MKT FPX 5416 Assessment 2

Executive Summary

Rollin’ Auto has ventured into the auto repair industry in recent years and has experienced tremendous growth since our establishment. To ensure the growth is directed effectively, an incoming customer research plan is imperative to the understanding of the new market realities upon which we now operate. Rollin’ Auto is a husband-wife-owned and operated mobile automobile repair company that began operations during the fall of 2021 with two trucks that come on-site to perform repairs at customers’ homes or places of work. Services offered by us are oil changes, inspections, brake changes, windshield repairs, tire rotation, and numerous other services. We recently acquired funding from two investors to assist in furthering our business success more. In order to be able to describe our growth strategy to these investors, measuring consumer experience and attitudes in the auto repair industry is necessary.

Then we will present our research and sampling plans that will successfully gather consumer opinions and remove any suspicion they may have concerning the auto repair industry. Our research plan explains how we will address common consumer behaviors and attitudes in the auto repair industry and provide actionable solutions to alter consumer attitudes. We will validate our results using a non-probability sampling method to gather relevant information.

Introduction and Background

The auto repair market offers a variety of consumer concerns, both positive and negative.

We will discuss these issues in detail, with a focus on the three most significant consumer complaints: customer relations, honesty and trust, and convenience and flexibility. USA Today indicates that 13% of consumers desire better customer relations, 12% desire more honesty and trust, and the remaining percentage desires more convenience and flexibility (USA Today, 2022). There are a number of sub-issues falling under these categories, which necessitate further study of consumer dissatisfaction. Customer relationships become a concern issue as they entail numerous areas, including communication, support, and how they handle customer complaints.

Based on studies, only 34% of the customers are always satisfied with their auto repair provider (Upswell Marketing, 2021). What this number indicates is that a whopping 66% of the customers are not satisfied, with most of them being dissatisfied because of bad treatment or disrespect by their service providers. Customers expect to be treated as part of a family and valued when putting their precious properties in the hands of trustworthy mechanics.

MKT FPX 5416 Assessment 2 Rollin’ Auto Consumer Research Plan 

The second commonly encountered issue is honesty and trust, which seems to show mostly in service cost and the necessity for recommended repairs. A majority of consumers have had a negative experience dealing with auto mechanics, having been overcharged or misled about the necessity of repairs. According to AAA, 63% of consumers report having had a bad experience in the past (AAA, 2016). Such experiences instill distrust in future mechanics, which makes addressing this issue in our research vital.

Convenience and flexibility are the final consumer concerns. Scheduling appointments may be inconvenient, and consumers might find it hard to select suitable times, especially if they need other means of transportation while their vehicle is under repair. Inconvenience will then lead to delays in maintaining cars, which will result in further issues. Thus, we should factor in customer relations, honesty and trust, and convenience and flexibility while conducting research for Rollin’ Auto.

Secondary Data and Information

Being aware of the top three consumer concerns in the auto repair industry allows us to investigate each issue in more depth and gather supporting data.

We will begin with customer relations, encompassing all customer contact. A study by AAA shows that two-thirds of American motorists lack confidence in repair shops. The lack of confidence stems from adverse past experiences and other factors. An article in USA Today states that 11% of customers desire a cleaner service area, better service quality, more promotions, better-informed employees, and faster service (USA Today, 2022). In honesty and trust, startling statistics indicate that 76% of customers suspect mechanics of recommending services that are unnecessary, 73% feel they are overcharged, and 49% worry repairs will not be done correctly (AAA, 2016). These results are in line with other research that indicates a high level of consumer dissatisfaction with their mechanics.

Finally, flexibility and ease of scheduling vehicle maintenance are crucial these days. Several customers have little time for visits, and maintenance gets left until the future. A total of 33% and 2.7% of consumers refer to not finding it easy to fit in doing the maintenance and consequently having to defer, while citing concerns about how long the repair will take, respectively (Automotive Research.com, 2017). This only adds more to the problem concerning keeping the car in maintenance while also causing potentially more expensive repairs in the future.

Research Plan

Rollin’ Auto will employ a quantitative research design to capture consumer opinions regarding various matters in the auto repair sector. The questions will be on the following topics:

Question 

Response Options 

1. How would you prefer to interact with Rollin’ Auto? 
2. Person to person b. Text messaging c. Phone call d. Smartphone app  
3. How important is it to know costs upfront?
4. Very important b. Not important c. Neither important nor not important  
5. Would you rather have someone come to your home or your workplace? 
6. Do you prefer an invoice with brief details or a detailed report of services?  
7. Would you like automatic service scheduling to align with your car’s maintenance? 
8. Is choosing which mechanic services your vehicle important? 
9. What special offers would retain your loyalty? 
10. Free tire rotation with oil change. Loyalty reward points system c. Business discount d. Annual membership for discounts e. Referral discount 
11. How important is advertising for auto repair shops? 
12. Very important b. Not important. Neither important nor not important 
13. If an app were available to track service history and costs, how likely would you be to use it? 
14. Very likely b. Somewhat likely c. Unlikely 
15. Do you prefer a mobile repair shop or a brick-and-mortar shop? 

The questions will help us address key consumer concerns in the auto repair business. Feedback will help us develop perfect features and options that optimize the interaction between Rollin’ Auto and our consumers.

Sampling and Data Collection

To get answers to the questions mentioned earlier, we will use a non-probability sampling method called quota sampling to make sure we include a variety of different groups. Our targeted segments are

• Adults aged 55 and above
• Adults aged between 40 and 54 years
• Adults aged between 26 and 39 years
• Adults aged between 18 and 25 years
• Businesses with an employee base in excess of 500
• Households with children in excess of one child
• Value-sensitive consumers

We will obtain six respondents from each category, for a total of 42 participants. We will encounter potential respondents at places like car repair shops, car dealerships, car exhibitions, and among current customers. There will be a number of opportunities for them to reply: standard paper questionnaires, online databases, and a smartphone app.

Once we have the data, we will analyze consumer comments to see trends and potential solutions to address their concerns regarding the auto repair industry.

Contributions

We anticipate the data collected to give us valuable information regarding consumer preference:

• Mode of interaction with Rollin’ Auto preferred.
• Importance of upfront cost transparency.
• Preference for home or workplace service.
• Preference for detailed service report.
• Preference for automatic scheduling.
• Significance of having a preferred mechanic.
• Preferred loyalty rewards.
• Importance of advertising.
• Chances of using a service tracking app.
• Preference for mobile over classic repair shops.

These findings will be in line with the overall issues consumers encounter in the auto repair industry. The results will guide our marketing strategy, enabling us to develop an open and honest customer experience, ultimately leading to customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

Conclusion

In summary, we are hopeful in resolving consumer attitudes towards automotive repair shops.

Our approach will be to learn to tailor our services to take control of the consumers, to own their auto maintenance experience. With this research and the implementation of targeted questions, we will shape our business model to serve the consumers, improving satisfaction in one of their biggest investments. We expect that highlighting flexibility, better customer relationships, and transparent pricing will foster customer loyalty and transform their experience from a chore to a rewarding exchange. The findings of the survey will not only be beneficial to Rollin’ Auto but also beneficial to other car repair businesses seeking to enhance consumer engagement and mitigate the industry’s poor image. Through efficient response to consumer concerns, we aspire to make the surroundings more enjoyable for consumers and mechanics alike.