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Search every verified Bill Wade interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2020 interview on HD Cast, Bill Wade discussed trends in the automotive parts distribution industry. Wade observed that distributors are increasingly recognizing the value of adding service to their business, stating that selling parts alone is not very profitable but that installing parts in one's own garage can generate significant revenue. He also noted a reversal of roles, with dealers opening independent parts stores while aftermarket shops expand into full-service auto care. Wade addressed the impact of e-commerce, arguing that businesses that avoid selling on the internet are missing substantial opportunities. He described what he called the "Amazon effect," saying that online retailers have trained purchasers to expect next-morning delivery with prepaid shipping. Wade also highlighted growth in light truck accessories, mentioning a distributor he works with that generates about 70 million dollars in parts sales, with 20 percent coming from walk-in business in that category.
“I think that more and more the distributors here and other distributors in this business are seeing the value of service as part of their business. It's great to sell parts, but selling parts all day won't make much money; you sell parts to your own garage and hang them yourself, you'll make a lot of money.”
“Dealers have all of these great shops and everything like that, so what are they doing? They're opening independent parts stores. It's kind of getting reversed on the OE side and on the aftermarket side it needs to go the other way.”
“It's kind of like in the automotive side, if you remember the day when it was always this muffler shop or it was a tire shop, now they can't survive just on mufflers or brakes or tires. So now it's full service or complete auto care, so they have had to expand.”
“If you're not selling on the internet, you really are walking right past a lot of business. You just have to do it, I don't care if you want to do it or everybody feels unloyal.”
“What I do see is a lot more guys that are getting into truck accessories, toolboxes, running boards, nerf bars. You can make a lot of money in that space.”
“I'm working with one right now who's doing about 70 million dollars in parts, about 20 percent of that is in light truck accessories and a lot of that is through the door, it's walk-in business. This is not a business known for its walk-in trade, so if you want to get people into your shop, that's a great way to do it.”
“The things that I would look at are how is the channel going to handle the internet, how is the channel gonna handle what I call the Amazon effect—not Amazon itself, but what Amazon taught our purchasers to be. They're monsters; they now expect everything shows up the next morning prepaid.”
Bill Wade talks to HD Cast about industry trends and what we might see down the road.
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