AI-powered consumers and the role of tyre professionals

The NTDA’s 12th Tyre Industry Conference in Birmingham, themed ‘The Tyre Professional’, featured particularly pertinent presentations from Halfords’ Rich Bruce and Michelin’s Matthew Ireson, Speaking from the tyre retail and manufacturer perspectives respectively, they set out complementary views on what professionalism means in a changing market. Bruce, a relative newcomer to the sector, argued that the scale of the task – 40 million vehicles requiring safe, correctly recommended tyres – combined with rapid technical complexity (TPMS, alignment, ADAS) already makes every technician a professional. Ireson, drawing on a personal account of his elderly parents relying on a competent local fitter, positioned the tyre professional as a translator who turns engineering into clear customer confidence.

Meanwhile, both agreed that the growing up-take of online pre-sale research amongst consumers, combined with the rise of AI-powered search means consumers need a simple “reason-to-believe” narrative to combat the complexity of the proliferation of brands, products and technologies associated with tyre-buying.

“50 per cent of consumers are already using AI-powered search to guide them through their entire choices” – Matthew Ireson, Michelin Category Manager, Europe North Region

For his part, Matthew Ireson, Michelin, Category Manager, Europe North Region exemplified the approach he espouses by telling the real-life story of an occasion when his elderly parents needed to change their tyres:

“Their car is literally their lifeline. Without it, they’d be completely lost…So [Ireson’s mother] went straight to her local garage and [saw]…her tyre professional…He fitted them a nice set of premium tyres…they’re back on the road and all was good.”

Halfords, Garage Commercial and Fleet Director, Rich Bruce addressed the question of whether or not tyre technicians are already professionals and was emphatic in his affirmation that they are:

“Yes, absolutely. There’s 40 million vehicles on the road, each of them having tyres that need to be recommended to them, and each of them having tyres that need to be fitted safely. So yes, that responsibility is great. And as such, I think we should be seeing each and every one of those technicians as a professional.”

This text is a preview of the full article, which appears in the next edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not a subscriber? No problem, click here to become one.