Media post: New, Second Hand, Electric, Domestic: How Car Markets Reflect Consumer Concern Trends
When it comes to buying cars, people have innumerable reasons for making a purchase. When it comes to what car they buy, the reasons are equally high in number. From first cars to family cars, luxury cars to electric cars, diesel to petrol, not to mention style, color, and performance considerations, it’s never as simple as something like buying a coffee. Actually, even that is complicated in the world of lattes, cappuccinos, cortados, espressos, and more, but you know what I mean! With so much choice, purchasing a car is something that often requires a lot of thought. Naturally, budgets are a major factor, but even then, it is not as easy as putting a dollar amount down.
Consumers are often complicated – just ask any marketing department when they are attempting to build targeted advertising strategies. A huge amount of thought goes into the choices people make every day, and that’s true whether you’re betting on your favorite soccer player, choosing a new wardrobe, picking out an exciting video game, or trying your hand at playing casino games online – no matter what it is, you can devote a significant amount of brain power to it!
Imagine, for a moment, the chance of winning a car. Some game shows and even online gaming options may offer this, but again, not even a car given as a prize would be suited to all players. Why would, for example, a single person in their twenties want a family SUV? It’s just another example, I suppose, of how cars reflect needs, personal preferences, and so much about us to an extent. When it comes to winning a car versus cash, the question could be how valuable that may be to any winner, and how enticing it is when it comes to online casino games that may include this as a prize option.
It’s not just cars that attract this kind of attention, either; you’ll see players spending significant amounts of time assessing and choosing their online games too – whether that’s blackjack or roulette. Have you ever spent hours trying to settle on the perfect game to spend your evening on, or devising a perfect strategy for boosting your odds of winning when you’re playing online slots for real money? You’re certainly not alone there; we’ve all had those nights, and the following highs and lows as the wins and losses stack up. When it comes to cars, though, manufacturers are all about getting you to focus on the wins, and making choices can be even more challenging. Among the plethora of considerations car manufacturers and brands need to consider is what drives (if you will pardon the deliberate pun) people to make their choice of vehicle. The list of reasons, as we mentioned earlier, is almost endless.
Whether it is a growing family in need of an SUV, a new driver looking for a second-hand car that is not too expensive, or an environmentally concerned citizen who wants nothing more than to own an electric or hybrid vehicle, car buyers come to the forecourt and into the car buying market with both requirements and preferences. How, then, do all these car buying considerations reflect traditional, new, or ongoing trends in the overall car market? Every car sale is unique, but we can still take a look at how general trends are reflecting or creating consumer concerns in the car market.
Reliable, Rechargeable, Resaleable: Consumers Consider All Angles When Buying A Motor
Many years ago, I bought my first car. Second-hand, not a particularly nice color, but at least it was reliable. I would humbly suggest that, even to this day, that is one of the most critical requirements, if not the most important. Naturally, once reliability is established, trends diverge and buying patterns differ wildly, but this is something basically every buyer will demand. How much a car costs and how many miles you will get to the gallon or, in the case of electric cars, what the range per charge are also key questions people consider when buying vehicles.
You can look at as much car sales data as you wish and I am sure you will find that running costs are also one of the major elements considered by car buyers. Not only do people want value for money in a car purchase price, they want it to be resaleable. With second-hand car markets always important to the industry, it is also important that car owners know their car will, if taken care of, be desirable for selling on. It has been argued that, as of yet, electric cars are not as resaleable as petrol or diesel motors, though I am sure that will change.
Beyond all this, car buyers want a whole range of things when they are considering what is, let’s be honest, probably the second biggest single purchase cost after property. Of course, people buy what they need. Families need larger vehicles, while new drivers need cheaper ones; people with money want luxury motors, and so on and so forth. Ultimately, it is up to car manufacturers to appreciate all the angles people approach car buying from, especially when there is so much choice across all types of vehicles and in a globally competitive car market context.
Global Markets Consistently Driving Greater Manufacturing Competition
We now live in a truly global world. Whenever we buy something, whether in person or online, we are able to shop around, selecting from options all around the globe and getting them delivered to our door. The car market shares this landscape to an extent. When you look at any list or table of car rankings and ratings, you will see brands competing from every continent, whether in the family bracket or the luxury car market.
From Toyota to Dodge, Ford to Ferrari, Jaguar to SAAB, and Dacia to Vauxhall to name but a few, where cars are manufactured represent significant competition as different countries compete to establish manufacturing plants and production lines. Many nations are looking to bolster their industrial presence, their job markets, and their financial statistics and successes.
Ultimately, consumer concerns create and determine car buying trends, although what tops the table of concerns can be unique to each individual. Cost of the vehicle, how much they need to drive, how far they need to go, what additional features they require, how many people a car is needed for, and many other concerns are consistently brought up during the purchase process, it is up to car companies to appreciate these concerns and constantly be aware of them. Consumer needs are constantly shaping both how manufacturers make their products and how they market them.
