Hispanics active Do-It-Yourself Auto Aftermarket consumers.

The Hispanic population in the United States is rapidly growing in numbers and spending power, and one market where this is most evident is the do-it-yourself automotive aftermarket sector, according to The NPD Group. NPD’s aftermarket point-of-sale data reveals that automotive specialty stores with a higher percentage of Hispanic shoppers have higher dollar volume than those stores that do not.

Using point-of-sale data from over 18,000 automotive specialty outlets across the United States, NPD found that two-thirds of these outlets are located in areas that have fewer than five percent Hispanic consumers, but the remaining outlets, which have a higher percentage of Hispanic shoppers, contribute over 40 percent of total retail volume.

In terms of automotive categories, NPD finds that stores with a higher concentration of Hispanic shoppers exhibit different grade and mix profiles than those with fewer Hispanic shoppers. For instance, higher Hispanic-shopped stores sell more oil filters. However, the oil filter grade mix varies significantly. On balance, high Hispanic shopped stores sell more premium grade oil filters, while stores shopped by fewer Hispanics consumers sell more economy-grade oil filters.

Other key segments, according to NPD, which provides market research to the automotive aftermarket industry, also exhibit different varying mix preferences as store demographics change. Low Hispanic-shopped stores sell more fuel stabilizers and fewer gas treatment items. High Hispanic shopped stores tend to have a much higher balance of sale for multi-purpose tire foams and fewer standard tire cleaner sales. Generally, stores located in Hispanic communities also exhibit a higher balance of branded products sales than private label. Most categories, with the exception of wipers, have much higher private label sales index in low Hispanic shopped stores.

“There is a clear opportunity for aftermarket specialty stores in markets with a large Hispanic population,” says David Portalatin, industry analyst for NPD’s auto unit. “The key is to understand the needs of the Hispanic consumer and engage them in a dialogue by providing them with messaging and communications that are relevant to their purchasing patterns.”

For more information at http://www.npd.com