MRF comes out on top yet again, for the third consecutive year
MRF ranks highest, among five tyre manufacturers, in customer satisfaction with original equipment tyres, according to the J.D Power and Associates 2008 India Original Equipment Tyre Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study released yesterday.
Now in its eighth year, the study analyzes new-vehicle buyer satisfaction with their original equipment tyres by examining five key factors. In order of importance, they are: appearance, durability, traction, ride quality and handling. With an overall CSI score of 836 on a 1,000-point scale, MRF ranks highest for a third consecutive year and performs particularly well in all factors driving overall satisfaction. Apollo follows MRF in the rankings with 816 points.
The study finds that there is a strong link between the ownership experience and repurchase intent. Among customers who report they are highly satisfied with their tyres, nearly 80 percent say they ‘definitely would’ repurchase their original brand. However, repurchase intent drops by nearly 40 percent among customers who are highly dissatisfied with their original tyre brand. In addition, among customers who say they ‘definitely would not’ or ‘probably would not’ repurchase their original brand, tyre noise is the most commonly cited reason for not repurchasing.
‘Consumers may not have much choice in which tyres come standard with their new vehicle, but they definitely have a choice when it comes time to replace those tyres,’ said Mohit Arora, senior director at J.D Power and Associates, Singapore. ‘Having a satisfying tyre ownership experience will certainly strengthen a customer’s decision to purchase the same brand that came on their vehicle. Hence, it is vital for manufacturers to increase product quality to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction in order to foster higher loyalty and advocacy levels.’
The study includes these key findings:
1. Nearly one in five new-vehicle owners reports having a problem with their tyres. Among owners experiencing a problem, the most frequently cited is puncture damage, which is reported by more than 65 percent of owners.
2. When purchasing new tyres, tyre brand name is the most important consideration among owners, followed by self-sealing tyres.
3. At the factor level, owners report the highest levels of satisfaction with tyre appearance and ride quality at highway speeds.
‘While puncture damage is typically beyond the control of manufacturers, and considering that self-sealing tyres have the second strongest impact on vehicle purchase, having this feature on their tyres may prove advantageous for manufacturers,’ said Arora.
The 2008 Original Equipment Tyre Customer Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses from 3,381 new vehicle owners surveyed between 12 and 18 months of ownership.
