Since the moment Bertha Benz dared to take Karl’ s experimental car for a test drive, the need for an automotive aftermarket has existed. One of Bertha’ s limitations on that first drive was fuel.
Forward thinking auto franchises
In the 138 years since the first drive that created the trillion-dollar global auto industry, the automotive aftermarket has always been a business built on the idea of a physical workshop, store, or service centre. But is there an opportunity for creative disruption in the automotive aftermarket?
What about entrepreneurs who want to engage customers on a virtual franchise platform without a physical store or workshop? It might sound impossible to become a glass or tyre fitment specialist, or an approved mechanical workshop franchisee, without a physical site. But customer needs and expectations for their first contact with the automotive aftermarket are changing.
A long history
South Africa ' s automotive aftermarket has some of the car industry ' s most established franchise operations, with several dating back to the 1950s. But the market is evolving.
The digital solutions people encounter in their daily lives shape their expectations for an automotive aftermarket experience. Gone are the days when a customer would be willing to sacrifice half a day sitting idle at a fitment centre or workshop, waiting.
Customers now expect automotive aftermarket franchises to deliver service levels and digital solutions like those provided by their medical aid, bank, or grocery delivery providers. That means apps, real-time booking, service progress transparency, and absolute intolerance for unexpected or uncommunicated delays.
The burden of digitisation has now shifted to the automotive aftermarket franchisee holder. The benchmark is no longer how your fitment centre or workshop compares to rivals in the industry, but how the entire customer experience throughout its digitisation compares to powerful service industries.
Thinking customer experience
Service benchmarks aren’ t necessarily other industry rivals, but rather exceptional digital customer experiences such as the Discovery Vitaly app, a Sixty60 delivery experience, or advanced banking apps. Customers want the same levels of service from their fitment centre or workshop experience.
Automotive aftermarket franchisees can’ t avoid digital transformation. They can choose to delay it, but that’ s like underinvesting in new fitment or calibration tools for a physical workshop. By delaying the transformation to a more digitally accessible and integrated customer experience, franchisee holders risk ceding advantage to rivals who are experimenting, integrating, and learning with their customer-first digital platforms.
During the shorter daylight hours of winter, women don’ t want to be exploring industrial zones at dawn or dusk to get their automotive aftermarket service needs fulfilled. That ' s why they want absolute security and transparency in their online booking and fitment platforms, and in service centre fulfilment.
WORDS IN ACTION 14 JUNE 2026