From aftermarketNews/Counterman staff reports
Each week, The Pulse provides insight into the buying, sourcing and brand-loyalty habits of counter professionals and professional technicians. This week, we look at technicians’ sourcing habits for brake pads and shoes.
A recent survey by Counterman magazine shows that when it comes to sourcing brake pads and shoes quality and brand are king in the minds of technicians. For the majority of the technicians surveyed, most rely on jobbers (55 percent) as their primary source for brake pads and shoes. WD Direct and Retailers were nearly tied as the second highest choice, with 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
Technicians surveyed said they choose their friction sources based on three criteria: best sales reps (38 percent), fastest delivery (31 percent) and availability (30 percent). When it comes to brand, as we said before, quality is of utmost importance. Seventy-nine percent of technicians surveyed said they strictly use a brand they trust for this critical repair.
These and other statistics can be found in the Professional Automotive Repair Technician Survey (P.A.R.T.S.), produced annually by Counterman magazine. Seven years ago, Counterman began surveying repair shops annually to determine when, how and why they source specific automotive parts and products. The resulting data, published every Fall, offers perspective on how sourcing and brand-loyalty trends have changed.