Parts Category Insights from the Repair Shop Channel

What parts are shops installing? Which brands are they choosing and why? Where are they buying them? IMR’s monthly Repair Shop Parts Tracking research answers these questions at the category level, sourced directly from the decision-makers inside independent repair shops across the U.S. The result is a complete picture of category dynamics: brand share, supplier usage, and purchasing behavior, all in one study.

Parts Category Research: Brand Performance at the Shop Level

IMR tracks parts purchasing behavior by category, giving brand managers and sales teams the data they need to understand exactly how their brand is performing at the point of purchase inside the shop.

Category-level metrics include:

• Purchase outlets by category — where shops source specific parts (e.g., brake pads vs. air filters vs. rotors) and which channels capture that business
• Secondary supplier usage — which suppliers shops turn to for category purchases outside their primary supplier relationship
• Unaided and aided brand awareness by category
• Brand usage, consideration, and preference
• Primary brand in use and secondary brands purchased
• Key brand attribute importance — what matters most to shops when selecting a brand
• Preferred brand satisfaction on those same attributes
• Premium brand usage and upgrade considerations

This data lets brand teams benchmark their position against competitors, identify where they’re winning and losing at the shop level, and build a category strategy grounded in real purchasing behavior.

Shop Demographics: Context That Makes Category Data More Useful

Category data is more actionable when you know the profile of the shop behind it. IMR tracks shop operational metrics monthly so clients can segment category insights by shop type, size, and workload.

Shop demographic metrics include:

• Average number of technicians and ASE-certified technicians
• Average number of bays and vehicles serviced per month
• Average number of repair orders written and average RO dollar value
• Average posted labor rate
• Vehicle mix serviced: Domestic, Asian, and European
• Primary sources shops use for technical and product information

Supplier Tracking: Share, Satisfaction, and Competitive Position

Parts category research doesn’t exist in isolation from the supplier relationship. IMR layers in monthly supplier tracking data so clients can connect brand purchasing behavior with the supplier dynamics driving it — including who’s getting the first call, who’s losing share, and why.

Supplier metrics tracked alongside category data include:

• Unaided and aided supplier awareness
• Supplier usage, consideration, and switching intent
• 1st call, 2nd call, and 3rd call supplier share
• Percentage of parts purchased from primary supplier
• Overall satisfaction with primary supplier
• Importance ratings for key supplier attributes
• Satisfaction with primary supplier on those attributes
• Likelihood to recommend and future purchase intent

Understanding both the brand and supplier layers together gives clients a complete view of how purchasing decisions are made at the shop — and where the leverage points are for gaining share.

FAQ

What parts categories does IMR track in its repair shop research? IMR tracks a wide range of aftermarket parts categories including brakes, filtration, ignition, ride control, temperature control, and more. Category coverage varies by study — contact IMR to confirm coverage for a specific category.

How does IMR collect repair shop parts purchasing data? IMR collects data directly from independent repair shop owners, service managers, and parts purchasers through monthly surveys. Respondents are the individuals responsible for parts purchasing decisions at their shops.

Can IMR’s category research show which brands repair shops prefer by shop size or vehicle type? Yes. IMR’s data can be segmented by shop size, number of bays, vehicle origin mix (Domestic/Asian/European), region, and other shop characteristics — allowing brand and sales teams to identify where their brand over- or under-indexes.

How is parts category research different from supplier tracking? Supplier tracking measures which distributors and suppliers shops are buying from and how satisfied they are with those relationships. Parts category research tracks which specific brands shops are choosing within a category, why, and from which outlet.