New Auto Market Research: Secrets of Parts Buyers Revealed
New BuyerZoom and BrandZoom research reports are available through the Hedges & Company Market Research Store. We’ve added new reports covering engine bearings, carburetors, connecting rods, cylinder heads, engine blocks, performance fasteners, fuel and oil pumps, gaskets, lifters, pistons, push rods, rocker arms, valves, and valve springs. For the first time in the automotive aftermarket it is possible to obtain affordable research reports focused on buyers of specific types of parts.
BuyerZoom reports give you extensive behavioral data on consumers who shopped for or purchased specific types of parts, while BrandZoom reports show consumer perceptions and opinions on brands of specific types of parts. We have found significant differences in automotive enthusiasts who buy one type of part vs. another. This valuable data is helpful for manufacturers planning their marketing or identifying strengths and weaknesses, or retailers looking for new opportunities to increase sales.
For example, consumers who purchase pistons spend much more per year than consumers who purchase carburetors. Over 40% of piston buyers spend $5,000 or more per year on their automotive hobby, while a little more than two out of ten carburetor buyers spend that much. That is partly due to piston buyers being more involved with motorsports than carburetor buyers.
Consumers looking to purchase carburetors are much more likely than rocker arm buyers to either open their latest mail order catalog, use Google or look in a magazine to find product information before making a purchase. That is important if you sell carburetors and need help justifying where you spend your marketing dollars. The last place consumers look for carburetor and rocker arm product information? For both it’s social media like Facebook. (And if you want to see which magazine is read by most carburetor buyers click here.)
If you’re in the valve business, there is one brand familiar to 68% of engine parts buyers. All other brands of valves have much less brand familiarity, with the second highest a distant 43% and all others under 30%. Besides dominating brand familiarity for valves, this brand also wins when it comes to buyers recommending it to their friends and as a trusted brand. However, when it comes to brand familiarity in connecting rods, this same brand runs a distant fourth place showing that being strong with one type of part doesn’t ensure that you’ll be strong for others.
It’s a similar story with engine blocks. Two brands of blocks are familiar to 75% and 63% of buyers, with four brands at 45% to 48% and the rest less than 30%. And what is the #1 auction/classified website frequented by engine block buyers? RacingJunk.com which beat out auction site eBay Motors.
Thanks and good blog.