The Innovations Center Opens for Business

The photo you see on the cover of this month’s SEMA News was taken in the newly completed SEMA Garage photo studio. It’s a shot of rock guitarist Billy Gibbons, who was kind enough to pose with his project car, which SO-CAL Speed Shop is preparing for the 2014 SEMA Show. Gibbons was on hand to view progress on the car, confer with SO-CAL designer/builders Pete Chapouris and Jimmy Shine, and to tour the SEMA Garage, which is now officially open for business.

Hot Topics at the 2013 SEMA Show

More than 50 educational programs in a number of segment categories will be presented during Education Days at the 2013 SEMA Show, and you can see the full list starting on p. 94 of this issue. However, the following few presentations are of particular importance.

More than 50 free education courses and several “pay-to-attend” educational events will cover everything from online marketing to customer service, management, industry trends and more. These courses are designed to give you practical tools that can be implemented the day you return from Las Vegas.

Current Report Details Slow But Steady Industry Improvement

Things are looking up. That’s the overall impression cast by the just-released 2013 SEMA Annual Market Report. The new study provides a composite view of the automotive specialty-equipment industry and new-vehicle sales, and is packed with information and background that businesspeople from all market segments will want to access. The study is available now and can be downloaded here.

The report’s major findings include a return of growth for the industry overall. The street-performance niche continues to drive the rebound with a 15.3% year-over-year increase, but the light-truck niche also experienced the first growth in four years with a 1% increase in sales. The appearance and accessories segments are growing based largely...

Sales of automotive specialty-equipment products continue to climb, reaching $31 billion in 2012, according to the 2013 SEMA Annual Market Report. The figure represents a 4% increase over the previous year and marks the third consecutive year
of growth.

The automotive specialty-equipment market began to see an upswing in 2010, when sales totaled $28.60 billion—a 2% increase over the previous year’s total. Sales reached $29.99 billion the following year, representing 5% growth over 2010.

For Many Businesses, Better Candidates at Reduced Cost

Social media is now a serious player in employee recruitment, in many cases significantly reducing the cost per hire for companies while simultaneously bringing in higher-quality talent, according to many recruiters.

“Underneath the iceberg of vacant jobs advertised on job boards and newspapers, a strong, invisible current of talent is ingeniously using social media to identify and strategize their next career moves,” said Charles Van Heerden, general manager at WaveBox Consulting.

Know Your Customers to Build Your Business

From manufacturers and distributors to jobbers and retailers, the automotive specialty-equipment industry is built around meeting consumers’ demands. Understanding which goods and services those consumers are actually interested in requires study of the marketplace, interaction with customers and attention to detail—and that is a pretty fair synopsis of what was done to create the latest offering from the SEMA research team and the Modellers Inc.,a market research and analytics company.

Many of us who drive an accessorized vehicle have experienced an encounter like this in a parking lot at one time or another. We’re accustomed to the eyes following us as we drive in, but this time someone approaches for a closer look, and starts asking questions. “Hi, there! Cool truck. What’s that cover you have on the bed?” And the conversation ensues. Before you know it, you may be describing various accessories, their function and even how much they might cost or where to get them.

SEMA members have come to rely on the association’s annual Market Report, a comprehensive research project summarizing economic, sales and new-vehicle trends of the past year affecting the $30 billion automotive specialty-equipment industry. Complete as that report is, however, SEMA backs it up with quarterly updates that track the latest trends and examine “Current Topics” through special sections to arm members with new research or information sources to better understand ongoing industry changes. The latest version, SEMA Market Update, Q2 2012, is now available.

Bettering Your Business With Apps

The words “there’s an app for that” have become somewhat of a cliché—and with good reason. Not long ago, many businesses pursued mobile applications mainly as a gimmicky exercise in marketing. Having a cool branded game or similar whiz-bang app was considered a trendy way to burnish a company’s image with smartphone and tablet users. But times are changing, and the world of apps is maturing.

Jon Wyly was named chief executive officer of the newly formed SEMA Data Cooperative (SDC) in March of 2012. His career in the specialty parts marketplace spans 30 years and has included key roles in sales, marketing, e-commerce, business technology and data management. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, he is well known in the industry, having worked for 25 years at Arrow Speed Warehouse and, more recently, at Keystone Automotive.