Newfound Frugality Means More Vehicle Repairs and Maintenance in 2011, NPD Reports
To learn how to repair their cars, consumers have historically turned to friends and family, repair manuals and mechanics, but today the Internet is growing as a how-to source for repairs, according to NPD.
NPD Names Lee Wilson Application Parts Product Manager for its Auto Aftermarket Unit
Prior to joining NPD, Wilson held a variety of positions in product, category and catalog management at Exide Technologies, a global manufacturer and recycler of lead acid batteries.
With Gas Prices at Nearly $3 a Gallon, Holiday Driving Plans May Change, Says NPD
Historically, $3 is the tipping point for consumer concern and driving adjustments, reports the market research firm.
Cost-Conscious Millennials Turn to Do-It-Yourself Car Care, Reports NPD
A store-level analysis of sales from more than 18,000 U.S.-based auto parts stores tracked by NPD’s Aftermarket Industry Monitor, showed that stores in a cluster identified by having a high Millennial population achieved higher dollar sales per store in several key application parts categories. Overall, dollars per store for total hard parts in the high Millennial cluster were 11 percent higher than in the cluster of stores with a low Millennial population, NPD says.
Nathan Shipley Named Director of Client Development for NPD’s Auto Aftermarket Unit
Prior to joining NPD, Shipley was a relationship manager with The Nielsen Co., a global information and measurement company. Shipley began his career in NPD’s automotive aftermarket unit where he was an account manager before leaving to join Nielsen.
NPD Study Finds Dealership Closings Have Had Little Impact on Sales at Aftermarket Retailers
Fifty-one percent of consumers say they will continue using dealerships for repairs even if dealership is farther away.
Auto Parts Stores Hit with Recent Heavy Snowfalls Experienced Double-Digit Sales Increases of Winter-Related Products, Reports NPD
Using Aftermarket Industry Monitor store level data, NPD analyzed auto parts store sales in the Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., markets, all three of which were hit with record snowfalls this past winter, and found sales in these markets significantly outperformed the total U.S. based on the strength of several weather-related categories.
Consumers Like to Strike a Deal When Purchasing Motor Oil, Reports NPD
NPD’s Aftermarket Industry Monitor, which tracks point-of-sale data from more than 18,000 auto parts stores, finds that full synthetic quart volume increased nearly 9 percent in the 12 months ending November 2009 versus year-ago.
NPD Report: High Unemployment Affects Aftermarket Front-of-Store and Hard Parts Sales Differently
In addition to the not-too-surprising finding that markets above and well above the national unemployment rate had lower overall sales than other markets, NPD found hard parts sales in these markets fared significantly better than front-of-store categories.
Consumers Did More Vehicle Maintenance in 2009, and Most Will Do the Same Amount or More in 2010, Reports NPD
According to NPD, 94 percent of consumers are planning to do the same amount of maintenance they have been doing on their vehicle or more next year.