Shop Supplier Tracking

September 16, 2024

Perception of the Trades: Evolving Attitudes and Recommendations

In recent years, conversations around career options for the next generation have seen a notable shift, with traditional 4-year college degrees remaining prominent but with a growing recognition of the …

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March 28, 2023

Current Challenges for Independent Automotive Repair Shops – 2023

At the beginning of 2023 IMR surveyed independent automotive repair shops to get insight into what they believe their biggest challenges will be in 2023. Given the changing market dynamics …

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November 8, 2022

IMR’s ‘U.S. Household Perception of the Trades’ Report (With a Focus on the Automotive Technician Career Path)

Read updated study: September 2024 – Perceptions of the Trades: Evolving Attitudes and Recommendations The U.S. workforce is struggling to fill a massive gap in the skilled trades industry and …

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September 27, 2022

The Importance of Private Label and National Branded Parts at Independent Auto Repair Shops (2022 Update)

IMR recently spoke with the person most responsible for making parts purchasing decisions at 500 independent automotive repair shops. Our focus was to understand their use and perceptions of private …

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September 7, 2022

2022 Update: Private Label/Store Brand Parts Purchasing by Independent Auto Repair Shops

In July 2022, we spoke with 500 independent automotive repair shops about their purchase frequency and use of private label brands as well as the reasons why they use private …

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April 5, 2022

Current and Future Challenges for Independent Repair Shops – 2022

Read updated study: March 2023 – Current Challenges for Independent Automotive Repair Shops – 2023 At the beginning of 2022, IMR surveyed independent automotive repair shops to get insight into …

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September 20, 2021

Effects of Supply Chain Disruptions on Independent Automotive Repair Shops

In August 2021, IMR interviewed 500 independent automotive repair shops, nationally representative by location in the U.S., to get insights on whether supply chain disruptions were affecting their business and …

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August 30, 2021

E-Commerce Purchasing Behavior at Independent Auto Repair Shops

In July 2021, IMR interviewed 500 independent automotive repair shops, nationally representative by location in the U.S., to get insights into their use of publicly available websites for parts purchasing …

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March 1, 2021

The Importance of Private Label and National Branded Parts at Independent Auto Repair Shops

IMR recently spoke with the person most responsible for making parts purchasing decisions at 500 independent automotive repair shops. Our focus was to understand their use and perceptions of private …

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February 26, 2021

Update: Private Label/Store Brand Parts Purchasing by Independent Auto Repair Shops

In January 2021, we spoke with 500 independent automotive repair shops about their purchase frequency and use of private label brands. IMR started asking these questions in 2018 (Auto Repair …

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December 10, 2020

2020 EOY Independent Automotive Repair Shop Health & Part Delivery Disruption Update

As of December 2020, ninety-one percent of independent automotive repair shops reported a decrease in revenue this year.  18.5% of shops report they have returned to ‘normal’ revenue levels while 1.3% …

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June 8, 2020

Challenges for Independent Repair Shops and Technicians the Remainder of 2020 (COVID-19 Update)

At the beginning of 2020, prior to the pandemic, we surveyed independent automotive repair shops to get insight into what they thought their biggest challenges would be for 2020, for …

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May 13, 2020

Disruption in Auto Parts Availability Affecting Repair Shop Purchasing Behavior

Independent repair shops have seen a large drop in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place restrictions.  Some shops are faring better than others, some are more optimistic than …

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March 31, 2020

Automotive Parts & Service Consumer Purchasing Behavior During an Economic Downturn

The U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented economic shock due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Nearly every industry is being affected by the temporary shutdown in business activities.  While we hope business …

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January 22, 2020

Challenges for Independent Repair Shops and Technicians in 2020; Advice they’d give to Future Technicians

Heading into 2020, according to independent automotive repair shops, the biggest challenges to shops and their technicians include finding time for hands on training (42.6%), staying up to date with …

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November 18, 2019

CELL PHONE USAGE IN BAYS AT INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS

Nearly every auto repair technician owns a cell phone (99.6%), and nearly half own a tablet or iPad (46.4%). For 57%, those personal devices end up in their working bay. …

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May 15, 2019

Install-it-for-me at Independent Repair Shops

Consumers continue to bring parts to repair shops they’ve bought at retailers or online sources. While shops field these requests, some shops are more open to installing these parts than …

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January 9, 2019

Part Delivery Times at Independent Automotive Repair Shops

When an independent auto repair shop orders parts, delivery time can vary widely depending on the type of part.  Some shops are willing to wait longer for parts as well…read …

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October 10, 2018

Independent Auto Repair Shop Private Label/Store Brand Purchasing

Independent auto repair shop’s purchasing of private-label/store-brand parts is on the rise.  Almost 2/3rds of shops plan on increasing their purchases over the next two year which is driven by …

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August 28, 2018

Independent Auto Repair Shop’s Competitor Perceptions & Differentiation

This month’s insight follows up on our last insight (Independent Auto Repair Shop’s Biggest Competitors) and describes who the independent auto repair shop’s top competitors are, why they’re the shop’s …

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February 11, 2016

Most Repair Shops Head to WD for Ride Control Products for Domestic Vehicles According to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study

Almost 60 percent of independent repair shops use the warehouse distributor as their primary choice for ride control products for domestic vehicles. According to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study, …

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February 3, 2016

Dealers May Not Get First Call but Still Get Business from Shops According to IMR Repair Shop Tracking Study

Although dealerships only received three percent of the first calls for parts from independent repair shops they still got business from over 20 percent of those shops, according to IMR’s …

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February 1, 2016

Independent Repair Shops Called Retailers First More in 2015 According to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study

Retailers saw an increase in the number of independent repair shops making them their first call for parts in 2015. In 2014, 36.2 percent of shops called the retailer first …

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January 27, 2016

Average Repair Orders Down but Dollar Value up in 2015 According to IMR Repair Shop Tracking Study

Although the average number of repair orders for independent repair shops dropped to 54.5 per week in the final three months of 2015 compared to the rest of the year, …

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January 14, 2016

Independent Repair Shops See Slight Uptick in Servicing Imports in 2015 According to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study

In 2015, independent repair shops increased the number of imports they serviced according IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study. In the fourth quarter of 2015, shops serviced 46.7 percent imports …

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January 4, 2016

According to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study Almost 60 Percent of Independent Repair Shops Buy Their Sensors for European Vehicles from the WD

Six out of 10 independent repair shops purchase sensors for European vehicles from warehouse distributors, according to IMR Inc.’s Repair Shop Tracking Study. The IMR study reveals that 59.5 percent …

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