Archives : 2011 : November
Internet Sales Expected To Increase In 4th Quarter
While Black Friday is traditionally the biggest volume day when it comes to retail sales in traditional brick and mortar store outlets each year, traditionally, the Monday after Thanksgiving day tends to be the busiest day for on-line shoppers. It’s called Cyber Monday. The term describes the busiest day for internet sales for the year. Who knows, maybe Webster’s Dictionary will soon list it as an official new word. The computer and everything related has added many new words to the English language over the past decade.
Like most retailers, Amazon.com claims that the 4th quarter is the most busy quarter every year. According to the National Retail Federation 44 percent of shoppers made an online purchase last year. Some incentives that on-line stores offer are free shipping and large discounts for Cyber Monday purchases.
The automotive equipment industry is no different. While we do offer traditional outlets for purchases, including catalog and phone based sales, internet sales account for a large portion of our sales, and the percentage has grown every year.
The reasons cited are easy to understand. Making life easier is the main reason given time and time again when internet shoppers are asked why they purchase online instead of heading out to their local malls. You don’t have to deal with the traffic and the crowds. Time is money. Many consumers just don’t have the necessary time to fight the traffic.
And with modern websites offering close up images, as well as 3D images along with videos and owner’s manuals as well as dimensional drawings for many of their products, you can get a pretty clear idea on what the product is all about. We try to top all of those handy shopping aids with one more thing that we feel helps immensely – customer pictures and testimonials. Nothing helps our customers understand the product better than a customer testimonial topped off with a picture or two submitted by the customer. This also aids us in gaining the trust of new customers. If they can see how other customers experiences were, they can establish a pattern. We recommend asking any retailer you’re not familiar with for references. Especially with such large ticket items like auto lifts.
With business taking off already from Cyber Monday, the 4th quarter of 2011 is sure to be the biggest ever for internet sales.
Engine Hoist Selection Is Not So Simple
At first, choosing an engine hoist may seem like a simple task. Most people think they’re all pretty much the same. But as you’ll soon see, there are many more facts to consider than you might realize.
The first and most important factor to consider is what capacity you need. Most engine cranes run from 1 ton up to 2 ton capacity. But there are shop cranes that rate at even higher capacities, some above 5 tons for heavy equipment engine lifting. Assuming to are the typical auto shop, you would be most likely to acquire a 2 ton model.
The next most important consideration is wether you should get a folding engine hoist or a nonfolding one. Many users prefer a folding crane because it allows you to utilize your floor space better. When it’s not in use, you can free up vital floor space that many smaller shops don’t have to spare.
You do sacrifice some key features when you get a folding engine lift. Cranes that fold usually don’t have the reach that a non-folding one has. That is because the non folding design allows for more boom to extend out as well as the legs. They can typically telescope out a foot longer than a folding hoist can. This could mean the difference when it comes to reaching into a larger truck’s engine compartment.
Safety considerations also apply. Users need to take care not to extend the boom out farther than the legs. This can lead to potential imbalance causing the hoist to flip. Always make sure the boom does not extend out past the legs.
You may want to get an engine tilter as well. This allows you to make fine adjustments when re-mounting the engine.
Don’t skimp when it comes to quality either. Get a solid, commercial quality engine hoist. Even if that cheap engine hoist doesn’t fail to a catastrophic ending, you face years of leaking cylinders and other potential issues with an inferior, bargain cherry picker.
AAPEX & SEMA Shows Boast Huge Attendance
AAPEX and SEMA are the two largest automotive industry events each year. They were held this year in Las Vegas from October 1st through November 3rd. We attended this year and can verify first hand that there were plenty of participants / exhibitors as well as attendees. The figures aren’t in just yet, but last year, over 51,000 people attended the AAPEX show. The AAPEX trade show was held at the Sands EXPO Center, while SEMA was held at the Convention Center. There were many cool cars with plenty of beautiful models to attract attention. Word is that someone managed to make off with one of the exhibit cars on display. We can’t imagine how that was possible. Exhibitors at both shows represented a wide variety of automotive industry heavy weights, in many different areas, such as; automotive lighting, wheels and tires, brakes, chemicals and waxes, suspension, engine components, exhaust, and of course, our particular area of expertise, automotive shop equipment. Most of our suppliers were there – BendPak / Ranger, BelAire, Waterloo, American Forge & Foundry, John Dow, RTI, Dannmar, Clore Automotive, and many others. These manufacturers represent products such as Car Lifts, floor jacks, air compressors, tool boxes and many other categories. If you weren’t able to make it this year, perhaps we’ll see you there next year.
