| Automotive
"Because
it costs 5 times more to reach a new customer than it does to
keep a current customer, they're an important part of your business
that you can't afford to lose." NAPA CSI
2000 Program, December 1999
Over 70%
of dealerships are on the Internet, compared to less than 10%
of the mechanical repair facilities. ASA, 1997
& Automotive News, January, 1998
" Twenty
percent of loyal customers usually account for eighty percent
of a small business' commerce." Anecdotal
While nearly
three-fourths of vehicle owners are aware of their car's recommended
maintenance schedule, only half of them follow the recommendations,
according to the American Automobile Association. (USA
Today, 1998)
Buyers who
used coupons had a 36.2% higher repeat purchase rate than those
customers who purchased without using coupons. (PROMO
Magazine, 1998)
Adults 18+
who had some type of repair/maintenance work done in the past
year at an auto repair shop/garage, by marital status: Single,
22.6%; married, 59.2%; separated/widowed/ divorced, 18.2%. (Simmons,
1998)
Adults 18+
who had some type of repair/maintenance work done in the past
year at a car dealership, by marital status: Single, 17.1%; married,
65.8%; separated/ widowed/ divorced, 17.1%. (Simmons,
1998)
Adults 18+
who had some type of repair/maintenance work done on their vehicle
in the past year, by region: Northeast, 20.3%; Midwest, 23.2%;
South, 33.9%; West,22.7%. (Simmons, 1998)
Adults 18+
who had some type of repair/maintenance work done on their vehicle
in the past year at an auto repair shop/garage, by income level:
$75,000+, 20.9%; $50-74,999, 22.4%; $40-49,999, 12.9%; $30-39,999,
12.9%; $20-29,999, 14.1%; under $20,000, 16.9%. (Simmons,
1998)
Adults 18+
who had some type of repair/maintenance work done on their vehicle
in the past year at an auto repair shop/garage, by age group:
18-24, 9.4%; 25-34, 20.3%; 35-44, 23.3%; 45-54, 19.9%; 55-64,
11.9%; 65+, 15.3%. (Simmons, 1998)
Of those
adults 18+ who had some type of maintenance work done on their
vehicles in the past year at an auto repair shop/garage, 53.9%
were men an 46.1% were women. (Simmons, 1998)
Women spend
an average of 4.8 hours per month taking care of their cars, compared
to the 8.0 hours that men spend taking care of the vehicles. (MSN
Carpoint, 1999)
The average
age of the primary vehicle (including cars, vans, pickups, SUVs)
owned by U.S. adults is 5.6 years. Age of vehicle, by percentage:
Less than 3 years old, 28%; 3-7 years, 34%; 8 years or older,
38%. (Brushkin/Goldring Report, 1999)
Seventy-eight
percent of new vehicle owners are covered by manufacturer-sponsored
emergency roadside assistance programs but do not know it. (J.D.
Power and Associates, 1998)
Costs for
the average owner to own and operate a typical intermediate-size
vehicle in 1998 (with 1998 percentages in parentheses): Depreciation/interest,
54% (54.4%); fuel, 14.7% (18.1%); insurance, 15.2% (15.0%); maintenance,
8.0% (6.2%); tires, 3.4% (2.4%); license, 0.6% (0.3%); other,
4.1% (3.5%). (Runzheimer International, 1998)
In a late-1998
survey of 300 vehicle owners, only 11% could identify the ASE
(Automotive Service Excellence) certification logo in brand awareness
tests. Of those who did identify it, only 17% knew what it meant.
However, after being given a brief description, 62% said certification
will be important to them when deciding where to have their next
auto repairs done. (Automotive News, 1998)
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