Automotive Market Research Articles

General discussion on automotive market research and automotive aftermarket research

New Automotive Market Research Reports Available for Purchase

December 19, 2011

New automotive aftermarket market research reports are now available for purchase online, direct from Hedges & Company’s new Market Research Store. These marketing research reports are based on consumer perceptions and opinion data, gathered after inviting over 100,000 automotive enthusiasts to participate in a market research survey, and include data never-before reported in the automotive aftermarket. These new research reports fall into two categories. BuyerZoom™ research reports are part-specific and analyze how enthusiast consumers shop for specific products including gaskets, camshafts, cylinder heads, carburetors, engine blocks, intake manifolds, valve springs, valves, rocker arms, pistons,...

SEMA Market Research Report Analyzes Truck Ownership and Accessory Purchases

June 25, 2011

The SEMA 2011 Pickup Truck Market Research Report authored by Hedges & Company is available as a free download for SEMA members. Non-members may purchase a copy for $99.95 at SEMA.org/2011pickupreport. It dives deeper into the industry than SEMA’s previous research report from 2008. The U.S. light-truck market is incredibly broad. Used for general transportation, commercial applications and recreation, light trucks comprise the single largest category for businesses in the automotive specialty equipment industry. Trucks and truck accessories are so popular that they have laid claim to their own exhibit hall at the annual...

Groundbreaking SEMA Show Opinion Leaders Report Released; Measures Online Behavior

February 23, 2011

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has released a new market research report prepared by Hedges & Company covering results of the 2010 SEMA Show Opinion Leaders program. This is important to aftermarket companies because the feedback from the Opinion Leaders market research program is a big opportunity to better understand the buying process used by automotive enthusiasts. As with the 2009 program, Opinion Leaders Program participants were granted access to the 2010 show. These enthusiasts completed a detailed survey to share their opinions and buying habits, and shared impressions from the SEMA Show...

When Is The Best Time To Send An Email Campaign?

October 11, 2010

Rising above the clutter and noise in the inbox is your goal. First impressions are critical in email marketing and although the subject line grabs attention, when does it grab attention? If your email is sent at the wrong time, your message may be buried by emails received after your email. Your prospect may start with the newest emails first, ignoring older emails further down the queue. Here are some examples of what we’ve observed in our email marketing, but all audiences are different and you need to design tests on your customer list...

Are Manufacturers the Catalyst for the Specialty Equipment Industry?

September 13, 2010

Are specialty equipment manufacturers the light at the end of the tunnel? In a recent SEMA Financial Benchmarking research report, 70% of manufacturers reported an increase in year-to-date sales through June 2010. This optimism seems to continue through the fall months as 64% of the manufacturers expect sales to improve by an average of 17.5% through August, September, and October. However, retailers and distributors do not share that nearly unbridled enthusiasm. In the same market research report, 48% of retailers report an increase and 52% of distributors report increase in year-to-date sales for the...

What if You Invested $1,000 in Automotive Aftermarket Companies?

September 7, 2010

Also see our update on this topic, posted November 2, 2010 If you invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 and $1,000 in a representative group of publicly-traded automotive aftermarket companies on January 1, 2008, how would your investment look today? You may be surprised. Starting with a baseline of January 2008, Hedges & Company tracked over 20 publicly-traded automotive aftermarket companies and compared that to the S&P 500. As the chart reveals, the downturn in the economy devastated the S&P 500 but the stock value of aftermarket companies did very well starting in the...

Ideas For The Best Email Marketing Subject Lines

September 3, 2010

Email marketing best practices call for analysis of subject lines which have a huge influence on the open rate. An appropriate subject line also influences the click-through rate. Why is this so important? Let’s say in a year you send 100,000 emails. Improving your open rate from 15% to the industry average of just over 19% means over a year’s time your messages are seen by 4,000 more sets of eyeballs. Clearly the entire email message is important, but the first few words of the subject line, the overall approach and the call to...

Hedges & Company Principals To Speak at SEMA Show

September 1, 2010

Tuesday, November 2 at 11:00 am, Julie Hedges, President of Hedges & Company, will speak about the SEMA Financial Benchmarking program in room N259 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. How does your business compare? The SEMA Financial Benchmarking Program was developed in order to provide SEMA members with financial benchmarks they could use to help measure and compare their business operations with others in the industry. Industry-specific key performance indicators are reported that can then be used by participants to improve or grow their businesses. The program provides business owners and managers information,...

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