automotiVe aftermarket market research

Valient Automotive Market Research • Phone 1.585.227.2600 • www.valientsolutions.com/automotive.html • info@valientsolutions.com

Automotive Quantitative Market ResearchValient Automotive’s quantitative research solutions include in-person, online, telephone and mail surveys of consumers, fleet managers, new & used vehicle dealers, service technicians and other key audiences. These cost-effective data collec-tion methodologies are often used for customer satisfaction, product concept testing, advertising effectiveness & brand equity measurement and other ad-hoc and longitudinal tracking research studies. These surveys can be programmed in over 60 different languages and deployed in over 200+ different countries around the world. We also offer telephone-based interactive voice response (IVR), kiosk-based point of sale/service surveys and advanced analytics-based surveys including conjoint, MaxDiff, TURF and predictive analytics-based projects. Surveys can be conducted with any audience including consumer, business-to-business, specialty groups and decision maker audiences.

Automotive Qualitative Market ResearchValient Automotive’s qualitative research solutions include in-depth interviews (IDI), in-person product clinics, ride & drive evaluations, focus groups, online focus groups, online bulletin boards, mystery shopping and ethnographical-based research. These cost-effective data collection methodologies are often used for product concept & evaluation testing, advertising effectiveness measurement, package testing, ride-and-drive vehicle evaluations, point of sale/service perfor-mance measurement and in-home lifestyle evaluations. These services can be utilized in over 60 different languages and deployed in over 200+ different countries around the world. Qualitative research can be conducted with any audience including consumer, business-to-business, specialty groups and decision maker audiences.

iDealerPoll U.S. Dealer Opinion PanelWith over 70,000 U.S. new & used dealership members, Valient Automotive’s iDealerPoll U.S. Dealer Opinion Panel is the largest U.S. online automotive dealership opinion panel offering a unique perspective on dealer sales, parts & service, finance and management personnel opinions. Each week, thousands of iDealerPoll members provide valuable insight on new and used vehicle issues including:

• Salesperson opinion polls • Incentive program effectiveness • Maintenance and repair trends • Internet sales & marketing • Vehicle accessory trends • Finance & insurance trends

This online panel is used for online surveys of dealership-based panel members and is the only panel of its’ kind in the United States.

Automotive Vehicle & Aftermarket Shopper InsightsHelping our clients understand shopper attitudes, preferences and future purchase intentions is crucial for success. Valient Automotive uses advanced analytical tools and innovative segmentation strategies to provide our clients with deep insight beyond the collected data to uncover valuable buyer intention, brand preference, pricing sensitivity and product usage trends. Our experience includes shoppers in several automotive retail channels including new & used vehicle deal-erships, large aftermarket parts & service retail stores, quick lube & service shops, grocery & convenience stores, online retail and other various retail channels.

Demographic & Geo-Targeted Market ResearchValient Automotive’s demographic and geo-targeted research Automotive offer the ability to reach low incidence popula-tions by age, gender, ethnicity, household income, household size, employment, relationship status, product ownership & preference and geographic location down to the Zip Code and postal code level. Utilizing the latest Internet, telephone and mail-based primary market research data collection, we deliver solid, fact-driven insights on major trends on a local, regional, national and international basis.

Brand EquityValient Automotive’s brand equity research measures a brand value and strength by utilizing primary market research to benchmark brands against competitive brands. Our brand equity research includes preliminary brand benchmark research, qualitative research and quantitative research. The process starts with a thorough examination of the current brand equity landscape includes existing brand ar-chitecture of both our client and competitive brands. This process often includes conducting internal client interviews with client manage-ment, field sales, product development and customer service staff. The next phase involves in-depth qualitative depth interviews among a small sample of clients/customers and those loyal to competitor brands. The final phase involves quantitative research of current clients and prospective clients to measure brand awareness, brand image associations, differentiating strength & perceived differences between competing brands, brand loyalty & switching likelihood and current brand confidence levels.

