From aftermarketNews Staff & Wire Reports
In the September 19 issue of “The Pulse,” the topic of information sources used by counter professionals was explored. Citing research from the National Catalog Managers Association (NCMA), the data showed that 86 percent of counter professionals use manufacturers’ paper catalogs, 84 percent use full-line electronic catalogs, 70 percent manufacturers’ web catalogs and 32 percent manufacturers’ CDs.
Looking at the data in this manner suggests that parts professionals use paper and e-catalogs equally or that they prefer paper over any other source. So with help from Babcox Research, a follow-up question was asked of parts professionals to learn where they turn initially to look up a parts application.
To this question the answer was overwhelmingly in favor of electronic sources. In fact, 90 percent of respondents said they turn to an electronic or web catalog first for parts look-ups.
Commenting on the research, Scott Luckett, vice president, technology standards and solutions for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, had this to say, " The NCMA research clearly indicated that parts professionals prefer to use electronic catalog systems and that they only turn to paper catalog and other sources when they cannot find a clear and complete listing in the electronic sources. The leading request made by the parts professionals to their suppliers at the NCMA conference was for more technical content, more product images, more charts, tables and drawings in the electronic catalog. ‘We only reach for the paper when we can’t find what we need in the electronic catalog’, they said.
“Printing paper catalogs as we have for the past 100 years is an expensive, inefficient and environmentally obsolete practice. However, we can only stop printing paper when all of the information in the pages is reflected in the electronic alternatives. When parts professionals first turn to the electronic source 90 percent of the time, shouldn’t parts manufacturers allocate 90 percent of their cataloging resources into this medium? If electronic catalog content got 90 percent of the attention and resources, it wouldn’t be long before paper catalogs were truly obsolete."
For more information, visit the National Catalog Managers Association website: http://ncmacat.org.
