.6 million Indians chose to experience cars virtually in 3D on platforms enabled by its technology in 2020.

It reports a 300 per cent increase from 2019 for its visualisation platform One 3D. The data is based on 100 million interactions and over 500 respondents spanning tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Its platform enabled research for cars in a virtual 3D format.

Eccentric Engine's 3D configurator has been in the market since 2018. Most recently, it enabled the 3D experiences for MG Motors, Citroen and Tata Motors.

"In India, we work with Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, MG, Citroen, Toyota, and Nissan. And also with the newly formed Stellantis (which is the whole PSA group plus FCA)," revealed Varun Shah, the co-founder of Eccentric Engine.

Eccentric Engine technology is used by all major OEMs

Shah reveals his platform enables users to explore granular details about vehicles, including details that can't be explored in review videos or online activations.

The survey revealed that 51 per cent of the sessions were from the 6 top tier cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. Even Lucknow broke into 3 per cent of the digital sessions making its way into the top 10 cities in India. Interestingly, tier 3 cities accounted for 9 per cent of the queries which is an impressive number.

The survey also revealed that 91 per cent of the users who experienced the car online ended up buying the same car offline.

"By intuitively integrating the real and digital world with One 3D we are excited to create an unprecedented level of customer engagement for our OEM partners to understand evolving consumer needs and help them serve their customers better by offering world-class product visualization that can create surprise and delight and personalize their buying experience," said Varun Shah.

Eccentric Engine created the configurator for Citroen in India

The survey also revealed that non-resident Indians were making buying decisions for their families in India digitally. 4.6 per cent sessions were from NRIs out of which 31 per cent were from North America, 32 per cent were from the Middle East, 10 per cent were from Europe, 5 per cent from the UK, 4 per cent from Australia, 2 per cent Africa and 1 per cent from Latin America.

The survey also showed blue and white were the most popular shades by more than 40 per cent. 35 per cent people preferred the colour grey, brown and silver. Red, black and orange were preferred by 15 per cent.

Indian automakers have seen a sharp rise in digital interaction over the past couple of years and yes, it's been largely driven by the pandemic. Audi India, Volkswagen India saw an uptick of 70% in online interface compared to pre-covid times and with new tech, enhancing that experience for customers is going to be paramount. More manufacturers are now getting into the game and innovation is at the top of everyone's agenda.