UK and European motorists increasingly buying tyres online

UK and European motorists are increasingly choosing to purchase tyres through the Internet. The latest research published by one of the largest tyre e-tailers, Delticom also suggest – perhaps unsurprisingly – that consumers are increasing tending towards their online retail platforms. These results of the research have been published in the Delticom Report “Tyres Online 2014”.

According to the company, the research was based on a representative survey conducted this year by the market research institute SKOPOS (Cologne, Germany) on behalf of Delticom. For the study, the researchers interviewed more than 5,000 female and male drivers aged 18 to 65 in five selected European countries, including the United Kingdom.

A quarter of all drivers surveyed have already purchased their tyres on the Internet and over two thirds of those who have never bought tyres online up to now would be willing to do so in the future. The Delticom Report has also shown that across the European markets, Delticom stores were most frequently chosen by customers purchasing tyres online. These research results may suggest that there is still a considerable growth potential for Internet tyre dealers like Delticom.

Online tyre buying growth especially strong in the UK

An especially strong rising tendency to buy tyres on the Internet is visible among the motorists in the United Kingdom. The number of British drivers who have acquired tyres online increased from 14 per cent in 2013 up to 23 per cent in 2014. Furthermore, over one third of the motorists in the UK who have never purchased tyres on the Internet have stated their intention to make such a purchase in the future.

Andreas Prüfer, board member of Delticom AG, considers the results promising: “Consumers’ inclination to make online tyre purchases is accelerating very fast. More than a third of the drivers are inclined to buy their tyres online. In the United Kingdom alone, the proportion of those who have purchased their tyres online increased by way more than half in just one year.”

High availability of tyres is of particular importance to British drivers (75%). The motorists in the UK also attach great significance to the positive past experience with the tyre seller (67%), affordable prices (59%) and the large choice of tyre brands and models (58%).

“The overall package of our online shops makes all the difference. In addition to attractive prices and high availability throughout the year, customers will find in our shops a comprehensive service package. Just last year alone, our offer convinced more than 1 million new customers,” says the board member Philip von Grolman and adds: “At mytyres.co.uk we create the best conditions for consumers to find their desired tyres. Among 100 tyre brands, you can find tyres that will be suitable for almost all vehicle types”.

However the value and importance of tyres still appears to be underestimated. Almost one third of all the respondents change their tyres only when the tread depth reaches 1.6 mm. It is also the case in the United Kingdom, where a considerable number of drivers feel compelled to buy new tyres solely when the legal minimum tread depth is reached (33%) or when the tyres have been damaged (16%). A notable group of British respondents (10%) does not even know when it is time for a tyre change.