Audacity of Digital – Can automobiles become more addictive?

Motorheads, Petrolheads apart everybody loves their cars. Sure, the need is born out of necessity but for some they become an object of indulgence. For many however they remain a mundane object of commute and nothing more.

In my last post, Audacity of Digital – The Next Mobility Experiences, I had alluded to the trends in digital consumerism and emanating from that the need to create more personalized, relevant and addictive experiences that can bridge the gap between ownership and addiction.

The posit I want to put forward is that what consumers do with their cars; is way more important than the car itself.

As a younger self, I often took off on my second hand, modified Yezdi motorcycle to unknown destinations or no destination at all. The trips taught me a lot about myself , our common limitations between man and machine, and what I could do overcome them in my next gig.

As a gang of youngsters who hit the road, we learnt how to appreciate the scenes we encountered from crowded metropolis to ever green country sides. The limitations taught us how to care for ourselves and our bikes, increase efficiencies and DO MORE. The fondest memory, I have is of the Barackpore Old Airfield track races that I would participate in. We would mix Jet fuel (bootlegged from the Airforce sources) with normal petrol and experiment the right mix to get the right torque.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then experience is the father.

Engineering needs to make way for Experiences

As one of the front runners of the Industrial revolution, the automotive industry is built on Engineering Excellence. As years passed, we witnessed a slew of engineering features making their way under the bonnet and inside the interiors. Here are the top 10 according to a popular car magazine - # Cruise Control #4WD #Seat Heater (s)/Massagers # Cruise Control #Park Assist #Automatic transmission #DVD Video System #Third Row Seat #Sunroof #Navigation System #Leather Seats

Add to that all the electronic delights like high end infotainment systems, hill hold control, android car/apple carplay, Anti-Lock Braking System, EBDY, Central Locking, Speed Sensing Auto Door Lock, Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock, Brake Assist, Power Door Locks, Child Safety Locks, Anti-Theft Alarm .. and the list can go on.

And yet, we see abysmally poor adoption and/or usage all that is loaded onto these caravans-of-delight adding to the price of the car.

Auto OEMs now more than ever before need to research their users and focus on experiences rather than engineering.

The 5 stages of Auto Consumer Experience that needs attention

Commute times are increasing in every city and the car is transforming to an office-on-wheels and a mobile entertainment platform. The digital life experiences as they amplify the physical lives of consumers, needs attention

1. Intelligent Personal Assistants that can connect work and family with equal ease
2. Productivity on the Go with Hands-off Mail, Calendar and Phone Communications
3. Planning Events and Journeys with Family
4. Catering to the stated and anticipated needs of families and guests
5. Motorsports Gaming
6. Ride Experience Communities on Instagram
7. Pool Car Groups on purpose built Communication Platforms

Marketplace Offerings

1. Food on the Go
2.  Retail Shopping on the Go
3.  Roadside Repairs
4.  Spares & Accessories Recommendations
5. Personalized Insurance
6. Personalized Service
7. Doorstep Car Wash
8. Personalized and location specific Parking spaces
9. Ubiquitous mobility connecting all forms of transport (ride sharing, 2 wheelers, bicycles, river transport)

Value is created at the Intersection of Product, People (and their habits) and Experiences. There is no escaping the fact that humans are creatures of habit

Why does investing in addictive experience make business sense?

Auto Marketers and Product Managers have two available tools at their hand for transforming their customers’ behavior into forming a habit: the constant entrée and detailed personal data gathered through data mining. Investors compute an organization’s “client lifetime value” (CLTV) to understand their overall value. The more habit-forming an item is, the higher its CLTV the business can expect to be.

As purchasers accept a product and incorporate it into their lifestyles, their resistance toward the increase in its cost declines.

To end, here is a quote from one of my favorite books ; Hooked: by Nir Eyal

“Reducing the thinking required to take the next action increases the likelihood of the desired behavior occurring unconsciously.”

And that is the WhatsApp moment that Auto OEMs must look to create.

Are you creating such hooks and moments for your consumers?