What is necessary to promote the adoption of autonomous vehicles?

For the automotive industry, the next major hurdle is the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs). What lessons can be learned from adoption trajectories in other fields?

As autonomous vehicles approach reality, those developing their products and services, marketing them, and launching new ventures are compelled to devise novel ways to drive consumer adoption. How can they attract new customer segments and embed fresh concepts?

The Psychology of Accepting New Things

Getting people to accept something new requires significant effort. Generally, humans resist new ideas and innovations. Learning about a new product takes effort, and people fear they might look foolish if they don't know how to use it. Consequently, when something unfamiliar emerges, people tend to stick with what they know.

One way to encourage consumers to try something new is to associate it with something they are already familiar with. Companies leverage their brand messaging for this purpose. When TiVo launched the first digital video recorder (DVR) in the late 1990s, its advertising slogan was "Pause live TV." While pausing live TV seems less significant today with the prevalence of on-demand content, it was not only a novel idea at the time but also a relatable use case that made people want to try DVRs.

As major innovation occurs in the autonomous driving market today, the challenge for companies is proposing new value that drives consumer adoption. Merely announcing a driverless car isn't enough; a compelling reason is needed for consumers to want to try a driverless car.

Granting "approval" for new usage

Many people who learn about new products or technologies feel they need social permission to actually try them. This is especially true for things that might make them feel guilty or seem dangerous, like self-driving cars. People care whether new products or services are safe and accepted by others like themselves. With autonomous vehicles, they want to confirm the technology is safe and that purchasing, owning, and using them is socially acceptable. Public opinion is already positive about the idea of riding in driverless cars, but overall perception remains fluid. This is because most people have not yet had the experience of actually interacting with such vehicles.

Defining the "New Normal"

Another challenge for autonomous vehicles is that social norms haven't yet been established. With self-driving cars, riding in a driverless vehicle might feel the same as driving yourself or riding in a car arranged through Lyft or Uber. But for example, is it acceptable to send only children to kindergarten in a fully autonomous vehicle? What about middle schoolers? Would arranging an autonomous vehicle to pick up a loved one at the airport be considered rude? Consumers will seek advice and guidance on all these new scenarios. This means manufacturers and sellers of autonomous vehicles have an opportunity to propose new habits to their customers. Just as the diamond industry popularized the habit of spending 15% of one's annual income on an engagement ring, the automotive industry might spread new habits to the market to drive the adoption of autonomous vehicles.

By carefully considering new customer experiences and the habits they wish to create, the automotive industry can accelerate the adoption of autonomous vehicles and alleviate the apprehensions many people feel toward new technology. The focus of these efforts will be designing the experience for the target consumer. Some of these experiences may fall outside the bounds of current social norms.

By challenging our assumptions about mobility, we can unlock new value and possibilities for autonomous vehicles. The role of autonomous vehicle manufacturers may also evolve. For instance, they could be utilized as shuttle services for hotels or restaurants promoting their brands under the concept of "comfortable travel," or as perks for tenants by companies managing offices or residences. In such cases, the focus shifts from "which company made the vehicle" to "which company is providing it for whom."

Read the rest of this article on the web magazine "AXIS".

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