1. 26 SSGM June 2013 www.ssgm.com
|| Internet
W
e all know the Internet and
social media has changed how
people interact with compa­
nies.The same is true for the aftermar­
ket. Studies by Google and Experian
Automotive show how rapidly vehi­
cle owners have begun to use online
seraches and social media to educate
themselves about aftermarket products
and services.
A thinkauto study with Google, The
2010 Automotive Aftermarket Study:The
Role of the Internet and Search in the
Automotive Parts, Tires, Services and
Accessories (PTSA) Research and Pur-
chasing Process, finds nearly a third of
persons contacted in the study use
online searches for researching such
things as automotive parts, tires, ser­
vices and automotive accessories. Of
those, 60 per cent say they use online
searches to research and to help make
parts purchasing decisions for their
vehicles.
Otherkeyaftermarketpartssearched
by people include brakes, air filters and
exhaust systems, fluids, lubricants and
The Internet
and the AftermarketOnline searches should be an opportunity for service operations to
differentiate themselves, educate vehicle owners By Tom Venetis, Editor

2. www.ssgm.com June 2013 SSGM 27
Internet ||
oils, batteries, engine and transmission
parts and lights.
Danielle Russell, automotive indus­
try director with Google says online
searches are becoming a key factor is
what she calls the ‘zero moment of
truth,’ that point when “the consumer
goes online and tries to find out as
much information they can about a
product or service they are about to
have done, and then making that final
purchasing decision. It is happening
now much more often in the after­
market business.”
“What consumers are doing now is
using online searches to better prepare
themselves and to educate themselves
about their vehicles and the work they
are to have done on their vehicles,” she
adds.
This supports the anecdotal evi­
dence that service writers have reported
to SSGM Magazine over the last num­
ber of years.
Many service writers find today’s
vehicle owner often come in having
done a lot of research about their
vehicle or the kinds of parts and ser­
vice their particular make and model
of vehicle needs. They often have a lot
more questions for the service writer
about the parts or service recommend­
ed, and will sometimes defer making
a final decision on a service or part
recommendation until they have gone
home to do more research; or in some
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3. 28 SSGM June 2013 www.ssgm.com
|| Internet
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cases, after they have reserached the
informtion given to them on their
smart phones right in the waiting area.
Russell says online searches are a
matter of trust building by vehicle
owners. People want to know that the
parts to be used and the service pro­
vider who is offering to do the needed
service and repair work is someone they
can trust and build a long-term busi­
ness relationship with.
“Once a vehicle owner trusts a ser­
vice provider, research suggests (the
vehicle owner) is willing to drive up to
10 miles to that service provider to get
that work done,” she adds.
This is where it becomes important
for service providers to work harder
in differentiating themselves online.
Online searches still tend to begin in a
very general way. People will type into
a search engine terms such as “Auto
Repair” and then their location. This
brings up hundreds of local service
operations — and at a cursory glance —
all on the same footing. Not one opera­
tion stands out from another. One way
to differentiate one’s service operation
is suggested in the thinkauto/Google
study that looked more closely at what
kinds of service work was researched in
online searches. These include regular
maintenance, installation and main­
tenance, brake repair, heating and air
conditioning repair, steering and sus­
pension and major engine repair. What
needs to happen is for service opera­
tions to use these generic search criteria
as an educational opportunity, to give
vehicle owners information about parts
and services that can then translate into
them making a decision to send their
business to your service operation.
Margot Weisz, senior product man­
ager with Experian Automotive, an
automotive data intelligence provider,
says people in their online searches
are looking for experts to help them
understand what parts or services they
need. As an example, Weisz points
to how people search for information
about tires or motor oils. They will
often begin with a generic search, but
then gravitate to trusted brands for
information that can be used to make
an informed decision.
“They are going to brands they

4. 30 SSGM June 2013 www.ssgm.com
|| Internet
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know and hear about,”she adds.“Brand
recognition plays a big factor and that
has to do with the fact that with today’s
vehicles, there is a lot (people) don’t
know or understand, so they will go
to trusted brands they recognize when
they are looking for parts.”
The major producers of after­
market vehicle parts and accessories
then become experts to vehicle owners
who will use the information provided
as a means of educating themselves
and then to make a buying decision.
Google’s Russell says this is supported
by recent research that shows people
looking for videos and other informa­
tion specifically to educate themselves
on such things as oil changes and filters,
for example.
It would seem that service opera­
tions that wish to differentiate them­
selves online should begin to offer
information not just about their ser­
vices, but focus much more on cus­
tomer education and become trusted
providers of information about vehicle
operations and service.
Offering an oil change is one thing.
Demonstrating why regular oil ­changes
are important and then explaining
how oil filters work will likely lead to
more service work and better customer
­retention.
Videos, in-depth product informa­
tion and social media can be used to
build that education component.
“It is up to service providers to be
able to educate consumers and that
they should trust them in repairing
their vehicles,” Russell says. “(Service
providers) have to be more interested
in just the sale for today.”
SSGM