Automotive Aftermarket News, Reports & Analysis

Aftermarket industry news, trends and analysis from SEMA, AASA, MEMA, Auto Care Association. Learn what drives the industry.

Drive Auto Parts Sales with Remarketing and Google Shopping

Free Webinar Presented by Google and Hedges & Company Sept. 20, 2017 Hedges & Company is holding an exclusive webinar in conjunction with Google. The webinar is designed specifically for OEM or aftermarket parts & accessories retailers selling parts online. It will also include new search trends and statistics from Google and from Hedges & Company. The free webinar will be held Wednesday, September 20, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm EST. “Nine out of 10 automotive parts and accessories buyers search online before buying, whether they end up buying online or locally,” said Jon Hedges, president of Hedges & Company....

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Automobile Dealers: OEM Auto Parts SEO is Different Than Automobile SEO

OEM parts marketing is different from marketing automobiles. Here’s why, plus tips on how to pick a digital marketing agency. More auto dealers find selling car parts online an attractive way to grow sales at the dealership. Online parts sales not only opens up the entire world as a marketplace, the profit margins are attractive, too. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), dealership profits from selling new cars is dropping, while profits from fixed operations including parts sales are growing. Google Partners recently quoted NADA that new car sales have a profit margin of 6%-8%, while car...

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Manufacturers: 3 Ways to Re-Tool Your Marketing for Today’s Digital Consumer

New market research on consumers’ car parts buying behavior shows 3 big marketing opportunities for manufacturers The growth of the Internet has opened the door for parts and accessories manufacturers to market direct-to-consumers (DTC) and that’s exactly what today’s digital savvy buyers want. New Hedges & Company research shows consumers are increasingly going to manufacturer and brand websites as part of their shopping process. The research showed 57% of buyers visited a manufacturer’s website when shopping for a recent purchase. This was up from 43% who reported they had visited a manufacturer’s website in a 2013 auto parts purchase...

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SEO Case Study: Clickthrough Rate Influences Organic Rankings

There has been a debate among SEO professionals over the past year or two about the importance of clickthrough rate (CTR) as a factor in organic rankings. In this SEO case study, you will see the results of two auto parts clients and the positive impact organic CTR has on keyword rankings. Our auto parts SEO case study results using CTR We originally became interested in using organic CTR to improve client rankings in early 2016, referring to studies cited by search gurus like Larry Kim and Rand Fishkin, and Larry’s post on Moz or on his own WordStream...

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Car Parts Industry Trends: Online Parts Sales to Reach $8.9 Billion in 2017

auto parts industry

Our annual forecast for online car parts sales projects retail sales at $8.89 billion in 2017, posting a 16% increase over 2016. Online Sales Summary: …Ecommerce car parts sales outpacing brick & mortar, will reach $8.9B excluding auctions and used parts …Over $4B in online sales will be on mobile devices in 2017 …Ecommerce car parts sales projected to grow by 15% in 2017 and 2018 …Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) projects total aftermarket to have compound annual growth rate of 3.6% through 2019; Do It Yourself (DIY) retail sales to grow approximately the same rate …2016 online sales...

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VIO Big Data Shootout: Performance V8 Sedans

VIO Big Data Shootout: Performance V8 Sedans

For our latest Vehicles in Operation (VIO) Big Data Shootout we put seven Euro and American premium performance sedans to the test: the Audi RS 7, BMW M5, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet SS, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and the Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 and S63. All of our contestants have powerful V8 engines, four doors and lots of soft cushy leather inside. We wanted to see which car had the most total Vehicles in Operation (VIO) as well as the biggest increase or decrease for the first half of 2016 vs. last year. We also pulled in some vehicle owner demographics...

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Big Data Shootout: Vehicles In Operation (VIO) Stats for New Mustang, Challenger and Camaro

big data shootout vehicle registrations

Who’s winning the new vehicle registration race for late model muscle cars in 2016? We wanted to see which car had the most total new vehicle registrations, as well as the biggest increase or decrease for the first half of 2016 vs. last year. This kind of information should be useful to members of the Auto Care Association, MEMA, SEMA or AASA. Racers, start your big data engines! We pulled data from the Vehicles in Operation (VIO) database to see new registrations for  the three American modern-day muscle cars: Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger. We pitted these...

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New Google SERP Format: Facts, Fiction and Rumors

new Google SERP format

With the recent changes to the Google search engine results page (SERP) for desktop and tablets, there are a lot of rumors and false information around the Internet, so we wanted to give automotive aftermarket advertisers some facts, informed opinions and our recommendations for your Google AdWords campaigns selling auto parts & accessories, or motorcycle parts & accessories. One of the biggest misconceptions is that all searches will only display four ads at the top of the SERP and all right side advertising is now gone. That’s not true. Google is now showing four text ads at the top...

