Nearly 85 per cent of customers are willing to buy new commercial vehicle products after the lockdown, and 50 per cent of customers are interested in booking their next truck online, with this percentage bound to increase, according to a survey by TrucksDekho.

The survey shows the likelihood of a big disruption in the commercial vehicle segment, it said in a statement. TrucksDekho, part of the CarDekho Group, is a digital platform for trucks in India and part of the CarDekho Group.

A significant number of respondents are ready to buy new trucks within a month of the lockdown being lifted, it found.

The survey was conducted to understand the digital buying behaviour of commercial vehicle customers in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak. With a sample size of 800 ‘in-market’ (lead- droppers) audience, the survey further splits its respondents according to the product segments: mini-trucks, pick-up trucks, intermediate and light commercial vehicles (ILCV) and medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV). It included young business owners who are also decision-makers. Traditionally young business owners (with an experience less than 20-30 years) are synonymous with small commercial vehicles (SCV) and ILCVs, it said.

While 85 per cent of customers are still willing to buy new CV products post lockdown, the remaining may be considering buying a used truck, the survey found.

Many CV buyers are now looking forward to online financial solutions and special online price offers, it said.

The survey highlights contrasting buyer trends that are possibly a factor of the infrastructure and regulatory disruptions in the CV industry. Such buyer groups, for example, first-time buyer of MHCV range of trucks, are growing in number and can become a major buyer base in the future, it found.

“Post the Covid era, with physical roadshows being far and few in between, we foresee OEMs using digital medium even for their product launches and to engage in virtual product expos in days to come. Measurability on digital also makes the proposition compelling as there is tangible ROI on any investment made,” said Manish Harodia, Chief Business Officer, TrucksDekho.