Social media is fast becoming the primary trust-building layer in India’s auto retail ecosystem, with industry leaders acknowledging that customer decisions are increasingly shaped online long before a buyer steps into a dealership. The shift is redefining how automakers and dealers engage with customers, moving the focus from persuasion to validation and consultation.
The trend came into sharp focus at the ETAuto Retail Forum 2026 on Wednesday, where Nidhi Modi, Director, Gautam Modi Group, and Gagan Choudhary, Auto & Aviation Content Creator, spoke during a session examining the growing influence of social media on auto retail decision-making.
“Today’s customers are far more informed. If they are confused, it is between products and options, unlike earlier, when they were unsure about what questions to even ask the dealer,” Choudhary said, adding that showroom visits are now largely about seeking reassurance rather than basic product education.
Modi pointed out that this behavioural shift has compressed the traditional purchase funnel. “We can’t say everything is digitalised. Customers still want to visit auto retail stores and experience the product, but the overall buying cycle has become much shorter,” she said.
By the time a customer enters a showroom, she noted, “he’s already in the emotional state… he’s already visualised himself driving that car,” changing the dealer’s role from a seller to a guide in the final decision-making stage.
Creators influencing buying decisions
The discussion also underlined the growing role of content creators in influencing buyer intent. Choudhary said vehicle launches alone no longer trigger purchases. “The buying decision does not happen on the launch; everybody waits for a video review,” he said, noting that engagement indicators such as comments often reflect genuine interest, even if online hype does not always translate directly into sales.
Looking ahead, panellists suggested that the ecosystem will gradually move away from purely viral content towards credibility-driven, information-rich formats. “People will eventually go to a sensible content choice,” Choudhary said, predicting that “in the next few years, people will see less of viral videos and more of informative videos.”
For auto industry leaders, the message is clear: as social media becomes the first point of trust-building, success in retail will hinge on authenticity, responsiveness and alignment with a customer who is already informed—and often already convinced—before the first handshake at the showroom.
