Study Suggests Trust More Important Than Price

Research carried out by the US Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) shows that consumers rate product quality and trust above price when selecting a vehicle service provider. According to the Tire Review report, researchers discovered that the cost of service ranked seventh in the study. The report entitled “The Aftermarket Consumer: DIY or DIFM” looked into the factors affecting consumer decision making.

“Convenience, speed of service and their past experience with a service provider are more important than cost of service to consumers,” said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO, suggesting that tyre dealers shouldn’t advertise and market their services on price alone.

The report analysed consumer responses to numerous topics, including consumer maintenance and repair behaviour; light, medium and heavy DIY/DIFM work, frequency and type of DIY/DIFM work, where DIYers purchase products and why, factors in selecting service providers for DIFMers, DIY and DIFM demographics and tool and accessory purchasing.