Social media platform Meta on Wednesday said it has joined hands with Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) to enable auto dealers across the country to reach consumers digitally. The announcement of the programme Move with Meta was made at the Auto Expo 2023 here.

It would upskill more than 3,000 auto dealers across the country to build a social presence and digitise using Meta platforms, the social media giant said. FADA, currently, represents 15,000 auto dealers across the country.

With people increasingly relying on digital touchpoints to decide on their automobile purchases, auto dealers have felt an urgent need to become discoverable to customers online, it said. Meta platforms enable auto dealers to build a social presence through its key products, such as Stories, Reels, Business messaging, and Facebook and WhatsApp Groups.

It added that Facebook and Instagram also help auto dealers with a more efficient model of lead generation through hyperlocal outreach.

Saugato Bhowmik, Director - Auto, CPG, and D2C for Meta in India, said, "Our platforms and products are well positioned to enable rapid and efficient digital customer acquisition and customer engagement for dealers in a hyperlocal manner".

Manish Raj Singhania, President of FADA, said Meta has helped dealers create a social presence and generate online leads with minimal investment. "With digital penetration increasing, our endeavour is to help scale India's auto dealers across geographies and demographics to connect with customers online," he said.

Participating in a discussion on the initiative, Ranjivjit Singh - Chief Growth Officer - Hero MotoCorp said the dealer digitisation initiatives by Meta in one stroke serve the consumers, dealerships, and OEMs equally.

"We have been partnering closely with Meta on the dealer digitisation programme, and we are now enhancing this association by rolling out an AI-powered platform for the marketing needs of our dealers," he said.