Corrected: 12 volt specialists are seeing greater unit volumes in car audio than last year, according to the NPD Group.
The unit volumes for specialists improved by 9 percent in February compared to February 2011 and 8 percent in March compared to a year ago. Specialists also saw a 2 percent share gain in April.
Conversely, mass merchants/superstores/ecommerce as a collective group saw their unit volumes in car audio sales decline by 14 percent in April compared to last April. Their share dropped 13 percent in March and 12 percent in January. NPD notes that the ecommerce sector is on the upswing so its the mass merchants and superstores who are losing share in car audio to a significant degree.
“I’m seeing a decline in electronics superstores and mass retailers and some of that is being picked up by specialists; not a ton, but there’s some growth there,” said NPD Director of Industry Analysis Ben Arnold.
Note: The original version of this story incorrectly referred to “market share” instead of “unit volumes.”
Source: CEoutlook
Specialty Retailers……………….
Ray is RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!
An opportunity. Not a salvation. Who will step up to capitalize?
Specialty retailers,
I am convinced that brick & mortar installing specialty retailers can add momentum to this market share growth trend. The big box brick & mortar guys cannot deliver the experience for the consumer. On line gets the low price consumers who probably learned what to purchase from a specialty retailer.
Know what your consumers will surely learn about what you authorize them to buy.
Educate consumers and thereby create demand (sell) for the kind of products and services that will at minimum meet the consumer’s expectations (which you have just set) which will be profitable for you today AND TOMORROW.
It takes a little research, planning and deliberate execution BUT it can and is being done.
Ray Windsor
German Maestro