Automotive Aftermarket News, Reports & Analysis

Auto aftermarket news, aftermarket trends and industry analysis from SEMA, AASA, MEMA, and Auto Care Association as well as our own news and research. Learn what drives the industry.

Automotive Industry Trends: Light Trucks Outselling Automobiles

Light trucks in the US continue their upward growth, and are now beating cars by more than 2 to 1. Through April 2018, 3.69 million light trucks were sold in the US according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, compared to 1.75 million automobiles. That’s a ratio of 2:1.1 in favor of light trucks. In 2017 there were 6.08 million automobiles sold, compared to 11.05 million light trucks. Domestic trucks have been more or less holding their own against imports: in January 2017, 78% of light trucks were domestic, and in April 2018 that dropped only slightly to 77%....

We reveal 7 facts why auto parts shoppers feel the need to search for manufacturer websites before making a purchase Enthusiast auto parts shoppers are actively searching for manufacturers’ websites before making a purchase, whether buying online or in a traditional brick & mortar retail store. It’s a growing trend, along with the overall growth in digital influence on auto parts sales. But why is this happening? With all the marketing done by auto parts ecommerce retailers, why are so many consumers searching for manufacturer sites? For one thing, DIYers research far and wide before they buy. We turn...

Digital influence is driving billions of dollars in retail sales and it’s not stopping. Our latest auto aftermarket trends forecast shows that digital will influence nearly $152 billion in parts and accessory sales through all retail channels by 2021. This includes offline retail through chain stores like AutoZone or Advance Auto, automobile dealers, local independent brick & mortar retailers, and jobbers. Much of this is occurring on mobile phones. Digital obviously already influences online sales, including online retailers and manufacturers selling direct to consumers (DTC), which is growing rapidly. Unfortunately many brick and mortar retailers are still unprepared to...

What To Expect From An Auto Parts SEO Company: A Guide

Are you looking for an auto parts SEO company for your parts website (manufacturer or retailer)? How do you know what you should expect in terms of experience, services and results? If you need SEO services, how do you know what to even ask a prospective search vendor? A lot of search agencies claim to specialize as an auto parts SEO company but a quick look at their website shows it’s just one of many industries they’re reaching out to. One page on a search agency’s website, devoted to auto parts SEO, doesn’t make any agency experts in this...

We’re going against our better judgement to publicly reveal some of our best secrets for auto parts SEO. As you may already know we do extensive testing and experimenting on what works best for SEO and we do our own case studies. Here, for the first time, are some of our best automotive parts SEO strategies that we’ve developed. Automotive SEO Tips: The Road to Purchase can be non-linear; for your auto parts SEO you need to be visible for different types of search along the Road to Purchase; Your auto parts SEO strategy should include analyzing clickthrough rate...

Annual automotive aftermarket trends forecast of auto parts ecommerce summary: • Auto parts ecommerce sales will break $10B for the first time, excluding auctions and used parts; a key automotive aftermarket industry trend for 2018. • Power of digital influence: Almost $138B in parts sales, through online/offline channels, will be influenced by online activity. • Over $5B in parts & accessory sales will be on mobile devices in 2018. • Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) projects the total aftermarket to have compound annual growth rate of 3.6% through 2019; Do It Yourself (DIY) retail sales to grow at approximately...

Hedges & Company announces an exclusive webinar in conjunction with Google, designed specifically for automotive aftermarket parts & accessories manufacturers. The webinar will be held Thursday, October 19, 2017 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm EST. Space is limited, please register here. Auto Parts Manufacturers: Unprecedented Ways to Scale Up Marketing Nearly all automotive parts & accessories buyers go online to research brands and products. It doesn’t matter if they’re going to buy online or in a brick & mortar store. This webinar will show how these auto parts buyers can now be targeted with pinpoint precision. Manufacturers have unprecedented ways...

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....

Auto parts SEO is significantly different than marketing automobiles, because shoppers search for parts differently. “Front of the house” marketing involves different search terms and a different path to purchase than “back of the house” marketing. For that matter, marketing OEM replacement parts is different than marketing aftermarket performance parts and accessories online. Auto parts shoppers search for parts in six main ways: 1). By searching by automotive part type, including make/model/year modifiers, 2). By year/make or model, including trim or slang terms for models, 3). By searching by automotive part function, 4). By part symptoms, including year/make/model modifiers,...

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...

There has been a debate among SEO pros 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 for two auto parts clients and the positive impact organic CTR has on SEO keyword rankings. Our auto parts SEO case study testing 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 the WordStream site....

NOTE: This article has been updated for 2018. Please follow this link. Our annual ecommerce automotive aftermarket industry size forecast for vehicle parts puts online retail sales at $8.89 billion in 2017, posting a 16% increase over 2016. Online Parts Sales Summary: …Ecommerce car parts sales are 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...

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...

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...

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...

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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Automotive Aftermarket News, Reports & Analysis

Automotive Industry Trends: Light Trucks Outselling Automobiles

Auto Parts Ecommerce Trend: Shoppers Searching for Manufacturer Websites

Digital Influence on Retail Auto Parts Sales

What To Expect From An Auto Parts SEO Company: A Guide

Five Automotive Parts SEO Secrets Revealed

Online Parts Sales to Top $10 Billion in 2018

Join Our Webinar: Auto Parts & Accessories Manufacturers, Increase Your Sales and Build Your Brand

Drive Auto Parts Sales with Remarketing and Google Shopping

Guide for Dealers: Automobile SEO is Different Than Auto Parts SEO

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

SEO Case Study: Clickthrough Rate Influences Organic Rankings

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

VIO Big Data Shootout: Performance V8 Sedans

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

New Google SERP Format: Facts, Fiction and Rumors

Online Search for Motorcycle Parts & Accessories Growing From Mobile Traffic