A Look to the Future With SEMA Council Leaders
For its December issue each year, SEMA News puts out a call to the leaders of the association’s councils and networks to seek their views about what might be in store in the near term. These industry professionals provide responses based on what their organizations and their companies are seeing within their marketplaces. Their responses are instructive and should provide helpful insights for businesses in every segment of the marketplace.
SEMA members have come to rely on the association’s annual Market Report, a comprehensive research project summarizing economic, sales and new-vehicle trends of the past year affecting the $30 billion automotive specialty-equipment industry. Complete as that report is, however, SEMA backs it up with quarterly updates that track the latest trends and examine “Current Topics” through special sections to arm members with new research or information sources to better understand ongoing industry changes. The latest version, SEMA Market Update, Q2 2012, is now available.
Like many retailers, you may have been tightening your belt against a sluggish economy for the last few years while striving to improve your social media and Internet marketing. But in doing so, have you neglected your aftermarket business’s most important asset? Look around you. How does your retail space stack up against the competition, especially the chain auto parts or big-box superstore down the street?
How to Deliver the Goods to Online Shoppers
A recent study by comScore revealed new insights into the consumer online shopping experience. Commissioned by UPS, the comScore study polled more than 3,100 online shoppers and evaluated consumer perceptions and shopping habits ranging from pre-purchase to delivery and even the returns process.
An Industry Solution for Data Independence
As the SEMA Data Cooperative (SDC) gets up and running, its officers are getting a lot of questions and comments from participants, curious observers and skeptics. They range from those who are currently active in managing their data to folks who are just realizing that product data management is fast becoming a requirement to do business in today’s marketplace.
It’s been a long time coming, but the SEMA Data Cooperative (SDC) beta phase is up and running at full speed, with more than 80 specialty parts companies participating.
Starting life as a concept of the earliest SEMA business technology volunteers, the SDC represents the culmination of more than 10 years of effort and evolution into what is arguably the most complete and advanced product data repository ever to serve our industry. The fully operating beta phase represents a real-life “test drive” of the complete SDC production model, which will seamlessly transfer to the live production system late in 2012.
Key Services and Suppliers for a Successful Trade-Show Booth
With the 2012 SEMA Show mere months away, smart exhibitors are already contemplating their booth spaces. They know that a booth’s branding, contents and arrangement all contribute massively to their ability to attract buyers, acquire new leads and have a successful Show. However, first-time exhibitors (and maybe a few returnees, as well) may be scratching their heads over booth essentials—the fixtures and services that can make or break their return on investment.
Restylers and Dealers Create a One-Stop Shop for Consumers to Purchase Specialty-Equipment Parts and Accessories
With new-car sales growing and the economy slowly ticking upward, SEMA News checked in with restylers and restyling experts to find out what to expect in that segment for 2012. Our sources reported that both enthusiasts and more general-market consumers are starting to loosen their purse strings and indulge in specialty-equipment parts to go along with the new rides they just bought.
We’ve all seen them—on the showroom floor, on the retail shelves, at parts counters. Point-of-purchase (POP) and related merchandising displays compete for our attention daily. But do they really work? How are they created? And why should manufacturers consider adding POP/merchandising displays to their marketing mixes?
“They’re the last three feet of closing a sale,” said Jim Redfield, CEO of Griffin Chase Oliver Inc., a specialist in merchandising display production. “That’s the bottom line.”
There are basics to manufacturing that change little over time. To create marketable parts, manufacturers must mold, mill, drill, cut, weld and otherwise fabricate raw materials into something consumers find useful. The tools used to do these things are another matter altogether. It’s no secret that machine technologies are changing rapidly.