The Elite Distributor Alliance (EDA) revealed its plans to be a leader in the 12 volt market in both technology and in raising consumer awareness.
It also announced its 13th distributor member Monday as DOW Electronics based in Tampa, FL, strengthening the group’s presence in the South.
With the addition of DOW, the group now accounts for a significant amount of industry buying power amounting to about $100 million.
EDA Executive Director Jim Warren estimates the 12 volt distribution market at $800,000,000, giving EDA a 14 percent share of the purchases.
Josh Eatherly EDA President said, “The reason we’re becoming a little bit more influential is because we have an internal self-policing distribution model meaning we police ourselves. We’re going to market cleanly and with the service of a regional distributor, with next day shipping.” He defined “cleanly” as adhering to dealer and distributor Minimum Advertised Prices (MAP) as well as other vendor authorized sales programs.
The group plans to embark with its vendors on a national/regional TV advertising campaign to raise awareness of 12 volt products. The campaign would take place at the earliest in Q2 next year, Eatherly said. The group is also planning print and social media ads. The campaign would have a national message but could be executed regionally, taking into consideration, of course, that South and North focus on different products due to different climates.
Additionally, the EDA expects to heavily focus on vehicle to vehicle (V2V) technology, which should be available to the aftermarket in two to three years, said Eatherly.
“V2V is high on our priority list. In fact, it’s number one. We’re probably two to three years away from being able to supply products. That being said, we have to start working on those products and how to go to market.” He noted that current categories of 360-degree cameras, lane departure warning, and collision avoidance will all be tied into V2V and necessary for V2V to work.
EDA distributors own the group, which was formed as the first car audio distributor buying group in 2014.
Elite distributors include AM Distributors, Davis, ECO, Mountain West, MRI, N&S, Performance Electronics, Pioneer Music Company, RJR, RPM, Sierra, Ultimate Marketing, and now DOW.
DOW is a 58 year old company that entered the car audio market in the 1980’s. It has six locations serving Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
DOW brands stocked include Kenwood, Sony, Rockford, Compustar, Metra, ADS, Cobra, Dual AudioControl, SiriusXM, Mobile Solutions, Rosen, Powerbass, Rydeen, Fusion, Axxess, SPAL and others.
EDA vendors are listed here.
For more information visit www.elitedistributoralliance.com.