Valient Poll™ Omnibus ServicesValient Automotive’s complete suite of Valient Poll online omnibus products cover nineteen countries around the world. Powered by a robust international online consumer panel and enriched by our specialized expertise in market research survey design and in-depth analysis, this tool provides our valued clients with a truly cost-effective research solution. Our clients can obtain rapid-response data from adults within the general population and from targeted consumer audiences typically in less than one week. The online omnibus is a population representative and shared cost survey that we conduct at weekly intervals. Clients subscribe on a per-question cost basis, and all survey results are confidential. For each wave of the weekly or twice weekly Valient Poll omnibus service, a minimum of three questions and maximum of ten questions can be included. In addition, omnibus questions can contain simple skip patterns and piping logic. Graphics, images and videos can be included for a nominal charge. The Valient Poll omnibus service include survey question design, extensive data tables including a broad range of demographics in MS Excel, executive summary in MS Word compiled by senior market research experts and translation services for open end responses and all non-English omnibus services available for a nominal fee.

Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty & WinbackValient Automotive conducts quality and customer satisfaction benchmarking research based on survey responses from millions of consumers and business decision makers worldwide. This voice of the customer market intelligence is generated by translating survey responses from consumers and businesses into insightful reports that help our customers improve their customer satisfaction. We provide proprietary research tracking programs that focus on customers’ satisfaction with product and/or service quality, sales & service satisfaction, retail experience and their willingness to recommend a brand, product, service or company. This intelligence information and analysis helps our clients better understand their strengths and weaknesses from a customer viewpoint, determine and measure customer loyalty and retention behavior, understand the competitive landscape and allow marketers to fine tune their strategies based upon fact driven insights. This information can be collected from Internet, mail or telephone-based surveys or mystery shopping.

Advertising Effectiveness & TestingValient Automotive offers innovative market research solutions to measure the effectiveness of advertising including print, television, radio, Internet, events and mobile device based advertisements. Our proprietary research techniques are designed to test and measure our client’s advertising and marketing campaign effectiveness at each stage of the creative continuum – from ideation, to concept, to copy testing, to in-market evaluation and long term longitudinal tracking. A common element of these studies is the measurement of a brand, product or service’s connection to its customers. Our research includes pre & post-advertisement testing, longitudinal advertising & brand equity tracking studies, sponsorship return-on-investment measurement, brand equity & loyalty measurement, copy & imagery testing, brand name & tagline testing, in market assessments and communications evaluations. We provide deep insights into consumer and business media consumption and usage habits, customer satisfaction, attitudes & preferences and advertising awareness. Our studies frequently focus on gaining insights from targeted consumer groups, grocery and retail shoppers, retail businesses, commercial & industrial business owners and other key target groups.

Product & Concept TestingValient Automotive’s product and concept testing research identifies potentially successful new products early on, so that your company can focus research and development resources and marketing resources on concepts with the greatest probability of consumer & business decision maker acceptance. Our product & concept testing systems can also be used for new service concepts, new customer experiences and new product positioning concepts. Valient Automotive’s online quantitative choice modeling system can determine the optimal mix of new product/service concept variables or elements. Once the variables are defined, choice modeling is used to determine optimal combinations of the variables. Target-audience consumers are asked to rate the degree to which various combinations of the variables create interest in buying the brand or product/service. Each respondent usually sees multiple scenarios or combinations of variables. Choice modeling algorithms derive the potential selling value of all possible combinations including interactive effects among the vari-ables. Product & concept testing typically involves the following variables -- trial interest, unaided purchase intent, aided purchase intent, uniqueness, and frequency of purchase and product image projection.

Valient automotiVe market researchautomotiVe aftermarket industry coVerage

• OEM Vehicle Manufacturers• Tier 1-2-3 OEM Suppliers• Aftermarket Parts Suppliers• Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Consumers• Do-it-For-Me (DIFM) Consumers• Aftermarket Parts Shoppers• Dealership Parts & Service• Dealership Sales & Customer Care• Dealership Finance & Insurance• Large Retail Parts & Service• Independent Retail Parts & Service• Independent Retail Sales• Automotive Restoration Enthusiasts• Automotive Distributors• Audio & Electronic Systems Installation & Sales• Tires & Wheel Installation & Sales• Remanufactured Parts Installation & Sales

470 Long Pond Road, Suite 270 Rochester, New York USA 14612 Phone: 1.585.227.2600 Website: www.valientsolutions.com/automotive.html Email: info@valientsolutions.com

Facebook: Valient Solutions

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/companies/valient-solutions

Twitter: twitter.com/ValientSolution