MAM
Going hyperlocal: The next big thing for India’s automotive industry
Learning from modern consumer behaviour and market dynamics, India’s automotive industry has evolved by adopting hyperlocal marketing techniques to reveal a compelling strategy. Hyperlocal marketing, which focuses on targeting consumers within specific geographic areas and aligning promotions with their immediate needs and preferences, has shown the automotive industry a way to a significant opportunity that awaits us. It has opened the doors for the Indian automotive sector to enhance customer engagement and drive sales.
One of the most prominent advantages that hyperlocal marketing offers is making the delivery of highly localised advertising and promotions a possibility. By customising of online and offline advertisements based on local preferences, automotive companies have now effectively managed to reach potential customers within specific regions.
Such a localised approach has ensured that marketing efforts resonate with the cultural and economic conditions of the target area, thereby improving the effectiveness of promotional campaigns. For instance, understanding that consumers prefer to purchase tyres locally due to convenience can guide manufacturers to tailor their marketing strategies accordingly.
The benefits of hyperlocal strategies extend beyond marketing to operational efficiencies. By leveraging digital tools and methods, the automotive industry can streamline its manufacturing processes, reduce labour costs, and reshape traditional business approaches. This digital transformation allows for more efficient resource allocation, enabling manufacturers to focus on high-demand regions and fine-tune their return on investment. Additionally, by aligning inventory stocking and restocking with regional consumer demand, companies can significantly enhance their supply chain management.
Hyperlocal technology also facilitates a seamless last-mile digital transformation for retail locations, ultimately boosting lead-to-sales conversions. By automating listing administration, catalogue management, online reputation management, and tailoring landing pages, automotive businesses can deliver a personalised and engaging customer experience. This hyperlocal tech stack helps build a sustainable digital strategy that strengthens the brand’s product and service offerings.
Adoption of hyperlocal techniques further enables the building of tailored landing pages with contextual content, hence enhancing engagement and lead-to-sales conversion capability. Available technologies guarantee that consumers get correct and relevant information by allowing the cleaning, updating, and publishing of location data across main platforms including Google, Meta, Bing, Apple Safari, and Maps. Quick update product information, images, inventory, prices, promotions, and local discounts across all physical shops better’s consumer shopping experience and increases the likelihood of purchase.
In addition, AI-powered online reputation management tools provide an added layer of customer interaction, enabling businesses to respond promptly to inquiries and feedback, thus fostering positive relationships with potential customers. Also, hyperlocal technology helps create organic first-party data, which comes in handy while targeting suitable customers at a lower cost compared to traditional advertising methods.
By moving to a hyperlocal platform, automotive brands find it simpler to distribute contextual content, manage their online reputation in real time, and maintain updated product information. This multi-pronged approach not only supports the creation of a product-as-a-service brand vision but also enhances the overall consumer experience by providing timely and relevant information.
Therefore, as the Indian automotive industry continues to evolve, the adoption of hyperlocal marketing strategies is poised to be the next big thing. By leveraging the power of localised advertising, digital transformation, and advanced technological tools, automotive companies can achieve greater customer engagement, optimised resource allocation, and improved lead-to-sales conversions. The shift towards hyperlocal marketing represents a strategic move that aligns with contemporary consumer behaviour and market trends, positioning the automotive industry for sustained growth and success in the digital age.
The article has been authored by Sekel Tech founder and CEO Rakesh Raghuvanshi.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
