When I first joined the Ratchet+Wrench team last year, I was a complete foreigner to the auto repair industry.
It pains me to say it, but I couldn’t tell you the year, make, or model of the car I was driving and terms like “DVI” or “ADAS” sounded more like medical jargon than buzzwords for trade technology poised to push big industry change.
Overall, the industry and the people dedicating their careers to moving it forward were total strangers—until I took a look at the Ratchet+Wrench Industry Survey, where the data summarized put a face and name to the industry.
Who was the average repair shop owner? It turns out that the average 2020 survey respondent was a man in his 50s with over 30 years of industry experience, but what was his annual revenue? How many technicians did he employ? Did he track his shop’s KPIs? How did that tracking impact his gross profit? What were some of his biggest investments over the last year? Biggest concerns? Biggest challenges?
The report gave me a clearer look at the bigger picture, but it’s also created a benchmark for some of the industry’s biggest ongoing challenges and central questions, providing insight into what topics Ratchet+Wrench covers and how they're covered.
So, who exactly is today’s average shop owner, how is the industry changing and what are the topics on his or her mind? Ratchet+Wrench wants to know! You can take the 2021 Ratchet+Wrench Industry Survey here to contribute your perspective and spotlight the topics and trends impacting your shop most. The survey closes March 31.
