IAR Recyclers Newspress January / February 2016

24 / 28

ARA Updates
Industry news from the national association
Page 24 Recyclers News Press
LSB Financial
Waterloo, IA
MCI Core
St Louis, MO
Metro Salvage Pool
Des Moines, IA
Nordstrom's Automotive, Inc.
Garretson, SD
OverBuilt, Inc.
Huron, SD
Pal Fleet Truck Equipment
Company
Council Bluffs, IA
PAM's Auto
St Cloud, MN
Panhandle Converter
Recycling
Dothan, AL
PDCM Insurance
Waterloo, IA
Automotive Parts Procurement Growing
in the Digital Arena
Technological advancements in the automotive industry are expected to
greatly impact the aftermarket parts purchasing process.
According to a recently released report by Frost & Sullivan, a consulting firm
which provides market research, analysis and growth strategy consulting,
connected cars and the growth of urban and tech-savvy demographics will
change the face of the automotive aftermarket model. E-retailing in the con-
nected car world will become common place.
While the report states that it doesn't "... think the traditional distributor will
ever go away" it added that "With so many new vehicles being sold in areas
that lack distribution, the automotive industry is becoming the test case for
how retailers meet the needs of a changing customer base. More and more
of them live in regions that lack close proximity to an auto parts store." It is
predicted that car aps will tell customers not only what is wrong with their
cars but also direct them to service and parts providers.
The report also predicts that brick and mortar stores will contain much more
technology to service the customer. Stores are expected to have self-serve
kiosks, vending machines and virtual sales staff.