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Online Search for Motorcycle Parts & Accessories Growing From Mobile Traffic

motorcycle seo

Google has released their latest report on online search statistics for motorcycle parts and accessory (P&A) shoppers. Consistent with what we’re seeing for search stats for other categories, searches done on mobile devices are primarily responsible for growth (scroll down for your free copy of the full report, available as a PDF download). Total search queries for motorcycle parts and accessories grew 16% in Q4 2015 over the previous year. Although desktop searches declined 7%, mobile searches grew by 45%, bringing total search volume up. Google AdWords research: Mobile drives motorcycle parts & accessory eCommerce If you have an...

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Mobile Is Driving Online Tire & Wheel Search Growth

If you are looking for online search statistics for tires and related accessories, Google has released the latest stats for the tire market. Searches done on mobile devices are driving the rapid growth in tire, tire parts and wheel online search activity (scroll down to the bottom to download your own free copy of the full report). Overall search queries for tires grew 20% in the fourth quarter of 2015 from the previous year and although desktop search dropped 1%, mobile search grew by 42%. Google research: Mobile is the key to growth in tire searches If you sell...

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Auto Parts Marketing: Online Parts Sales to Reach $7.4 Billion in 2016

size of automotive industry

Note: this article is from January 2016. For an updated forecast, click here for a more current article. How big is the automotive aftermarket industry? Ecommerce auto parts sales will narrow the gap with traditional brick and mortar retail sales in 2016, and reach $7.4 billion excluding auctions and used parts. Ecommerce auto parts sales are projected to grow about 16% in 2016. The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Joint Channel Forecast Model projects conventional retail do it yourself (DIY) sales to grow 3.5% in 2016. The size of the online auto parts market—sales of automotive and truck parts...

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Towing Search Activity Growing: Queries +28%, Mobile Search +48%

If you need online shopping growth statistics, specifically for the towing market, look no further. Google has released the latest stats for the towing market and consumers are increasing their online search for towing parts and services. Online search queries for towing search terms grew 28% from 2014 in the third quarter, according to a Google search metrics report (scroll to the bottom to download your own free copy of the full report). One important stat is while searches on a desktop PC crept up 4% from the third quarter 2014, searches on a mobile device jumped by 48%....

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Truck Parts & Accessories Search Trend Research: Mobile Growth Dominates, Up 60%

truck parts online search trends

This AdWords research covers searches conducted by consumers searching for parts and accessories for their trucks. Search on mobile devices dominated truck search activity, growing an amazing 60% from 2014 in the third quarter according to a Google search metrics report (scroll to the bottom to download your own free copy of the full truck research report). Overall search queries grew by 26% including mobile, desktop and tablets. These are search queries for parts typically sold by members of SEMA and the Auto Care Association. AdWords Research: Truck Parts and Accessory Ecommerce Is Increasingly Mobile If you have a...

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Off-Road Parts & Accessories Market Research: Total Search up 16%, Mobile up 41%

Google AdWords Off-Road Parts

This AdWords research is about consumers who are searching online for off-road parts and accessories for their Jeep®, trucks, UTVs, off-highway motorcycles and 4×4 vehicles. Online search queries for off-road search terms grew 16% from 2014 in the third quarter, according to a Google search metrics report (scroll to the bottom to download your own free copy of the full report). One eye-opening statistic is while searches done on a desktop PC actually dropped 9% from the third quarter 2014, searches performed on a mobile device jumped 41%. Clearly, mobile devices are garnering more market share of off-road search...

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Auto Parts Market Research: Performance Parts Search up 20%, Mobile up 45%

Google AdWords auto parts search terms

This AdWords research covers consumers searching online for auto parts that modify a vehicle’s performance. Online queries for performance modifying search terms grew 20% in the third quarter 2015 over the previous year, according to search metrics released by Google (scroll to the bottom to download your own copy of the report). One of the notable stats is that mobile searches for performance modifying search terms increased 45%, while desktop queries actually dropped 2%, from the third quarter 2014. This marks at least the fourth consecutive year that online search for performance-type keywords as a whole grew in volume,...

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How to Increase Your Digital Presence in the Automotive Industry and Who’s Doing it Right!

automotive industry social media

As people turn to more digital outlets to get information, it’s important for companies to alter their marketing styles to meet the digital needs of consumers. The automotive industry is no exception; however, these companies need to approach their marketing efforts a little more…creatively, rather than just basic social media and a website. Below are tactics to inspire you, to increase not only your digital presence, but your overall reputation in the automotive marketing world. Here are examples of automotive companies that are implementing these tactics to the fullest. Social Media – To the Max It’s no shock the...

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