Some of the most signifcant challenges facing independent repair shops include finding and retaining technicians, staying current with diagnostic/software updates, and finding affordable parts, according to research from IMR Automotive Research.
From December 1 to December 31, 2023, IMR surveyed 500 independent repair shops in the United States about anticipated challenges for 2024. The top problem areas shops foresee for 2024 are as follows:
- Finding qualified/responsible technicians (56%)
- Staying current with diagnostic/software updates (36.4%)
- Finding affordable parts (30.8%)
- Retaining qualified technicians (27.2%)
When these percentages are compared to findings from 2023, IMR notes several distinctions. For example, the challenge of finding qualified/responsible technicians rose 23% from last year and staying current with diagnostic/software updates went from 22.8% in 2023 to 36.4% in 2024.
Shop size seems to play a role in the hierarchy of challenges, to an extent. Breaking down differing concerns by the number of bays at each shop has some data worth pointing out. For example, IMR notes that 43.8% of shops that have one to three bays list finding affordable parts as the second largest concern. This is followed by 35.1% of shops with eight or more bays list and 27.3% of shops with four to seven bays. 48.6% of shops with eight or more bays have staying current with diagnostic/software updates as an anticipated challenge for 2024 while only 11.2% of shops with one to three bays feel the same.
Hiring and recruiting talent has proven to be a consistent battle across the aftermarket, but holding onto that talent once you've got them in the door is a challenge in its own way. Overall, IMR findings show the concern of retaining qualified technicians is down 5.8% from 2023, but it's the second largest challenge for shops that have eight or more bays.
Other findings from IMR include the challenge of bringing customers back/providing incentives, which dropped from 16.6% in 2023 to 5.6% for 2024, and keeping overhead costs low/impact of economy, which, at 39.3%, was the third largest concern in 2024 for shops with one to three bays.
IMR Automotive Research is a division of Endeavor Business Intelligence. Founded in 1975, IMR conducts syndicated and proprietary market research studies that focus on the automotive industry including the automotive aftermarket, heavy duty and fleet segments.
