Posts Tagged ‘ SEMA ’

6 Reasons Why Manufacturers Should Advertise on Google or Bing With Paid Search Ads

May 7, 2013

If you’re an automotive specialty equipment manufacturer you might not have seriously considered online advertising before. Here are 6 important reasons to start a digital marketing campaign right now. Paid search, or pay per click (PPC) advertising, is a great way to reach consumers on the Internet when they’re making buying decisions. Today more than 4 out of 5 automotive consumers turn to search engines first when deciding what to buy. Reason #1: Take control of your brand. If you’re an aftermarket manufacturer, you probably ‘Googled’ your brand name before. Chances are you found dozens or hundreds of listings for...

Trend 6: Vehicles at the 2012 SEMA Show

October 24, 2012

The SEMA Show draws all kinds of different entities of the automotive sector, and with them they bring the best products, parts, facts and research they have. Perhaps the largest attractions at the show, however, are the custom vehicles. Here is a look at what some of the most talked about vehicles that will be at this year’s show. Ford plans to unveil at least 20 vehicles at the SEMA show. Of the vehicles to be shown, the showcase will feature various Focus and Fusion models built by various motorsports groups such as Bojix Design, Tanner Foust Racing, and...

Trend 13: 3 Things You Didn’t Know about 1994-2004 Mustang Owners

October 17, 2012

The fourth generation Ford Mustang, also known as “SN-95,” included styling from previous Mustangs and came with a 3.8 liter overhead valve V6 engine or a 4.6 liter single overhead camshaft V8. This generation included three alternate models: the 2001 Bullitt, the 2003 and 2004 Mach 1, and the 2003 and 2004 Cobra. Here are three things to know about fourth generation Mustang owners: 1). 53% of 1994-2004 Mustang owners are homeowners. 2). The average household income of a 1994-2004 Ford Mustang owner is $61,741; for comparison, the average US household income is around $51,000. 3). 62% of 1994-2004...

Trend 14: A Sign Auto Parts Retail Sales Are Slowing?

October 16, 2012

Today’s trend is a little concerning: the growth in auto parts sales is slowing down compared to the first half of 2012. This is important to watch as you plan your company’s automotive aftermarket forecast for 2013. Retail sales of auto parts went negative for the second time this year. August 2012 showed a slight drop from 2011, following a decent July (up about 3.5%) and a slight drop in June. We’re holding to our forecast that the year will come in between 3% and 4% over 2011 but we’ll be watching economic signs closely for any changes over...

Trend 15: How to Grow Sales With New Products From the SEMA Show

October 15, 2012

Welcome back to the Hedges & Company blog, here is Trend 15, how to grow your sales with new products. We’re introducing a new term for some of our readers, the New Product Ratio (NPR). The specialty auto parts industry thrives on new products and innovation. For retailers, warehouse distributors (WDs), manufacturers, and automobile dealers selling aftermarket products, new products are one of the best opportunities to grow sales in 2013. They create excitement among consumers and for brick and mortar retailers they help drive store traffic. For online marketers, new products increase organic search web traffic and bring...

Trend 25: Retail Auto Parts Sales Outlook for 2012

October 5, 2012

Welcome back to our blog! Today we’ll look at auto aftermarket Trend 25: Our outlook for retail auto parts and accessories sales for 2012. Here are two things you should know: 1). January-June 2012 showed about a 5.4% increase over 2011 despite June showing a decrease from one year ago. June 2012 went negative partially because June 2011 was a huge month. Still, it was the first month that didn’t show an increase over the previous year since February 2010 and that’s a concern. Even with June showing a decrease, the first half of the year looked great, thanks...

Trend 29: SEMA CDI, Consumer Confidence And a September Rebound

October 1, 2012

Today’s market research trend: Consumer Demand and Confidence improved in September. The SEMA Consumer Demand Index (CDI) and Consumer Confidence rebounded in September. The SEMA CDI jumped to 45, the highest level since it hit 57 back in October, 2010. Consumer Confidence made a 9-point jump from August, the highest it has been since February. We like to track CDI (blue line, left scale) against Consumer Confidence (red line, right scale) since they track closely to each other. It’s also a unique combination of intent to buy (the SEMA CDI) and how consumers feel. This is important because Consumer...

Trend 50: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About 2005-2013 Corvette Owners

September 10, 2012

Today we will take a look at owners of the 2005-2013 sixth generation Corvette. This American classic has been around for more than 50 years and has won many awards since its inception. The C6 Vette is an important vehicle in the specialty parts market. 1). 30% of all 2005-2013 Corvette owners are in Florida and Texas. 2). The average 2005-2013 Corvette owner has an annual household income of $87,576 compared to the national average of around $51,000. 3). 14% of 2005-2013 Corvette owners are female; 86% are male. What interesting facts about Corvettes or their owners do you...

