At KnowledgeFest Live this weekend, suppliers talked of record sales and expressed their gratitude for an unprecedented boom in business in the midst of a pandemic.
Sony said the industry experienced a hockey stick sales curve and that Sony had record sales this year. Sales Director for Aftermarket Car Audio, Rick Kojan said he is hoping for 5 to 10 percent growth still next year. “Everyone’s going to tell you about big backorders, shortages; we wish we could have more product. It’s just crazy to me how our business went through the roof.”
AAMP Global Director of Training and Events Jeff Smith said, “We’ve hired more people since COVID than in the past two years…EchoMaster has grown to where we had to split the company between retail and commercial.”
VOXX’s Adam Demers, said retailers are “Seeing consumers they sold 15 or 20 years ago that have come back, interested in our product category.”
Metra said it came out with 60 dash kits this year.
AudioControl also reported a record year and Director of Mobile Audio Chris Bennett said he was grateful for the unexpected sales. Others picked up on the gratitude theme at KnowledgeFest’s keynote and special events throughout the weekend.
Sony’s Kojan said, “The word to describe how to place 2020 in our minds; Chris Bennett said it—grateful. For whatever reasons, we should be grateful and we are lucky. As we begin to look forward, either as my boys down in Columbus Car Audio or MEA itself, it’s about quite a steep hockey stick of an increase to match for this past year.”
Among retailers, Chirs Pate of Mobile Toys, TX said the shop this year is seeing more $30K, $40K and $50K car audio system sales than ever before. The shop just finished a $100K install on a Toyota Tacoma. “We are seeing people who are more willing to push the boundaries. In our hot rod division, we’re booked out a year and half.”
Nick Apicella of Apicella Auto Sound, NY is booked out until April. “We haven’t noticed anything different other than a higher volume of customers. The typical demographic and the typical sale hasn’t changed; it’s just the volume. We’ve done everything we can do to get into different areas, but it always comes back to just high end audio.”
Columbus Car Audio, OH said while Black Friday was flat (but with higher dollars), December has been “insane” and the store is up for the year.
Car-Tunes, MS (which won a 2020 Retailer of the Year Award) said its average sales ticket has increased considerably. The shop is even installing audio in tractors.
KnowledgeFest is held by the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA).
Sales have been up for everyone! But what does this have to do with the weak turnout at Knowledge fest last weekend?