The automotive industry has been responsible for nearly ten per cent of our country’s GDP for over a decade. Starting with manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service providers, the automotive aftermarket also includes third-party workshops and vendors. Put together, they have built both need and opportunity for the service and repair segment.
This has given birth to countless setups and workshops outside manufacturer franchises. Over the last few decades, their exponential growth has generated the need for organized networks that can be remotely be accessed by car owners.
This never-ending need for services in the digitally growing industry has led to the rise of several new start-ups in the automotive aftermarket. The competition is intense and unlike culinary applications, these digital businesses are responsible for the entire service experience of customers as well as ensuring quality deliverance from their vendors’ end.
Most of these automotive service aggregators are currently limited to their cities, while some have forayed into other states and are looking at nationwide expansion.
Some of the top automotive service aggregators in India are:
1. GoMechanic
An online platform designed to simplify the process of having one’s car repaired, GoMechanic was founded in 2016 and is currently based out of Gurugram. With annual revenue of US$2 million, it currently employs 205 people including its Co-founders. The most recent funding into the company was an A-series category round that added nearly US$5 million to their existing value. Their immediate competition includes Cartisan and Pitstop – both Bengaluru based and application run.
There are mixed reviews online and like any service provider in the automotive industry, GoMechanic must strive for genuine customer satisfaction for a sustainable customer network.
2. Car Zippi
Based out of Bangalore, Car Zippi was founded in 2015 by Suman Howlader and provides door-to-door car care services inside a thirty-kilometer radius in the city. Turnaround time for these application-based aggregators mostly depends upon the segment and service-need of the vehicle. Through the Car Zippi app, it takes car owners anywhere between thirty and forty-five minutes to have their cars fixed, for service costs ranging between INR 450 and INR 5500.
3. Droom
Droom is a similar application-software based company which is currently functioning out of Gurugram. It offers a plethora of services ranging from Vehicle warranty claims or renewals, road-side assistance, insurance, and car loans. Droom also has a methodology built auto inspection service called Eco. Droom Eco is responsible for inspections and verifications of used vehicles in a well-organized manner and offers a thousand checkpoints for the seller and buyer to be clear with their options.
4. Mericar.com
Mericar is an aggregator and online marketplace for the after-sales segment of the automotive industry. They were founded in 2008 and are currently based in the National-Capital Region. Mericar provides pan-India twenty-four-seven roadside assistance for breakdowns, through an app-based repair-shop location system. Funded by a major Indian automobile company, Mericar’s services are currently limited to a twenty-kilometer radius around their setup.
5. Fixcraft
Fixcraft aims to provide quality assurance in automotive repair and maintenance. Founded in 2018, they connect car owners to workshops with varying setup-levels at affordable prices. They’re generally okay for guidance on regular maintenance providers, but it is advisable to identify capable mechanics or repair setups for major faults or issues. Fixcraft is currently based out of Delhi-NCR and eventually aims to spread operations towards Pune and Bangalore.
6. ClickGarage
Clickgarage is yet another application based aggregator for motorcycle and car service. It was founded by Shashwat Yadav and Bhuvan Batra, and is aimed at providing all post-sales services including regular maintenance, body-repair and re-painting, spare-part replacements, diagnostic scanning and roadside assistance. Their android based application allows users to customize their service schedules and provides real-time information of service procedures and their estimates.
7. Autoyaar
Autoyaar is an Ahmedabad based aggregation platform which is linked with over a thousand automotive service providers for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. They connect people to car-washes, service-setups, car-spas and detailing centres. Their service tie-ups also include Bosch Car Service, CarzSpa and Castrol Pitsop.
8. SpareHub.com
A Pune based start-up, Sparehub is an e-commerce marketplace for automotive spares and services. They currently have on offer, more than fifty-thousand spares of multiple brands and their various models, and have partnered with over fifty automotive maintenance and service providers across the country.
Generally, all these aggregators connect with individual setups through telephone calls, text messages and direct face-to-face communication via marketing agents or interns. They offer business enquiries and assure conversions to these setups as monthly or annual subscriptions. Some of these aggregators provide either infrastructural aids or merchandise to these setups, while some are purely connected through applications. The most important thing is for them to set certain quality standards for these countless setups, to ensure customer satisfaction and above-average service deliverance. Adding new customers and building a network is relatively easy for almost any aggregation based business. It is often the lack of sustainability and inability to retain customers due to poor service quality, that proves fatal for most of them.
Related Links:
