Covid – changing loyalties, shifting habits or just ‘distress purchase’?

• A third of workshop technicians have tried different brands since Covid

• More than a third of workshops have started using a different parts supplier

• The majority of workshops think the industry is bouncing back well from Covid

Earlier this year we identified a series of trends that we predicted would characterise 2020 – the reliance on brands, the growth in digital, an increase widening share of the car parc taken by electric and hybrid technology vehicles, and so on. And whilst we’re not quite ready to complete a 2020 retrospective, its fair to say that the ‘Covid impact’ has been to accelerate some trends and bring others to a grinding halt!

One thing that seems certain in the immediate, is that the pandemic has already made things ‘sustainably different’ in the automotive aftermarket. (Noting that ‘different’ needn’t necessarily be better or worse, depending on your perspective.)

In a recent study of UK workshops, a sector that is generally considered relatively ‘unchanging’ and committed to ‘the way we do things around here’, it was particularly notable to see how many workshops had changed their buying behaviour, if not their habits and loyalties. In a recent study undertaken by Moove Pro-Brands, more than a third of workshop respondents reported using parts brands that they had not previously used and separately, more than a third also reported turning to alternative wholesales, suppliers and motor factors.

The obvious conclusion to draw is that, due to Covid restrictions, some stockists were closed and therefore the workshops ‘usual brands‘ were unavailable. However, a good proportion of respondents had tried different brands without changing stockists – in fact only 10% of respondents had tried both different parts brands and a different parts supplier. The study does not reveal why that may be the case but certainly it seems likely that many wholesalers have changed their ‘stocking habits’ as a result of availability further up in the supply chain. This underlines more than ever the importance of having the right stock, in the right place at the right time.

In a world of so much bad news it was reassuring to see that half of all workshops believe that the industry is ‘bouncing back well’ from Covid and in fact, only a very small minority (less than 1 in 10 respondents) disagree with this view.

We know that for many businesses, the Covid-impact has been catastrophic but it is reassuring that industries, like the automotive aftermarket, can survive, adapt and evolve for the conditions – continuing to generate economic value and providing essential servicing and product to motorists.

If your business is looking for support on how it adapts to its environment, particularly in the automotive lubricants category, then please feel free to connect with a member of the Moove Pro-Brands team today. You can also find us on LinkedIn.

Automotive Aftermarket Private Labels 2.0

The European Automotive Aftermarket can be characterised from many perspectives – from a ‘brands’ viewpoint, the growth, acceptance, relevance and evolution of the private labels has been a significant feature of the marketplace.

Throughout the 2000s, as trade distributors and retailers grew, private labels traditionally offered a neat and simple way to increase visibility, whilst leveraging buying power and reducing dependency on the power of ‘original brands’.

But in recent years, the role and priorities of distributors have changed – having consolidated their scale, for many the charge for growth has been replaced by a mature, more sustainable goal of sustainable, profitable growth.

Meanwhile, in a world where there’s never been more choice, more complexity, more freely available information, and more urgency (‘time is money’!) the traditional role of brands is re-emerging. Recognised brands shortcut selection and buying decisions – few things offer the same efficacy for the fast communication of quality and price expectation, as a brand.

What does this mean for Category and Brand managers in the Automotive Aftermarket? A key emergent trend is, similarly with other sectors such as FMCG, consumer electronics and clothing retail: exclusive brands. This might seem like semantics but in fact, the creation or acquisition of ‘brands’ in place of where a private label might have traditionally sat is a key growth trend, seen across multiple product categories, in the aftermarket.

Moove Pro-Brands operates a multi-brand portfolio across its lubricants offer – this allows Moove to help satisfy individual category needs, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether it’s finding a price anchor brand or main volume line, we can tailor solutions to fit or re-engineer a category.

If you’d like to discuss your category opportunities for lubricants brands, please contact Moove.