Possibly Opening Detailing Supply Store ??

[RyansAutoDetail]

Hey all Ive had a few thoughts after getting sick of seeing the same brands and no variety of selection at canadian tire as well as wal mart or other auto stores.

My questions are to anyone who opened a storefront for primarily products only:

1- were you successfull
2- how did you research
3- who are your customers
4- cost difference between your cheapest brands to your most expensive, IE what product cost is the maximum some average person would spend on a product that was "better than average" and geared towards the hardcore "DIY-er"
5- How many product brands is suitable to carry 5,10,15 etc ?
6- How much did it cost you to start up
7- How many of each individual products do you stock on a day to day basis ?? EG 2,3,4,5 or 6 of each product on the shelf ???
8-do you think a storefront such as this would be successfull in a city of southwestern ontario where i live of 380,000 people ? i believe that should be more than enough people in a city to have a successfull business ..


can anyone shed light for me ?

[Beemerboy]

Ryan

The answer to this would be writing a business plan...its a lot of info to explain in a thread...I would start in looking at business plans online to start. it will give you a lot of up front info

[RyansAutoDetail]

i know i could write a business plan but some of these i need suggestions or real life answers to

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by RyansAutoDetail

i know i could write a business plan but some of these i need suggestions or real life answers to

That's one part...business classes is what I am talking about...there is a lot that comes with opening a business...demographics, income range, locations, etc...the products and what to carry are based more on your experience than anything else.

This is a much bigger endeavor than just a thread here...you need to get some education in the business side of this.

[Mindflux]

Troy would probably have a ton to say on this. I'd say it's a very hard business to keep afloat. It's a really tiny NICHE market. You already have it saturated with relatively large players and I'm sure Troy struggles to compete at times against Autogeek and ProperAutoCare. I'm not so sure if I was a startup this is the business I'd want to be in.

Maybe Scott P can interject here too as far as the internet sales side of it.

[RyansAutoDetail]

ya i think theres huge risk but there is literally no competition that sells entire lines of most OTC products and the only two i would carry are megs and mothers selected favourites of what i think would sell of course

[Mindflux]

Originally Posted by RyansAutoDetail

ya i think theres huge risk but there is literally no competition that sells entire lines of most OTC products and the only two i would carry are megs and mothers selected favourites of what i think would sell of course

Your competition is peoples ignorance to chose better. They're going to go down to Autozone and get whatever wax is on sale.

[JaredPointer]

I think you'd be hard pressed to keep a "local" operation that just sold detailing supplies afloat. Either you'd have to cater to body shops (if there's any around) or have a huge web presence. As stated before, selling something like detailing supplies only would really limit your customer base. As far as a small shop like that competing against big name stores selling the same type of product to an "uneducated" public - I think it would be very hard to succeed. You have to keep in mind the people on these boards and the people buying stuff from the boutique vendors are the "educated" minority when it comes to vehicle care. You're going to be real hard pressed to sell Joe Sixpack on why he should pay $20 for a bottle of polish or sealant when he can get once a year Turtle Wax at Wal Mart for $5.

I would hate to say it could not be done, but I would definitely have to say it would take a stick-to-it mentality.

[ArmstrongDetailing]

So Ryan wants to start a detail supply store.

First thing I want to say is I wouldn't right now unless you could ride out a bad economy and have good sources for your products. That goes for any retail store but detailing is one of those markets that is really feeling it right now. Maybe it's different in Canada but here I am seeing long time established dealerships going under and every local detailer I know is saying this is by far the slowest they have ever been.

So let's assume that in your area the economy is strong. Do you have sources for the products you wish to carry? Do you have a bank roll for start up costs and initial inventory? Do you have a location in mind? Do you have an idea on how to get customers in your store? The business plan thing is kinda important that is if you want to be successful at it.

As far as an internet store goes, go ahead everyone else is but it is a very tough market and, unless you can afford to buy in large quantities, your margins will be tight and you will be spending most of your time building it and trying to figure out how to get people to buy from you instead of the many other larger more established sites.

[budman3]

Originally Posted by RyansAutoDetail

ya i think theres huge risk but there is literally no competition that sells entire lines of most OTC products and the only two i would carry are megs and mothers selected favourites of what i think would sell of course

Have you been to a local body shop to see if they sell any products? This doesn't sound like a good idea, IMO. In today's day and age people want things done for them, not to try and figure out what to buy and do it themselves. Sure there are a select few people who would solely look for detail supplies but that's not going to cover your overhead. It's a nice thought for sure, but I don't foresee it surviving... How about this idea, more people would want their cars detailed, so open a detail business and then for the select few who want to maintain their cars, sell them the product .... you don't have to keep any on hand but make an online order, mark the price up (or include it in the detail) and you're all set...

[ArmstrongDetailing]

Originally Posted by JaredPointer

I think you'd be hard pressed to keep a "local" operation that just sold detailing supplies afloat.

As most of you know we took over a local detail supply store in February and I saw the need to be more than just a supply store right away. We tried offering services like window tinting to draw in customers but unless you can market yourself effectively or have a good location it's just not gonna work.

One other important thing to keep in mind. Weather. Are you going to have enough customers in the winter months?

[9D4E420]

Very well explained Troy. I totally agree.

Originally Posted by Troy@DetailCity

So Ryan wants to start a detail supply store.

First thing I want to say is I wouldn't right now unless you could ride out a bad economy and have good sources for your products. That goes for any retail store but detailing is one of those markets that is really feeling it right now. Maybe it's different in Canada but here I am seeing long time established dealerships going under and every local detailer I know is saying this is by far the slowest they have ever been.

So let's assume that in your area the economy is strong. Do you have sources for the products you wish to carry? Do you have a bank roll for start up costs and initial inventory? Do you have a location in mind? Do you have an idea on how to get customers in your store? The business plan thing is kinda important that is if you want to be successful at it.

As far as an internet store goes, go ahead everyone else is but it is a very tough market and, unless you can afford to buy in large quantities, your margins will be tight and you will be spending most of your time building it and trying to figure out how to get people to buy from you instead of the many other larger more established sites.

[sal329]

Originally Posted by RyansAutoDetail

ya i think theres huge risk but there is literally no competition that sells entire lines of most OTC products and the only two i would carry are megs and mothers selected favourites of what i think would sell of course

No competition? I can think of 2 stores (without searching) in Canada that have nice store fronts, ship to Canada as well as the US.

[Beemerboy]

Originally Posted by sal329

No competition? I can think of 2 stores (without searching) in Canada that have nice store fronts, ship to Canada as well as the US.

Not to mention the zillion web sites

My thoughts are if Ryan wants to work in the car detail products area....find a mfger that he can rep or find a company that he can hire into

[RyansAutoDetail]

well this is gonna suck then lol ...