HOUSTON, Texas — For do-it-for-me (DIFM) auto service consumers, familiarity with a service outlet, convenient location and trust are the top three reasons they select an auto service provider.
 
However, while price ranks lower, consumers are increasingly looking for a good deal, according to car care research by The NPD Group.
 
Since the recession, consumer attitudes and behaviors continue to be focused on value and these deal-driven consumers are exerting their influence in the automotive service sector, NPD reports.  Automotive retailers and manufacturers have addressed this consumer mindset at retail with heavy promotions, including free filter with oil purchase, mail-in rebates, two-for-one pricing and other deals; and consumers have responded.
 
According to NPD’s Car Care Track, which monitors purchase behavior details of the “do-it-yourself” and DIFM auto aftermarket and repair consumer, 35 percent of DIFM automotive service transactions were purchased on deal or at a special price, up significantly from only 30 percent in 2007.  And while familiarity with the outlet, location and trust remain the most important drivers of outlet choice, NPD reports that 14 percent of DIFM consumers say a special offer or coupon influenced their decision to choose the outlet on their latest service occasion.
 

 
“Consumers will continue to select auto service outlets based on their familiarity with the outlet, its location and their trust of the service, but price matters too,” says David Portalatin, NPD’s auto aftermarket industry analyst. “In today’s demanding environment, more do-it-for-me consumers are expecting the best of both worlds: they want to know they are investing in quality service and feel like they got a bargain at the same time.”