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These winter storms drove sales up almost 14 percent during the week of Feb. In 2015, 23 states had one of their 10 coldest February temperatures on record, and storms brought snow to the eastern part of the U.S. In terms of record-breaking weather, very cold, very warm and very wet months all caused various categories to grow at different points during the year. Energy Information Administration says consumers spent almost $112 billion less at the pump in 2015. In spite of a 3.3 percent increase in gallon demand, the U.S. At the same time, consumers are putting more miles on their vehicles yet, they also are spending less for fuel. The higher price points and demand for products to keep cars operating efficiently and also looking good is helping to drive sales for the industry.”Ĭar purchases aside, the fact that consumers are driving more also has fed the need for regular, routine service and maintenance. “Consumers with such vehicles are also moving to more premium products to keep their cars running longer. We believe there’s an opportunity for the aftermarket industry almost immediately after purchase to talk to those consumers about what type of maintenance needs to be done on their recently purchased used car,” said Nathan Shipley, director and automotive aftermarket analyst, The NPD Group. Used or aging cars, however, generate maintenance behavior and a need for products in this space. “Many new cars return to the dealership for service, which is not necessarily advantageous for the aftermarket industry. Of the 29 automotive aftermarket categories tracked by NPD, 75 percent of the volume comes from the top 10 categories. The aging vehicle trend played into much of the growth seen across the top-grossing aftermarket categories. New car sales hit a record in 2015, with 17.5 million sold, but for the automotive aftermarket the story lies in used car sales, which were more than double that of new cars nearly 40 million used cars were sold in 2015, according to statistics from the National Automobile Dealers Association. New and used car sales, an increase in miles driven and atypical weather were factors that influenced the aftermarket’s strong performance during the year. While dollar sales have been accelerating since 2013, unit/quart sales have been down, and 2015 marked the first year in which both ended positively. The automotive aftermarket industry grew to $14.6 billion in 2015, with dollar sales increasing by 3.9 percent and units/quarts by 1.7 percent, according to global information company The NPD Group.
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Check out this great article for more details and insight:Ĭar Sales, Miles Driven, Record-Breaking Temps Fuel Growth For Automotive Aftermarket, NPD Reports This is a great opportunity to increase battery sales and improve the customer experience with helping them identify an issue before it becomes an emergency.īattery sales was one of the fastest & most profitable catagories for the aftermarket automotive industry in 2015 according to the NPD Group, Inc. The Math is simple but the results are staggering. (How many vehicle batteries will test weak or bad) x (75%) = (How many batteries you could sell per day)ġ0 cars per day x 30% = 3 customers batteries testing weak or bad (Take your current car count per day) x (30%) = (How many vehicle batteries will test weak or bad) It is also shown that 3 out of 4 customers will purchase and replace a battery the same day if the test accurately shows a weak or bad battery.īased upon industry reports, each automotive service center can use the following formula to calculate how many batteries should be selling on average based on current car counts. Industry reports show that when tested, 3 out of 10 automotive batteries will report a weak or bad battery. Capitalize on battery sales by doing your customers a huge service and test every battery. Testing is, and will remain, the number one way to increase battery sales.
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