e-commerce and online tyre business news
The global e-commerce automotive aftermarket is largely consolidated with the presence of a few key companies that hold majority of the market share, according to report published in January by Transparency Market Research. This being the case, the automotive aftermarket’s forays into e-commerce are expected to boost sales in the years to come.
Hot on the heels of its recent acquisition, Tructyre has gone live with e-jobsheet to manage its direct fleet and third-party work amongst its tyre technician community.
In early January VMI launched a new company website. According to the tyre manufacturing machinery maker, the new site is entirely styled in the firm’s new corporate branding. It is also said to features “more information on the VMI products and services”. Company representatives explained that the site has been designed to give “an improved browser experience with easy navigation and is furthermore optimized for mobile usage”.
Full Circle Partners, the investment advisory firm co-founded by Blackcircles.com founder Mike Welch has launched a new property fund. FCP Property Development Fund will provide loans ranging from £250,000 to £2.5 million. It has reportedly already invested approximately £6 million and could raise that to £20 million in the next year or so.
Almost 80 per cent of independents have been using the same garage management system for more than three years and risk “getting left behind by the dealer networks”, according to TechMan.
The findings, which were revealed in a survey of independent garages, also show that a staggering 40 per cent have had the same management system for more than five years, with just 13 per cent having switched in the last year.
Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) reports that recent updates to its TyreClick website have drawn a positive response from the MTS independent dealer network, with many reporting significant increases in sales since the site was revamped.
In one of the biggest and most significant investments into TyreClick since its launch in 2014, the site updates have seen a raft of new design and user functionality features – with the new look site already delivering increased sales for the independent network of tyre dealers using it.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s presence in China’s replacement tyre market has gained a significant boost by the forging of a strategic partnership with e-commerce giant JD.com. Signed 1 December, the agreement with China’s largest e-commerce platform (by revenue) will place selected Goodyear products on a Goodyear-branded JD.com channel and also see the company’s tyre and automotive services centres, which currently operate in ten cities in China, collaborate with the JD.com automotive platform. Goodyear states that this partnership will result in “seamless omni-channel experiences.”
MRF Tyres has selected 42Gears EMM Solution to provide secure access to MRF product application on the tablets in the exclusive stores. 42Gears solution allows MRF to remotely manage the MRF application and push app updates. Further, the digital signage solution enhances customer engagement by turning the Lenovo tabs into kiosks during idle time.
Tyre and wheel fitment data companies Fitment Group and Size It Up have announced they will merge and operate under the Fitment Group brand. The value of the merger was not disclosed. The expanded business is based in Duluth, Minnesota.
In a preview of what may come in the 2018 Tyres & Accessories social media ranking, Falken Tyres UK has come eighth in an updated version of the 2017 table. Due to the fact that @FalkenTyreUK is a new handle and didn’t show up when we were conducting searches earlier this year, Falken UK’s data has only just come to light.
New research by the National Tyre Distributor’s Association (NTDA) has found that 80 per cent of motorists would rather buy tyres in person from a tyre technician, instead of purchasing online.
The survey was commissioned as part of the NTDA’s policy document Raising Standards and Improving Safety in the UK Tyre Industry. Further research from the survey also found that 85 per cent of motorists trust their tyre retailer and that 40 per cent purchase a tyre based on advice from a technician.
Ronal Group has launched a new website in eight languages at www.ronalgroup.com. Following its major relaunch, it now comes in a modern design and satisfies increased user needs and expectations in terms of its usability.
Giti Tire Deutschland has made its Giti brand car tyres available to end users via its own web shop. In doing so, it joins a select band of tyre manufacturers pursuing similar distribution strategies in particular markets.
Blackcircles.com CEO Mike Welch left the employment of the company he founded in August 2017. Since then he has joined the board of SimpleTire.com, a fast-growing, US-based online tyre business. Meanwhile he also remains a consultant to blackcircles.com. Tyres & Accessories recently caught up with the well-known tyre entrepreneur to find out more about his latest venture.
SimpleTire.com is the brainchild of brothers Andy and Josh Chalofsky. Andy has been in the tyre business since he was a teenager and started out in the warehouse of his family’s brick and mortar tyre business. From here he worked his way up and took over a subsidiary tyre business after graduating college. In 2012, he started building the foundations of what is now SimpleTire.
While it was once known as the bastion of bargain basement tyre prices, the cost of car tyres in the UK online retail space has increased significantly since the start of 2017. According to the latest data compiled by industry analysts Encircle Marketing, the average online tyre price increased 7 per cent in the eight months between January and August 2017. On average every segment was up by at least a couple of per cent, but in August specialist products (such as run-flats) were being sold at prices 8 or even 9 per cent higher than in January 2017.
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