Connected vehicles will be nearly ubiquitous across the US in the next 15 years, according to an October 2020 report by PwC’s Strategy&. This year, US connected cars will make up almost one-third (32%) of the total vehicle parc (the total number of registered vehicles) and grow to 97% in 2035. Europe’s figures lag a bit at 26% and 93%, respectively.

The surging popularity of connected cars presents a continuing opportunity for marketers on several fronts. Voice search, for example, can provide a more interactive way to reach people inside the car than standard radio advertising, or the car’s location data can help marketers target ads to people nearby. And users are open to these new features as well: UK and US internet users expressed interest in using voice commands to control their in-car entertainment (57%), using their cars to find nearby restaurants and shops (53%), or setting reminders to buy things when they’re no longer driving (45%), according to a September 2020 GlobalWebIndex survey. While interest in these tools is low for now, marketers should pay attention to these developing trends down the road.

 

Article Published on eMarketer by Nina Goetzen on December 11, 2020