NTDA survey: Labels trumped by price concerns
Almost a year after point of sale tyre labelling became mandatory in Europe, the NTDA has revealed that it plans to release the details of a survey into attitudes towards labelling at the association’s annual dinner in October.
Almost 12 months since the labelling of tyres at the point of sale became mandatory across the EU and the UK, the NTDA wondered what effect, if any, it has had on the way tyres are sold – have customers become better informed and more knowledgeable? Are they aware of the introduction of the label? Do they appreciate the information on it? And how important is this relative to price?
According to the NTDA, some sections of the tyre industry were enthusiastic about the introduction, hailing it as something that would fundamentally change motorists’ attitudes towards tyres. The survey’s questions asked whether or not the customer asked for the information in the first place and what value he placed on the information on the label and on the advice given by the tyre dealer.
While the headline figures will be revealed in October, one detail has been released. The first question asks ‘what is the most important factor for a customer to buy tyres?’ and early results are that more than 70 per cent of respondents indicated that price was more important than both safety or fuel consumption.
Speaking of the survey, NTDA director Richard Edy was pleased at the level of response, saying: “With still a few days to go, we have had a reply from more than 25 per cent of our members’ Head Offices, which is an unusually high response rate.” He added that a more typical response rate for questionnaires like these tends to be in single figures, so the comparatively high level of interest shows the importance that tyre dealers place on the labels.
Richard concluded: “We at the NTDA firmly believe that tyre labelling represents a fantastic opportunity for the tyre retailer to engage with the customer and discuss which tyre best suits his driving style and requirements. It will be interesting to see what the survey results tell us about whether attitudes to buying tyres have changed since the introduction of labelling.”
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