Following record breaking sales over the past several months, some retailers are now seeing car audio sales level off to more traditional levels.
The surges of 40, 50 and even 70 percent growth seen this summer/fall are giving way to 5 to 15 percent growth in many cases, although there are exceptions.
Santa Rosa Cartunes, CA was up 30 percent in October, dropping to about 17 percent in November. Car Tunes, MI saw about a 10 percent increase in November, and Sound of Tri-State, DE, was up about 15 percent for November over last year. Soundz Plus, IL says its retail business is now flat but the shop has converted much of its attention to fleet sales which are surging. Ovation Audio Video, IN sales were slightly down for November.
“We are off of the frantic and frenetic pace we’ve been on for the past 6 ½ months,” said Car Tunes’ Nate Kubicz “I think the world we live in today has got everyone a little afraid. We don’t even know who the president is.” He noted that sales have been unseasonably warm in Michigan so remote start sales haven’t yet kicked in. But in terms of sales dropping to more typical levels, Kubicz said, “We’re not worried about it.”
Westminster Speed & Sound, MD saw 50 percent gains for many months this year and is beginning to see signs of slower growth. “It’s definitely normalizing,” said owner Mark Miller. Even though sales are still up over last year, Miller says he’s “concerned about what sales will be like in December. I’m concerned it might not be a good Christmas.” He noted that many customers are buying early, so fewer sales may happen around the actual holidays.
Erik Waserstein of Perzan Auto, PA said, “Our pace is a lot more normal….I don’t think it’s as much about inventory but that demand has subsided. We’re a little bit bummed about that because sales were off the wall crazy, but it’s okay; it’s consistent; back to normal.” He noted that the new car business in Philadelphia where the store is located, has also slowed substantially. Nationally, the pace of new car sales slowed in November as the pandemic rebounded.
“It’s a reality we have to face,” said Mehdi Narimanian of Sound of Tri-State. “The boom obviously is not just because car stereo became very important; there was money in the hands of consumers that they didn’t normally have… I hope we all realize this was a unique year; at the same time we’re hoping consumers remember us and come in for more upgrades.”
Sound Warehouse, UT is an exception, as it was expecting a record sales month for November, according to owner Dean Magnussen.
Still, some stores report seeing higher cancellations of scheduled installs. Part of that may be due to officials telling people to stay home due to COVID.
we’re boomin’