Aftermarket Insider - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 22) iNSiDE TECHNOlOgy essentiAl Aces An Aftermarket Tipping Point A tipping point is that moment companies were finding the return on investment (ROI) in their adoption of when circumstances and behavior industry standards. combine to alter the course of events permanently. At an AAPEX seminar “Companies that invest in improving in November, AAIA presented the their catalog data and product informaevidence that suggests the aftermarket tion report increases in sales, reducis on the verge of a tipping point relations in returns and improved margins tive to standards-based technology through increases in efficiencies,” adoption. The efficiencies and ROI that Luckett said. follow adoption of industry standards were demonstrated through case studies Gabriel Ride Control told a conference several years ago that a six month delay that suggest days of greater sales and in getting new application informaincreased efficiencies are at hand. tion to the point-of-sale was costing Scott Luckett, AAIA vice president, them $33 million a year in lost sales. technology standards and solutions, Fortunately, a six-to-nine-month began the seminar by explaining where process to get catalog data published is rare these days. But even at 60-90 days, efforts continue to shorten the cycle without sacrificing data quality. No single strategy can completely account for reduced new part returns. But import specialist WORLDPAC is reported by Jim Lang Marketing to experience returns significantly below industry averages. Among their strategies was to invest in a new generation electronic catalog based on the industry standard that includes hi-resolution product images, cross references, installation instructions and more information that helps ensure that the right part is sold (and installed properly) the first and every time. 22 | AFTERMARKET INSIDER | DECEMBER ‘08 • JANUARY ‘09 http://www.aftermarket.org/Technology/ACES.aspx
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