Video production in automotive retailing continues to reach record levels, with more than 12.1 million CitNOW videos created during 2021, up 120% over the past five years. Meanwhile, video communications continue to be popular with car buyers as watch rates of videos sent remain consistent at around 73% over the past decade. In 2021, CitNOW saw the number of video views increase by 25% year-on-year, amounting to 30.5 million views of CitNOW videos in 2021.
- Video production in auto retailing continues to increase with more than 12.1m CitNOW videos created in 2021
- 25% year-on-year growth in number of video views
- CitNOW Workshop use increases 66% in four years; CitNOW Sales use up 52%
- Free upgrades to next generation CitNOW app now available
The use of video in the car buying journey continues to grow exponentially as a preferred tool for engaging with prospective customers, with the total number of CitNOW videos ever made surpassing 60 million in 2021. While video production levels have soared 4,294% since 2013, customer approval ratings have not dipped. CitNOW videos maintained an average customer rating of 4.8 out of 5 in 2021 from over 745,000 videos.
Looking at individual app usage, CitNOW has seen a 66% increase in CitNOW Workshop video creation in the last four years and CitNOW Sales also proved to be popular with a 52% increase in usage.
“The latest video usage data suggests that digital communications as part of the car buying and ownership journey is continuing to grow in popularity with both motor retailers and customers alike”, comments Carol Fairchild, Chief Customer Officer at CitNOW.
“Last year, we passed the landmark total of 60 million videos produced using our technology whilst customer satisfaction levels have remained high with the average video rating 4.8 out of 5.
“In a survey conducted for our latest report assessing the ultimate digital customer journey, we found that 84% of car buyers said video was a valuable part of their car buying experience and 70% of car buyers valued the transparency that video provides in the workshop. The rate of digital transformation in the automotive industry has accelerated in recent months, and the use of video to bridge the online to offline customer experience is most definitely growing.”
To help retailers adapt more easily to changing consumer behaviours and offer a more transparent and seamless service to customers, CitNOW recently rolled out free upgrades to its existing software. It’s next generation of apps offer improved functionality and a more streamlined experience for all CitNOW products, including CitNOW Sales, Workshop, Web and Bodyshop, helping dealers to maximise revenue streams.
Further findings from CitNOW’s latest report, ‘The Ultimate Digital Customer Journey’, can be downloaded here.