Trend 51: How Carburetor Buyers Decide Where to Buy

September 9, 2012

Enthusiasts who had shopped for or purchased a carburetor took our survey and were given 8 key factors to choose from when deciding where to buy. Respondents could choose more than one answer. The 8 factors were “business reputation,” “ability to install the part,” “bought from them before,” “product availability,” “good customer service,” employee product knowledge,” “lowest price,” and “company return policy.” The top three factors enthusiasts picked were “business reputation,” “employee product knowledge,” and “good customer service.” Do you think your customers come to you for the same reasons? If not, what do you think their reasons are?...

Trend 52: Enthusiasts Rank The Most Reliable Carburetor Brands

September 8, 2012

Consumers base their purchases on all kinds of factors, such as customer service, ease of installation, innovative features, and much more. Today, we are going to look at what enthusiasts have to say about the reliability of the leading carburetor brands on the market. Our BrandZoom: Carburetors market research report contains data about consumers’ brand preferences and experiences, and is based on a survey of enthusiasts who had shopped for or purchased a carburetor. Out of 13 brands of carburetors, enthusiasts elected Advanced Engine Design (AED), Edelbrock, and Holley (in alphabetical order) as the top 3 most reliable brands...

Trend 54: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About 2010-2013 Camaro Owners

September 6, 2012

Today we’re reporting three important demographics of 2010-2013 Camaro owners. The fifth generation Camaro has been relatively popular after production ended with the 2002 model year and started back up in 2009 with the 2010 model year. 1). 22% of the 2010-2013 Camaro owner population is age 35-44. 2). 2010-2013 Camaro owners have an annual household income of $74,203. For comparison, the average US household income is around $51,000. 3). 72% of 2010-2013 Camaro owners are male and 28% are female. What’s your experience selling to the new generation Camaro owners? Feel free to post comments below. Watch for...

Trend 56: Camshaft Buyers Rank The Most Trusted Brands

September 4, 2012

We are now on Day 56 of the 66 Trends countdown. Today, we will be looking at what brands camshaft buyers trust the most. According to our BrandZoom: Camshafts report, based on surveys of automotive enthusiasts who have shopped for or purchased a camshaft, the top 3 brands that are most trusted are COMP Cams, Crower and Edelbrock (in alphabetical order). There were 16 different brands of camshafts included in this survey and enthusiasts could select more than one brand. What kind of feedback do your customers give about the different brands of camshafts you sell? Join us tomorrow...

Trend 57: Camshaft Buyers Look to Improve Performance in Their Vehicles

September 3, 2012

We hope you’re enjoying our countdown of automotive trends so far. Our 57th trend gives a look at camshaft consumers based on our surveys of enthusiasts who have purchased camshafts. Our BuyerZoom reports show consumer shopping habits and behavior based on surveys sent to over 3,000 automotive enthusiasts. Our BuyerZoom: Camshafts report shows seven out of ten reported purchasing to improve performance of their vehicle. Nearly three out of five said that the camshaft was purchased for a street performance vehicle or a race car. Respondents were able to choose multiple answers on both of these survey questions. What...

Trend 58: The SEMA Consumer Demand Index and Consumer Confidence

September 2, 2012

Welcome back to our countdown of 66 trends, here is Trend 58: A look at the August SEMA Consumer Demand Index (blue line) compared to consumer confidence (red line). And by the way, the 2012 SEMA Show is in just 58 days! The Consumer Demand Index (CDI) measures purchase intentions of both enthusiast and mainstream automotive consumers for the next three months. It is a weighted composite index set to an initial value of 100 back in January 2007. Today, we take the SEMA CDI and compare it to another widely-used index of consumer confidence. The two track together fairly...

Trend 60: 3 Intake Manifold Brands With Highest Brand Awareness

August 31, 2012

Our 60th trend gives a look at top intake manifold brands most recognized by consumers. Brand awareness is a very important metric for any aftermarket brand. Results are based on our surveys to over 3,000 automotive enthusiasts who had shopped for or purchased intake manifolds. Survey respondents were able to choose from a list of intake manifold brands they were familiar with. It was multiple choice so they were able to choose more than one brand. They were also able to write-in any brand that was not on the list. Of the 17 total brands in the report, Edelbrock, Holley...

Trend 61: 4 Ways to Increase Email Effectiveness

August 30, 2012

For our 61st trend, we figured we would give a few tips on how to increase your email marketing effectiveness. So here is Trend 61: Increasing email effectiveness. 1). Segment your emails. Know who your auto parts customers are, and what appeals to them. Instead of sending the same email to your entire list, consider breaking them into groups that will receive different emails. For example don’t send emails with Ford parts to Chevy owners, or Camaro parts to truck owners. We have seen open rates and click-through rates jump by 50% to 100% or more just by segmenting...

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