NPD to launch automotive retail tracking service

To expand and enhance its coverage of the automotive aftermarket, The NPD Group, a leading market research company, is launching a Retail Tracking Service that will monitor sales of automotive products from 20 retailers across the mass and automotive specialty channels. The Retail Tracking Service will include a diverse range of leading retailers representing almost 25,000 stores and will deliver comprehensive coverage of do-it yourself consumer purchasing in 29 major categories.

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“With the addition of other retailers beyond the automotive specialty channel, our enhanced Retail Tracking Service will provide our clients with greater visibility for understanding market dynamics, identifying growth opportunities, and partnering in category management initiatives,” says Dawn Zieren, president of NPD’s automotive business unit. “We look forward to offering point-of-sale information that most accurately reflects the marketplace and enables our clients to make better business decisions throughout their organizations.”

The Retail Tracking Service will provide point-of-sale scanning information covering almost 80 percent of retail category sales on average. NPD expects data from the new service to be available later this summer.

“With a challenging economy, cost-conscious consumer base, and increasing competition, the need for timely point-of-sale information is greater today than it has ever been,” says Kathleen Schmatz, president and chief executive officer, Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). “NPD’s new Retail Tracking Service is an excellent example of a collaboration that will benefit the entire automotive aftermarket industry by providing an accurate view of the marketplace and its consumers."

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