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Blazing a trail for a successful accessory program requires a custom process. Just like your new hire requires training to adapt to your brand, culture, and customer base, molding an accessory program calls for similar attention.

Buying a car is, more than likely, the second biggest purchase a person makes in life. To better understand that statement, think about the first significant purchase. Consumers spend months researching and searching for the perfect fit for their lives and families. Incredible amounts of money are spent on homes in America. Countless television series are dedicated to home buying, improvement, and restoration. Home furnishing stores are everywhere. 

Is car buying all that different?

While budgets span a tremendous range, a person is looking at spending thousands of dollars no matter how you slice it. Today, 92% of car buyers research online before they buy. So before a customer ever walks into your store, there’s been a time commitment on their part already. A car is a significant purchase!

Vehicle margins are under pressure, and many variables are outside of your control. Consumers on increasingly tight budgets, high interest rates, and diminished dealer pricing power all factor into the difficulty of meeting your numbers.

If your store is feeling the pressure, you don't necessarily need to sell more cars to make more money. Instead, utilize opportunities to add more profit to every car sale. This is where the incredible staying power of accessories saves the day.

 While headlines warn of crisis, razor-thin margins, and rapid decline, accessories remain unbothered—giving dealerships a reason to believe Q4 doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.

We’re not going to stop talking about this. The accessory industry repeatedly sidesteps the automotive industry’s crashes and keeps thriving. It happened during the 2008 economic crash, when everyone held on to their aging vehicles and opted to accessorize them. It happened in 2020 when the world shut down, and everyone wanted racks and cargo management to hit the open road. And it’s happening again now, as tariffs, inflation, and supply chain friction are driving people crazy—and SEMA still reports over $52 billion in aftermarket sales.

A long winter in Chicago led one Illinois dealer to unearth an opportunity in accessory sales. The culprit was potholes, and the result was customer after customer limping into the service lane with blown tires and bent wheels. Fixed ops wasn’t the only department that stood to gain here. The dealership saw a clear path to deliver more excellent customer service as freezing temperatures and hazardous road conditions dragged on.

As summer winds down and routines begin to shift, customers start thinking differently about their vehicle. These seasonal shifts create new, natural opportunities for accessory sales.

Today's automotive retail experience is powered by technology.

As a parts manager, we know you get it. You’re well aware that accessories are an untouchable industry—a money machine, if you will. A machine that is pandemic-proof and AI-proof. The benefits are wide-ranging and profound for the customer, as well as the front and back of the house.

Often, the parts department divides its efforts to sell accessories across digital retailing, e-commerce, and in-store channels. While a combination effort is an admirable (and successful) approach, parts shouldn’t lose sight of their best and easiest customer—the sales department.