American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) is planning a number of initiatives to leverage technology and data in order to support its customers, especially its Tire Pros franchisees, in 2019.
ATD leadership presented the programs to Tire Pros franchise owners during the company’s recent 2019 National Business Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Throughout the conference, the presenters reinforced to Tire Pros dealers how leveraging the new tools and technologies will enable them to “Choose to Win” in the rapidly changing marketplace, according to an ATD press release.
“Consumers will drive our future,” said Ryan Marsh, chief growth and innovation officer at ATD. “The choices we make today will ensure that Tire Pros and our franchisees are ideally positioned for the ways that consumers shop, including how they select their tire and automotive service retailer. We believe that there is so much at stake, but importantly, we believe that we can’t do this without one another. We are choosing to invest and to win together.”
Stuart Schuette, ATD’s president and CEO, presented an overview of a number the initiatives to designed to increase store traffic, improve the efficiency of operations and maximize business profitability for their franchisees.
Members of the ATD and Tire Pros leadership team, along with dealers leading the Tire Pros Mission-Based Councils, unveiled the new tools and technologies.
Highlights from each category follow.
Driving Traffic Nationally and Locally
Continue the "Hassle-Free. Guaranteed." national advertising program. In 2018, Tire Pros launched it’s first-ever national advertising campaign supported entirely by digital and online paid media. The campaign delivered over 50 million targeted impressions, TirePros.com visits were up over 6x year over year, and “Find a Dealer” page views were up over 7x year over year. In 2019, the campaign will continue to be an important part of the national and local marketing strategy with an emphasis on targeted, paid media strategies designed to surpass last year’s results and drive even more traffic to its franchisees.
Integrated consumer tools. Tire Pros says it is making it easier for franchisees to connect with their consumers. The Tire Pros marketing team and Mission Based Council described a platform that will allow franchisees to easily manage and engage with online reviews, communicate with consumers through text messages and get valuable insights about their consumers’ experiences through an integrated NPS module.
Relaunch TirePros.com with full e-commerce capabilities. Tire Pros also announced an all-new TirePros.com website with full e-commerce capabilities that will be launching in Q3. The new dealer pages will be significantly enhanced beyond those on the existing website, as each location will have the ability to personalize their location’s site to be authentic to their community and region. The Tire Pros team also announced plans to enable appointment-setting functionality for consumers who purchase on the site, in order to create a simple hassle free buying experience.
Enhancing Franchisee Operations
Introduction of world-class learning and development platform. Tire Pros University will be revamped in 2019, to help franchisees grow their employees’ knowledge. A new learning and development tool, developed and delivered in partnership with the Training Mission-Based Council, will be available to all franchisees at no cost, making it easier for them to onboard new employees and retain quality employees. Through an industry-leading micro-learning tool, franchisees and their employees will be more competitive in an industry where the labor market has become even more challenging.
Maximizing Franchisee Profitability
Leverage profit maximizing tools. During 2019, Tire Pros retail account managers will continue to collaborate with franchisees to analyze the key metrics in their business and identify areas of focus to enhance profitability. Branded as the Pros Partnership Analysis, each participating franchisee receives these valuable business metrics multiple times per year.
Strengthened vendor partnerships. Tire Pros leadership announced a number of new products and a robust, exclusive promotion plan from long-time partner Continental Tire. In addition, Tire Pros announced a new exclusive program for all franchisees, the Tire Pros Edge Program driven by Cooper Tires. Franchisees will have the opportunity to earn multiple program and promotional benefits on their Cooper brand and select Hercules brand purchases with this new, valuable program.
Celebrating Tire Pros Dealers’ Accomplishments
Every year, Tire Pros and key partners of the program celebrate dealers that achieved great results. Recipients of key awards follow.
- Big Discount Tire Pros earned the Hercules Tires Strongman of the Year Award.
- Carson City Tire Pros earned the Continental Tires Rookie of the Year Award.
- Van’s Tire Pros earned the Synchrony Rookie of the Year Award.
“We work together day in and day out to make the Tire Pros organization better. For a franchise program to work well, it must be a partnership with a common set of objectives,” said Steven Moss, chairman of the Tire Pros National Dealer Council and owner of Wilson Tires Pros & Automotive. “One of the resounding themes I've heard at this Conference is [that] we're all family. When we work together, we can win together.”
Another highlight of the conference was the vendor fair with more than 50 vendors representing marketing, auto parts, technology, tire manufacturers, tools and supply products provide additional opportunities for franchisees to find the tools they need to run their businesses even more efficiently.
The evolution and innovation within the Tire Pros franchise program will continue to keep the power of choice alive for franchisees and consumers alike. As part of the ATD organization, Tire Pros is uniquely positioned to be the most insightful and data driven franchise model in the industry.
About Tire Pros
Tire Pros Francorp is a subsidiary of American Tire Distributors (ATD) with over 600 franchise locations across the country serving 45 states. The Tire Pros franchise program brings tire dealers together under a shared national brand and offers them dedicated retail sales consultation and marketing support, training, financial management, and additional enhancements to help them compete in today's fast-changing retail marketplace. Through their affiliation, independent dealers are able to offer an industry-leading warranty package featuring complimentary roadside assistance that is honored at over 30,000 service centers nationwide, among other benefits. Information for those interested in joining the Tire Pros network may be found at www.tirepros.com/become-a-dealer.
About American Tire Distributors
American Tire Distributors is one of the largest independent suppliers of tires to the replacement tire market. It operates more than 140 distribution centers, including 25 distribution centers in Canada, serving approximately 80,000 customers across the U.S. and Canada. The company offers an unsurpassed breadth and depth of inventory, frequent delivery and value-added services to tire and automotive service customers. American Tire Distributors employs approximately 5,000 associates across its distribution center network, including approximately 800 associates in Canada.
