BETHESDA, Md.—A new study by the Auto Care Association (ACA) has found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the largest portion of the online purchasing, or e-tailing, market for replacement parts is the professional technician segment.
The study—E-Tailing in the Automotive Aftermarket—also found that pro techs purchase a slightly different mix of products, compared to the consumer/do-it-yourself (DIY) segment, resulting in a higher dollar volume.
The ACA called it a “groundbreaking” digital study analyzing the online retail market for sales of aftermarket parts. It “serves as the foundation for the Auto Care Association to provide a unified estimate of online sales within the aftermarket,” the Bethesda-based trade group said.
It noted that the full report “provides a comprehensive analysis of the e-tailing channel based upon a triangulated analysis of pre-existing studies, existing data, consumer and installer surveys and in-depth interviews (IDIs) within the auto care industry.”
In addition to the full report, the ACA said the research is also available in these four modules:
c An executive summary providing an overview of all the key component study findings, which include insights from the market sizing, repair shop/installer and consumer research.
c Market size and growth totals dollar volume of replacement parts sold via e-tailers for 2013 in consumer dollars.
c Repair shop/installer survey results including an in-depth analysis of repair shop usage of e-tailing within their business.
c Consumer/vehicle owner survey results examining DIY automotive consumers and their e-tailing habits.
IMR Inc. and The Martec Group were commissioned by the ACA to perform the research and modules for the report.