Fall is the time for your seasonal tire and wheel program

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.

Thus began the seasonal tire and wheel program. The dealership began offering customers a set of four winter tires mounted on steel wheels for a fixed price. The sale price also included storing the off-season wheels and tires at the store. In addition to the profit made from the initial sale, both the dealership and the customer saw other advantages from the initiative.

Some customer benefits include:

• Safety | Tirerack.com estimates that winter tires can improve braking on ice, snow and slush by as much as 25% or 2-3 car lengths.

• Insurance | Customers get the peace of mind that when they do encounter a massive pothole, they won't need to replace an expensive OE aluminum wheel.

• Convenience | While customers can purchase winter tires at just about any tire retailer, the price of having tires swapped out and having to lug their off-season tires back and forth twice a year is enough to deter most seasonal tire shoppers.

Benefits for the dealer:

• Retention | Because your customers have their wheels and tires swapped out every spring and fall, they’re guaranteed to be pulling into your service drive at least twice a year.

• Upsell | Customers that are already in to have tires swapped can easily get their oil changed at the same time out of convenience. And because the wheels are coming off, it also allows your technician to inspect the brakes while the car is in the air.

• Sales | Sooner or later your customer will need new tires, either on the winter set or on the summer set (possibly both). Your service writers will have twice the opportunity to sell double the tires.

In Chicago, the dealer's seasonal tire and wheel program became so popular that in spring and fall it wasn’t uncommon to see three or four wheel swaps a day. Offering your customers the option and convenience of having their off-season wheels and tires stored at your location differentiates your service department from the dealer or tire shop down the road, creating customer-added value for your dealership.

Getting your seasonal tire program started is easy using the resources your parts department already has, and with winter fast approaching, your customers will be happy you did.

Insignia Group Can Help

For more than 20 years, Insignia Group has been the leading provider of digital accessory-selling systems for dealerships nationwide. Our sleek interface allows dealerships to create profitable accessory programs at the point of sale—no matter where the sale is happening. Dealers using the Insignia Group accessories selling system can bundle accessories into custom packages, feature hot-selling accessories, process orders, and more!

Schedule a demo with us today to see how our system can help you sell more accessories at the point of sale and beyond.