Auto technicians say that quality and brand are the two most important reasons they buy a particular aftermarket product, according to the 2014 Aftermarket Business World Technician Attitude Study.
Warranty and availability were the third and fourth most important reasons behind their purchase and price was a distant fifth.
When it comes to sourcing parts, techs most often buy from auto parts retailers, followed by warehouse distributors, jobbers and dealerships. Buying direct from manufacturers was a distant fifth option, according to the survey.
When asked what their preferred purchasing channel is, techs selected auto parts retailers first, jobbers second and warehouse distributors third. Dealerships were a distant fourth.
Despite the fourth-place showing, technicians who but parts from dealers say the No. 1 reason they do so is for OEM form/fit and function. Other frequent reasons they give is that is the only place the part is available, due to customer requests and for the OE brand name. Techs who do not buy parts from dealers most often said the reason was that the parts were too expensive or that the aftermarket parts were as good or better than OE.
The primary reason technicians select a preferred supplier is overwhelmingly due to parts availability, which ranked No. 1 in 12 of the 13 product categories surveyed. Techs cited “good relationship” as the second most important reason they use a supplier. “Fast delivery,” “price” and “carries specific brands” were the third, fourth and fifth most cited reasons, respectively, that techs have preferred supplier. Click on Technician Attitude Study to see the entire study.
Methodology: The Aftermarket Business World 2014 Technician Attitude Study was fielded to readers of sister publication Motor Age via email. Study results are intended to show general industry trends, not statistical certainties.
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