Each factor significantly influences a product’s volume, the market segments in which it is used, how it reaches end-users, and how it can best be marketed by the supply chain
Fort Wayne, Ind.—Each product in the light-vehicle aftermarket has a unique performance profile across a set of eight key market factors: eCommerce and Conventional sales, DIFM and DIY repair, Foreign and Domestic Nameplate use, and DIFM repair by Independent repair shops and Dealer outlets.
The latest Lang Aftermarket iReport examines their performance in each of those factors and how they influence product volume, the market segments in which it is used, how it reaches end-users, and how it can best be marketed by manufacturers, distributors, retailers and installers.
And each product’s profile changes as the aftermarket evolves. Here’s a closer look with key takeaways from Lang’s analysis that covers the past six years across those eight key factors and how each product’s performance varies relative to the overall light-vehicle market.
eCommerce Sales
eCommerce sales of light-vehicle products nearly doubled at user price between 2019 and 2025, with annual growth about five times faster than the total market. eCommerce’s share of light-vehicle product sales climbed by more than three-quarters over those six years.
However, eCommerce is not equally engaged with all products. Across 80 products that Lang analyzed, eCommerce’s share of sales per product ranges from less than 2% to over 25%.
Conventional Sales
Conventional (non-eCommerce) sales still command the dominant share of auto parts volume, but that share is steadily declining. Their share decreased from about 93% of the 2019 light-vehicle aftermarket to less than 88%.
Conventional sales share varies widely by product: some have virtually all sales in the Conventional sector, while others have less than 75%.
DIFM Market
Despite its commanding position (nearly an 80% share of the 2025 aftermarket), the Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) market was significantly impacted by COVID-19. However, it has achieved a notable recovery over the past six years, but the DIFM market’s 2025 product share was slightly below its 2019 record high.
DIFM share varied widely by individual product last year, from over 94% to less than 45%.
DIY Market
The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) market, in addition to the short-term sales boost from COVID-19, is receiving a strong tailwind from the aging vehicle population, as DIY installation rates generally increase with vehicle age.
Despite the slowing expansion rate of the overall DIY market, many products are experiencing strong annual DIY growth.
Foreign Nameplates
Foreign Nameplates dominate aftermarket product growth, averaging a yearly sales gain nearly twice that of the total market. Products vary from more than 60% of their volume generated by foreign nameplates to less than 40%.
Aside from selected accessories, products with their sales concentrated among newer vehicles generally have a larger share of their sales accounted for by foreign nameplates.
Domestic Nameplates
Domestic Nameplates are decreasing in light-vehicle product share, with less than 45% of 2025 product sales. Nevertheless, they account for the majority of the volume for many products, especially those with high use in older vehicles.
Domestic Nameplates are most significant among drivetrain and engine components, as well as parts that experience additional replacement cycles due to the increase of light vehicles at least 15 years old.
Independent Outlet Repairs
Independent (non-Dealer) repair outlets still hold a dominant share of the DIFM market. However, they are losing ground due to the decreasing number of Independent repair shops.
Independent shops vary widely in their product-by-product shares, from over 90% to less than 60%.
Dealer Repairs
Dealers are building their aftermarket repair volume faster than Independent shops, and are capturing the largest share of product replacements for newer and Foreign Nameplate cars and light trucks.
Dealers’ DIFM share of a product’s volume varies from less than 10% to over 40%.
Performance Profile’s Impact on Individual Products
According to Lang, an individual product’s Performance Profile can have considerable consequences for how it is distributed, which end-users it reaches, where it is sold and installed, the types of brands that will be most successful in its sales volume, and its ongoing sales velocity, among other factors.
Each product’s Performance Profile can have market implications beyond the general impacts outlined below.
• The eCommerce and Conventional sales profiles of a product determine its distribution patterns, the brands best positioned to sell it, and its sales velocity, especially for discretionary aftermarket products.
• A product’s profile regarding DIFM and DIY business mix impact how it is distributed, where it is sold and installed, and how it can best be marketed.
• The Foreign and Domestic nameplate sales’ profiles of a product impacts how it is distributed, where it is sold and installed, and the age of vehicles on which it is installed.
• A product’s performance profile for its Independent and Dealer sales mix significantly influences these market dynamics: how it is distributed, which brands are best positioned, where it is sold and installed, and end-user pricing.
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