DUBAI 15 November 2018: Red was the most searched for colour for prospective car buyers in the GCC, but car sales show white continues to rule supreme in the final decision process, according to Web search analysis by SEMrush.
The research in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates found the colour red dominated online searches for car exteriors, equating to 70% and 35%, respectively, in the Gulf markets over the last 12 months. This was followed by searches for black, blue, yellow, white and silver, respectively.
According to sales data from automotive data website carsalesbase.com, the GCC’s automotive market witnesses approximately one million new car sales a year – with the bulk of these new car sales coming from KSA with 518,000 and 270,000 for the UAE. Axalta’s Global Automotive Colour Popularity Report placed white as the number one colour in global vehicles sales in 2017, accounting for 39 per cent.
“While analysing such search trends using digital marketing tools, GCC marketers can identify the car colours that would be most effective in advertising. Colours used in car promotions are selected for the attraction factor, even if many customers end up choosing other colours for their vehicles due to practicality or availability,” said Adam Zeidan, SEMrush Mena Corporate Communications Manager.
The top two car colours most searched for online across the GCC confirm the attraction factor, with red noted for being a colour related to speed and excitement, while black signals mystery and status according to colour psychologists.
After red and black, the other most searched car colours online signify the following characteristics: Blue – stability and serenity; yellow – positivity and joy; white – freshness and practicality; and silver – Innovation and technology.
The findings put GCC online car colour searches into to two main clusters, with red, black and yellow grouped together for excitement and mystery, while silver, white and blue exude stability and practicality.
“Considering the majority of the GCC population is under 30, using the online colour search data allows regional marketers to select the communication colour they intend to use in pro-motions to attract customer attention, often very different from the colours we see for the majority of cars on the road today,” added Zeidan.
