Connected vehicles are changing the nature of transportation and mobility. Players in the traditional automotive ecosystem—including retailers and marketers—are using the massive amounts of data connected cars produce to enhance brand loyalty, create new revenue streams, and drive business growth.

On today's episode, we discuss some secret exclusive 2022 predictions, a new form of conversational commerce, copying Clubhouse, why Big Tech shareholders want answers, what a digital butler in your car could help you with, how the shift to hybrid work affected women, the best methods for sticking to your New Year's resolutions, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, analyst Blake Droesch, senior forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, vice president of research Jennifer Pearson, associate producer of podcasts Victoria Grace, and vice president at Insider Intelligence Marissa Coslov.

A proliferation of connected cars, together with advancements in the quality and shareability of connected vehicle data, can pave the way for new opportunities for insurers. By 2025, almost 1 in 3 licensed drivers in the US will use connected cars with embedded systems, according to our forecast. 

We estimate that half of US adults now drive a connected car, which could push in-car spending to $1 billion by 2023, per Gartner. BlackBerry and Stripe dove in with car-based wallet tie-ups. Other adjacent partnerships from Visa and Amazon might foreshadow greater efforts. More device types will become payment terminals in the coming years.

On today's episode, we discuss what brand new forecasts the forecasting team cooked up in Q3, including global podcast listeners, 5G users, and connected car drivers. We then talk about heavy podcast listeners' receptiveness to ads, the rise of paywalls, and whether audio glasses can become a mass-market product. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior forecasting analysts at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle and Peter Newman.

Integrating connected car data with existing telematics data can optimize pricing algorithms. Connected cars yield vast quantities of accurate and granular historical driving data on consenting drivers. The quality and shareability of this data will continue to improve in 2022. Accessing historical connected car data will let insurers circumvent monitoring periods.

Tesla is riding its strong momentum in car sales to expand into other areas. While robotaxis seem like a natural next step, the company’s delay of full self-driving, its controversial choice to eschew lidar in favor of computer vision, and safety investigations could all be substantial roadblocks.

Connected vehicles are changing how people think about mobility. They also have important implications for marketers, who are experimenting with ways to tap the data they produce to engage consumers and drive new revenues.

But those belonging to the biggest potential audience are the 146.9 million connected car drivers that we estimate will hit US roads in 2022. Apple, Google, and Amazon all have smartphone apps—CarPlay, Android Auto, and Alexa Auto—for drivers to tether to car systems, or have signed agreements with carmakers to power built-in voice systems. Prediction.

As the underlying technology improves, expect to see new use cases for connected cars, healthcare, the metaverse, and more. Privacy and ethical challenges are here to stay. Consumers cite privacy and security risks as the biggest drawbacks of voice shopping, and their ethical concerns about AI-enabled tools are only growing. Brands now have no option but to address these issues at the root.

Mobility data: This is still very early, but connected cars, electric bikes, and other vehicles generate reams of data, including that on location. Traffic information in Google Maps or Waze is a good example of this (although currently, this data mostly comes from phones). Many companies are also relying more on their first-party data.

The world will soon have 20 million plug-in cars, led by China and Europe. In the US, a lack of charging infrastructure coupled with few affordably priced EVs have restrained growth. However, with soaring gas prices making electric the cheaper option, sales are picking up.

Huawei’s AV tech was showcased in a mass-produced Arcfox sedan, which used the tech giant’s chipset and in-car OS. If acquired, Huawei’s technology will bolster VW’s larger smart car and EV strategy. The company recently partnered with Argo AI in a joint effort with Ford. VW has long had autonomous vehicles on its radar.

On today's episode, we discuss some digital audio developments from Spotify and iHeartMedia, how podcast advertising can add value, in-car audio entertainment, and what the first flavor of advertising on social audio platforms will look like. We then talk about what to expect from this years' Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Podcast Upfronts, how people are approaching podcast moderation, and the market for podcasts created for children. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle.

YouTube videos will also eventually show up on screens in connected cars via a deal with Volvo. TikTok is also starting to distribute its videos to larger screens. It struck a deal with OOH streaming TV provider Atmosphere in January 2022 to show its videos on displays in restaurants, bars, gyms, and other venues.