Published 17:41 IST, January 21st 2025
AI, Reels, Content Creators, WhatsApp Driving Customer Lead Generation for Auto Companies: Study
The study said WhatsApp led the buyer-dealer communication as among new automobile buyers, 48 per cent used WhatsApp to directly connect with dealerships.

AI, reels, content creators, and WhatsApp are driving customer lead generation for automobile companies and their dealerships, according to a whitepaper by Meta and the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations.
Interestingly, as many as 72 per cent of new automotive buyers discovered the brand on the family of apps of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
"This whitepaper underscores the potential of AI, reels, and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to strengthen customer relationships and drive growth," Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) President C S Vigneshwar said in a statement.
As per the survey commissioned by Meta, "72 per cent of new automotive buyers who were surveyed in this research discovered the brand on the Meta family of apps".
It further said WhatsApp led the buyer-dealer communication as among new automobile buyers, 48 per cent used WhatsApp to directly connect with dealerships for vehicle availability inquiries, making it the most preferred communication channel.
Moreover, the survey found that 47 per cent expressed interest in receiving service reminders via messaging platforms.
In terms of impact of reels and creator content driving purchase decisions, 72 per cent of buyers found that creator content on Instagram reels was helpful for vehicle evaluation, with 41 per cent regularly engaging with vehicle-related reels.
The survey -- New Automobile Buyers Consumer Journey Study by Kantar Profiles -- was conducted in September 2023 taking feedback from 49,590 respondents aged 18-64 in India.
In 2023, Meta and FADA launched 'Move with Meta', an upskilling and enablement programme to upskill more than 3,000 auto dealers across India with an aim to help them build a social presence and digitise their customer outreach and lead generation using the Meta platforms.
Updated 17:41 IST, January 21st 2025