OSRAM has highlighted how bulbs are now one of the fastest moving and profitable product opportunities in the aftermarket. Coming into the winter season, garages and motor factors should be making the most of upselling opportunities with a healthy stock of bulbs from brands such as OSRAM, Ring and NEOLUX.

OSRAM, who owns Ring Automotive, has the ability to supply the whole of the aftermarket with a one-stop solution when it comes to bulbs, along with high levels of customer service and support, and fast delivery.

Terri Clark, Lighting Marketing Manager at OSRAM, comments, “With the vehicle parc getting larger,  and older, having the product in stock and on the shelf is essential. The OSRAM brand offers trusted, genuine OE quality products, the Ring brand is highly respected and widely used and the NEOLUX brand provides a price conscious alternative, ensuring we meet all the needs of the aftermarket today.

Terri stresses that any lighting application that has a bulb fitted is an opportunity for a replacement, and in some cases a profit opportunity to upsell to an upgrade that helps to improve visibility and light on the road for drivers. A good example is replacing High Intensity Discharge Bulbs (HID), that were once limited to luxury cars but are now fitted to a wider range of vehicles, or encouraging customers to trade up to a high-performance halogen bulb, such as the new Night Breaker 200 bulb from OSRAM, which provides up to 200 percent more light on the road.

Henry Bisson, Marketing Manager at Ring Automotive explains, “Once a motorist sees the improvement in headlight bulb upgrades for themself, they generally do not go back to standard bulbs, and hence will continue to fit higher value performance bulbs.

Modern vehicle electrics mean newer cars need to replace their car headlamp bulbs more frequently. This is generally due to the higher operating voltage of newer electrical systems or ‘Automatic Lights’ operation. Ring offers over 200+ different 12V bulbs to cover the growing vehicle car parc to help meet this demand. The brand has recently launched a new BU175 pre-stocked bulb stand to provide technicians with a solution to having the most popular automotive bulbs at the point of installation.

Ring’s bulb stand is designed to be wall mounted and comes fully stocked with 175 bulbs and includes 16 of the most popular, fast-moving references in single box, ensuring garages and workshops have every bulb they need close to hand for every job.

OSRAM says another opportunity for garages and factors is the need to replace bulbs in pairs, to ensure an even light output to aid driver’s vision. It is not uncommon with modern halogens for a second bulb to fail shortly after the first one. A motorist would be frustrated to have to replace another bulb soon after having a car in the garage. So, encouraging motorists to replace bulbs in pairs is a must. Technicians are also being advised to always check over the lights when servicing a vehicle. It’s a quick and easy visual check which could result in a sale. 

Henry comments, “The future for bulbs still remains bright and with a three-brand offering all under one roof, we strive to be here for the aftermarket for as long as it lasts.”