Jim Lang, industry analyst and president of Lang Marketing, sat down with Ratchet+Wrench to further discuss his latest Lang Aftermarket iReport. Lang’s reports combine industry data and research to present an in depth look at trends that are prevalent and shaping the automotive aftermarket.
One of Lang’s most recently noted trends is the switch of the consumer’s relationship to auto care, from Do it Yourself (DIY) to Do it For Me (DIFM).
“Technicians account for over 80% of the work performed on cars and trucks in the US, ten or fifteen years ago it was significantly lower than that,” Lang says.
Lang explains that the switch is due to a few reasons. The first being the increasing complexity of vehicles in operation, cars are becoming more and more complicated and technical. The second reason for the shift is simply that the aging consumer population is less inclined to repair vehicles themselves.
He also attributes the “Do it Yourself” to “Do it For Me” shift to the idea that DIY work isn’t that much less expensive than specialty outlets, and ultimately doesn’t save the individual money, especially for some of the more commonly performed DIY tasks.
Regardless of the growth in assistance available through growing DIY platforms, such as YouTube, Lang says the trend is primarily shifting to more of a “Do it For Me” relationship for most consumers.
