While DIFM volume increased, there were approximately 44,000 fewer light vehicle service bays at mid-year 2021 than five years earlier
Fort Wayne, Ind.—Light vehicle Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) product volume will have increased by more than $7 billion between 2016 and 2021 at user-price, despite a double-digit plunge in the 2020 DIFM market driven by COVID-19.
“Contrary to the overall increase in DIFM volume, there were approximately 44,000 fewer light vehicle service bays at mid-year 2021 than five years earlier,” stated Jim Lang, of the Lang Marketing Report, which has released its new 2022 Lang Aftermarket Annual.
Among the report’s findings are the following highlights:
DIFM Product Volume
• The DIFM car and light truck aftermarket continues to expand. Repair outlets installed more than $85 billion in products during 2016, increasing to $91 billion during 2018.
• DIFM product sales climbed to nearly $94 billion in 2019 before crashing at a double-digit rate in 2020 due to the pandemic. DIFM product sales for 2021 have risen sharply from last year.
Annual DIFM Product Growth
DIFM light vehicle products will have climbed by more than $7 billion at user-price over this five-year span, despite the decline in 2020 sales, averaging nearly 2.0 percent annual growth.
Fewer Service Bays
• Contrary to increasing car and light truck product sales between 2016 and 2021, the service bay population steadily receded across the U.S.
• At mid-year 2016, there were 1.170 million light vehicle service bays. The number of bays slipped to 1.166 million by 2018.
• COVID-19 caused a significant drop in the number of service bays during 2020, with Lang Marketing estimating the decline at more than 20,000 bays nationwide.
• Despite the increase in 2021 DIFM product sales, the bay count in the U.S. was approximately 44,000 lower at mid-year 2021 than in 2016.
Opposite Directions
Although DIFM products averaged nearly 2.0 percent annual growth between 2016 and 2021, the light vehicle service bay population fell at 1.0 percent average annual pace.
More Vehicles Per Bay
• The average number of cars and light trucks per bay in the U.S. climbed between 2016 and 2021, along with the annual dollar volume of light vehicle products installed per bay.
Lang Marketing estimates that the average number of vehicles per bay increased nearly 10 percent between 2016 and 2021, with product sales per bay up even more sharply.
More Products Per Bay
• Products sales per bay accounted for just more than $73 thousand in aftermarket sales at user-price during 2016, increasing to $81 thousand by 2019.
• Lang Marketing estimates that average bay product volume climbed at least 10 percent during 2020 and 2021.
• While total DIFM product sales climbed at a 2.0 percent average annual pace from 2016 to 2021, product sales per light vehicle averaged an even stronger 2.5 percent annual growth rate.
Purchased Service Increase
Purchased Service (charges by technicians to install products and perform diagnostics) also increased per bay over the past five years. Lang Marketing estimates DIFM product volume increased at nearly a 2.0 percent average annual pace between 2016 and 2021. At the same time, Purchased Service climbed at a rate nearly one-quarter faster.
Two Leading Repair Outlets
Large gains in product sales per bay were achieved by the two major types of specialty repair outlets in the U.S:
• Product volume per bay rose approximately 16 percent among Foreign Specialists between 2016 and 2021.
• Repair Specialists achieved more than a 14 percent gain in product sales per bay.
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