Ek handshake hota hai, keys handover hoti hai, customer apni new car leke showroom se nikal jaata hai, or is never seen again. Ye pehle car manufacturers ke liye bilkul normal scene tha: ek baar car sell ki, uske baad next service inspection tak full radio silence.
Andres Nienhaus, jo strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman ke partner hai, unke according ab one-time payment model that's the thing of the past. Future mein customers apni car ki complete lifespan ke during payment karte rahenge, jaise navigation ke liye, breakdown assistance, upgrades ke liye, ya phir cockpit ke inner car gaming ke liye.
"Infotainment options se customer ke saath long-term relationship banane ka chance milta hai," Nienhaus kehte hai. Unhone or unki team ne ek study ki hai jisme prove ho gaya hai ki infotainment market $9 billion se increase ho kar 2030 tak around $14 billion ho jayega, or every year around 10% ka growth hoga. Unka conclusion ye hai ki, "Infotainment automotive industry ke sabse important growth areas mein se ek hai."
Image Courtesy: Manager Magazine
Whether smart parking ho, heated seats ho, in-car payments ho ya direct cloud access, Oliver Wyman ki study ke according kaafi saare features hai jo subscription ke through sell kiye ja sakte hai. Study ye bhi kehti hai ki buyers ka interest kaafi high hai: 2,000+ respondents mein se 42% respondents better system ke liye apni car brand tak change karne ko ready hai.
China mein (500 respondents) ye number or bhi zyada hai, 58%, jo US (500 respondents) ke 44% se kaafi above hai. Germany mein (1,000 respondents) ye sirf 33% hai.
Monthly payment ke case mein bhi same trend show ho raha hai: Chinese users ek better infotainment system ke liye approx. $47 (Rs. 4,276) per month dene ko ready hai, whereas Germany mein ye $43 (Rs. 3,912) hai or US mein around $41 (Rs. 3,730).
Younger customers are more willing to pay
Image Courtesy: Manager Magazine
Chinese car buyers already apni digital life mein subscription model ke saath grow hue hai, that's why wo car ko sirf horsepower wali cheez nahi, rather ek digital product ki tarah dekhte hai, Nienhaus ke according.
Wahi German customers ka mindset thoda different hota hai, €60,000 (Rs. 64.80 lakh) spend karne ke baad unhe lagta hai ki unhone already kaafi zyada invest kar diya hai.
Saath hi, jo buyers 30 se below hai, wo 45+ age group car users ke comparison mein zyada pay karne ko ready hote hai. Nienhaus kehte hai, "Young people ka enviornment hi subscriptions se bana hota hai, ek arah se wo subscriptions ke saath hi grow hue hai.
Par manufacturers ko infotainment subscription ke liye convince kaise karein? Ideally, wo tech industry se idea le sakte hai or trial subscriptions offer karein, so that jab subscription expire ho, tab customers ko realise ho ki wo kya miss kar rahe hai. Isse new needs create ho sakte hai, jinko after that auto industry long term profits ke liye use kar sakti hai, same waise hi jaise air conditioning ya automated tailgate. Pehle inki kisi ko need nahi lagti thi, jab tak auto industry ne khud proactively introduce nahi kiya.
Nowdays car ek 'SDV (software defined vehicle) ban rahi hai. Means ek digital platform hota hai jo central computer se all functions control karta hai, ya phir subscription ke according sirf kuch selected features. Navigation, entertainment, damage check, sab kuch ek hi system mein. Isse system simple ho jata hai, cost bhi reduce hoti hai, or customers jab chahein tab updates or new features access kar sakte hai.
Who takes advantage from the infotainment industry?
Nienhaus ke according, car manufacturers are faced the big question: "Main kya release karu or kahan apna control hold karu?" Jaise jaise hardware or software zyada merge ho rahe hai, waise waise operating systems or apps ki importance bhi increase ho rahi hai, or ye wo area hai jahan tech companies clearly dominate karti hai. Abhi tak industry mostly black and white model pe chalti rahi hai ya toh manufacturer Apple ya Google ko car ke system mein fully integrate kar leta hai, ya phir unhe bilkul bahar hi rakhta hai.
Nienhaus ke according, ab thoda direction change hota dikh raha hai, complete abandon karne ke instead cooperation. Kaafi manufacturers ab CarPlay or similar tech ke saath apne khud ke solutions integrate kar rahe hai, without any tech companies ke control mein jaaye.
Most important thing is technology ko car ke data se link kiya jaaye, jaise range, charge level, ya semi autonomous features. Ismein ek big opportunity bhi hai: jinke paas vehicle data ka control hoga, wahi attractive services bana paayenge. Or ye big tech ke against ek strong advantage ban jaata hai.
Having access to vehicle data is essential
Maps jaise features toh already big tech players ke control mein hai, but study ye indicate karti hai ki small or niche markets mein startups or private equity investors ke liye kaafi well and good opportunities hai. Nienhaus kehte hai, "In car gaming ek big market hai jo abhi bas start hua hai." Is space mein market kaafi zyada fragmented hai, that's why yahan investment ke options zyada attractive ya relatively easy ho sakte hai. Some people even believe ki car actually ultimate gaming environment ban sakti hai, 16 speakers join hoke ek immersive sound experience de sakte hai, ventilation system game ke according dynamically adjust ho sakte hai, or interior lighting apna colour change karke front passenger or rear seats ke gaming experience ke saath match kar sakti hai.