Miles Driven Continues To Trend Downward
Northcoast Research, a Cleveland-based firm that tracks miles driven and presents data about six weeks ahead of the government, isn’t convinced that miles driven will reverse the decline it’s been experiencing.
2011’s Top Stories In Review
At the beginning of each year, we review the top stories of the previous year in automotive aftermarket parts distribution. We gauge this by reviewing the most-read stories from our sister e-newsletter, aftermarketNews.com. One of the most-read stories of the year came in July when Advance Auto Parts would introduce home delivery in two markets
Younger People Prefer Smartphones Over Cars?
It used to be that to stay in touch with friends, teens would drive somewhere to interact with their friends. In-person.
Research & Development Are Keys To Success, If Money Is Spent Wisely
The secret to success for a vibrant automotive aftermarket just may be something you can’t see with the naked eye. How so? During the past 60 days or so, I’ve visited and researched a number of aftermarket manufacturers who are doing their part to make sure their parts are the absolute best they can produce.
Todd Carpenter, 2011 Counter Professional of the Year sponsored by Affinia, WIX and Raybestos
The automotive aftermarket runs through Todd Carpenter’s blood. He got started in the business at age 13, working in his father’s NAPA store in Cambridge, Minn., where he swept floors and put away stock. Eventually, he became a counter professional and later was promoted to store manager. Carpenter was chosen as Counterman magazine’s 2011 Counter
Business Moves Fast (Some Of Them)
I subscribe to a newsletter by a business that runs auctions. What they auction isn’t important for the purposes of this discussion, but suffice it to say, the prices the items yield can be quite high. The other day, the CEO of the auction company sent out an email saying the company would be providing
More Than Pizza Is Being Delivery
I’ve always marveled at something that a lot of people probably take for granted: home pizza delivery. If you think about it, it’s a beautiful concept: With a phone call or few clicks of a mouse or swipes on a smartphone, a car will show up in front of your home with a driver who
Stop-And-Go Traffic Isn’t So Bad After All
You may not like stop and go traffic on your commute, but the aftermarket sure does. While miles driven increased only slightly in 2010, product volume in the aftermarket rose 3.2 percent, according to a recent study by Lang Marketing. How can product volume rise significantly while the miles driven increase was a paltry 0.8
Want To Sell More Parts? Talk To A Woman
If you have a strong retail presence and want to know how your store is perceived, ask a woman. That’s what David Portalatin did. Portalatin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group, asked hundreds of women their opinions on parts stores. He spoke during a presentation at last month’s Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium that was
There’s Real Pain At The Pump
The CEO of Wal-Mart, Mike Duke, made a revealing observation of retail trends last month during a gathering of industry watchers in New York.
Apple Re-Invented The Store Experience
Apple is a company that’s been praised for innovating and changing things up in ways that other companies haven’t.
ASE P2 Question-Writing: Harder Than It Looks
It gets taken every year — the ASE P2. And every year, counterpros around the country study up on store operations questions, parts predicaments and some math homework to take the test and hopefully, earn their blue seal. But come test day, all those P2 questions don’t just materialize out of thin air. The job of
