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The SEMA Store of the Future and Retail Resource Center at the 2007 SEMA Show is where you will discover the latest and best in display practices and retailing ideas designed to optimize your company's sales. You'll learn about lighting, fixtures and props, signage, packaging and POS/POP displays and how they can help your jobber/retail business without costing you a fortune.

While in the Store of the Future, be sure to take advantage of these free resources:

• A custom audit of your retail environment with an industry expert from Watt International (by appointment only)
• 20-minute "Quick Tip" seminars to help improve sales
• Daily branding and store-front merchandising workshops

In addition, the first 300 visitors to the SEMA Store of the Future and Retail Resource Center will receive a copy of the SEMA Retail Resource Guide, compliments of Search-Autoparts.com and Advanstar, the presenting sponsors of the Store of the Future.

To make an appointment for a custom audit, use the form located here.

For information on the 2007 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

Dick Berggren, seen here with SEMA Chairman-Elect Rick Rollins (left) and SEMA Hall of Fame inductee Ron Funfar (right), will host the New Product Awards Breakfast held at the 2007 SEMA Show.

Dick Berggren, well-known racer, NASCAR-on-FOX TV personality and founder of Speedway Illustrated magazine, will kick off opening day of the 2007 SEMA Show as the featured speaker of the New Product Awards Break

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The so-called "Web 2.0" evolution of the Internet now affects the research and purchase decisions of those in the market for a new car, says a recent J.D. Power and Associates report. Nearly 69% of new-vehicle buyers who use the Internet to research their options will end up reading one or more forms of user-generated content—blogs, forums, photo-sharing sites—in their purchasing decisions. Consumer-generated content increasingly pops up on a buyer's radar as a new way to gather what is perceived as unbiased information.

Consumer ratings and reviews are said to be the most popular forms of consumer-generated content online, with 64% of respondents reporting usage, according to the J.D. Power report. Shoppers consider forums, blogs and enthusiast/question-and-answer/photo-sharing sites helpful, but use them less than consumer reviews and ratings.

SEMA market research reveals a similar trend in the specialty-equipment industry. Results from SEMA’s 2007 Automotive Lifestyles survey show that 52% of automotive enthusiasts turn to manufacturer websites to find information about custom parts and accessories prior to making a purchase. Coming in a close second are forums, with 45% of the respondents saying they visit these types of sites.

Internet retail store sites (35% of the vote) followed, although just 19% said that they actually purchase their products at online retail stores. Only 14% said they purchased over half of their specialty equipment at manufacturer websites. Enthusiasts research their purchases at manufacturer websites, but will sometimes turn to online retail stores to make the actual purchase.

Approximately 3,000 consumers were surveyed, largely subscribers to 21 different automotive magazines, including Hot Rod, Super Street and Motor Trend, and visitors to websites hosted by the individual magazines.

Sources: SEMA Research & Information Center; J.D. Power and Associates (October 10, 2007): As Automotive Manufacturers Shift Marketing Dollars Online, New-Vehicle Shoppers Follow (J.D. Power and Associates press release, courtesy of PR Newswire)

The majority of light-truck enthusiasts tend to modify their vehicles within two months of ownership, according to SEMA research. While just 5% add specialty-equipment parts at the time of purchase, 57% do so within the first two months of ownership.

And those first days are ripe with opportunity for specialty-equipment dealers and manufacturers: 38% say they modified their light truck within one to three weeks of ownership. Overall, 77% of light-truck enthusiasts purchased parts and accessories for their ride within six months, including those who buy at the time of purchase.

For more insight into the light-truck market, read the Market Update published by SEMA’s Research & Information Center in the September 2007 issue of SEMA News. Visit www.sema.org/research for more valuable member-exclusive market research reports.

Market insiders will share the latest trends in top specialty-equipment markets and provide key information for doing business in Australia, Europe and Brazil. Information includes the vehicles most often accessorized, the most popular accessories and what’s legal and what’s not in the three countries. SEMA’s new report on the Chinese specialty-equipment market will be distributed at the seminar on a first-come, first-served basis. Come to this special session taking place Wednesday, October 31, at 10:15 a.m. (PST), in Room N255. No pre-registration required.

For more information on this session, contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org. To view a list of all seminars and special events set for the 2007 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.