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How To Open Car Accessories Marketing In Britain
Posted By: echo403* on 10/13/2004 5:18 PM (CST) 250 Points
hello, everybody, i have one question and i really need ur advices now. i plan to import some car's accessories to uk, such as steering wheel cover,pedal pad ,brake handle & Cover and something else, but I'm not sure how to open my businese, i mean which way is better to sell them, retail or offer wholesale price to other reail shop, because i never see any shop selling those staffs, is that means nobodays interested in those things. even they r so popular in asia? is that culture difference. r there anybody give me some suggestions?? thanks a lot~

Posted by: ASVP/ChrisB Accepted Answer
10/13/2004 9:27 PM (CST)
These items are already very available in the UK.

Here's just one example http://www.extremeautoaccessories.co.uk - look under the Interior Design" heading on the side navigation bar.

You can also see a whole range of similar things on eBay available in the UK.

From the sound of things you don't seem to have much business experience. I would be very careful about investing very much money in a marketing project unless you have:

1. Investigated and estimated the size of the market
2. Researched potential buyers to determine whether they would be interested in your product and at what price points
3. Developed a distribution and customer service strategy
4. Worked out your break-even analysis based a pessimistic price point - how many units would you need to sell to cover costs?
5. Attempted to pre-sell at least your break-even quantity at the break-even or better price point.
6. Developed a way to bring the product to market
(a) before anyone else; or,
(b) at a lower price than competitors; or,
(c) with differentiated performance, service or functionality

I don't want to be the first to pour cold water on your enthusiasm but there are no short cuts to anywhere you want to go.

Short cuts on the road to starting a new business lead to losing money, generally.

Look before you leap!

Hope this helps.

ChrisB
 
Posted by: LittleWhacky Accepted Answer
10/14/2004 2:45 AM (CST)
The car accessories market in the UK has always been something of a can of worms. You get heavy marketing and distribution of car manufacturers' products and retailers' own brand products (e.g. Halfords) and anyone coming in with something else tends to get squashed.

You mention that the products you intend to import are popular in Asia. Would it be worth your while testing out the products within Asian communities in the UK to see how they do? That would still require some investment but you could target the market more easily by advertising in appropriate publications and web portals, etc., directing potential customers to your website.

In fact you might find that doing this opens you up a nice little niche market that - perhaps - no-one else has established yet!

All the best with your project

SUZE
 
Posted by: LAmos* Accepted Answer
10/14/2004 10:14 AM (CST)
I agree with both responses.

Thanks to a car enthusiast partner, I get dragged to a lot of car accessory shops, and to be perfectly honest, everything is the same, from the products down to the marketing image. There's plenty of competition in the UK, what with the website recommended above, Ripspeed and Halfords, not to mention the countless mail-order companies, but unless a real niche emerges, it would be virtually impossible to establish well in the UK. Only Halfords here is a widely-distributed company, all others tend to be sole shops or one of a couple. And I've seen a lot of them fail.

Be wary of this market at all costs unless you have a real niche and can prove it will be accepted and will make you money!!

Regards
Lynette
 
Posted by: echo403* Author Response
10/14/2004 10:36 AM (CST)
hi, thanks a lot for ur gus suggestion, i never though about it before u told me those things. i once research the website about car's accessories, i think my products r a little different with their staffs. people need more choice about products selection. and my target cousmers would be young car owners. i think they would be interested in cute and colorful interior products to show ur characters.please click this website
http://stores.ebay.com.cn/13102180_W0QQsspagenameZL2QQtZkm
and tell me what u think.
 
Posted by: Val (Moderator)* Moderator Response
11/2/2004 12:22 AM (CST)
Hello all. I am closing this question, since its more than 10 days old. We do this to make sure members' contributions are rewarded in a timely manner and to improve the visibility of newer questions. Thanks, so much, for participating!

Val (Moderator)
 
Posted by: aoeperformance Member Response
6/6/2009 10:27 AM (CST)
Hi

I run a business www.aoeperformance.co.uk anyone who would like to get in touch regarding trade please contact me at aoeperformance@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks
 


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