The Activant Report: key products sales activity

What's hot

When is a brake pad not just a brake pad, but rather a solution to a common repair? Perhaps when the part application is for a late-model Jeep Grand Cherokee operated in the northeastern United States. The same might be said of replacement pads for Ford F-150 pickups, a water pump for a 1999 Toyota Camry and an A/C compressor for a '97 Buick LeSabre.

Each of these products and applications ranked among the top eCatalog lookups at parts counters in October 2007, according to data available through the Activant® Vista® market intelligence solution.

The Vista solution tracks catalog lookups across more than 4,000 model year combinations. (Access more complete demand analysis online at www.search-autoparts.com.)

Lookups in the brake pad category were dominated by Ford F-150 and Explorer applications across all markets, with the '05 F-150 rising this year from 14th to second place overall year-over-year. Most interesting, however, was the 2004 Grand Cherokee, which rose during the same period 100 positions in the Northeastern United States.

"That's the hot 'Yuppie' 4-wheeler, and it's particularly popular in the Northeast," says a product manager for one leading brake parts manufacturer. "We've also heard some feedback about brake pulsation issues, which can explain the rise in demand."

Most notable in the water pump category is the '99 Camry, which rose 39 positions overall since October 2006. Activant's data for western states shows a similar climb for the Camry, as well as an equally dramatic spike for the '91 Honda Accord.

One product manager speculated that the rising demand could coincide with recommended timing belt replacements on these applications.

The '01 Ford Taurus jumped 19 positions from October 2006 to 2007 in the A/C compressor category, while the '97 LeSabre rose from 71st place to sixth place overall during the same period.

One A/C parts supplier says growth in the Taurus compressor was consistent with an application that has entered the "aftermarket repair cycle." As for the LeSabre? "That one's got me scratching my head a little bit," he says.

What's not

Activant's analysis also highlights several applications that have experienced a significant drop in parts consumption. The 1998 Ford Explorer fell from the top 10 nationally year-over-year in the brake pads category, while the '99 Explorer fell from fourth to 49th position in the Northeast during the same period.

In the water pump category, the '99 Dodge Durango fell out of the top 10 nationally in October, while rising three positions to sixth overall in the West. The most significant declines in water pump consumption took place in the West, with mid- to late-90s GMC C&K Series pickups, the Chevrolet Suburban, '97 Grand Cherokee and '98 Dodge Caravan dropping dozens of spots.

A/C compressor demand appears to have declined significantly for the '96 Chevy S-10 and '98 and 2000 Dodge Caravans across all states. The vehicle with the largest decline in A/C compressor lookups overall was the '96 Chevrolet Cavalier, which dropped from fourth place to 145th year-over-year in the Northeast.

Methodology: The Activant Vista market intelligence tool captures point of sale information from a national panel of aftermarket stores. This information is processed and aggregated through Activant's unique statistical methodology on a daily basis before being delivered in reports to Vista subscribers. Collected information includes eCatalog lookups, product availability and sales transactions by vehicle and SKU.

Rod Bayless is the product director for Activant Solutions, Inc. For additional information regarding Activant Vista market data, write to [email protected] . Activant is a leading innovator and the industry standard for information and supply chain technology in the automotive aftermarket.