Tire makers and sellers know, more than ever, that they need to plan their strategies with a “market-back” approach – one that starts with deep understanding of the consumer’s needs. But making the essential connection between syndicated industry data and category management tools and techniques remains a challenge for many manufacturers and retailers.
Since 2017, GfK has been working to build a data-driven tires marketplace, creating the first ongoing hub of sell-out data from independent tire retailers throughout the US. Now GfK has taken that drive a step further, sharpening its focus on category management with the hiring of industry veteran Miguel Quiros as Vice President, Market Intelligence, for the US tire industry.
Quiros will manage GfK’s manufacturer relationships, helping clients fully leverage GfK data in all aspects of their businesses – from forecasting to pricing to product development. By understanding market trends and consumer needs and wants, tire makers can create products that will resonate with customers and be relevant for their needs.
Miguel Quiros
In a career of 30-plus years with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co, Quiros rose from Consumer Sales to General Manager of Category Strategy and Planning for US retail company-owned stores, OE and Canada. He successfully led the launch of relevant and innovative products to the North American market for the tire maker, as well as driving the introduction and implementation of retail category management in the late 2000s.
More recently, Quiros held executive roles at national tire retailers Monro and Pep Boys, where he implemented market-back category strategies leveraging syndicated data and worked closely with tire manufacturing partners.
“Miguel has an unmatched knowledge of the industry, from every perspective,” said Neil Portnoy, Managing Director of GfK’s POS Tracking (Tires) team. “He understands how to apply data to arrive at the most informed business choices possible. It can take three years from the decision to build a new product until
market launch – and a lot can change in that time. Miguel will help our clients use data to define the white space at any given time and then stay on top of changing consumer needs to assure that their SKUs remain relevant.”
With the hiring of Quiros and Matt Wright – who joined the company in Q3 of last year – GfK is moving to enhance the partnership between tire manufacturers and retailers, offering a clear and shared view of market trends. The new GfK tires team is already partnering with some of the largest and better recognized tire makers and retailers on issues such as product and brand selection, product screen design, tire size opportunities, retail price indexing, share of market, and other strategic KPIs tied to syndicated data.
Drawing from over 3,500 points of sale, GfK’s POS Tracking (Tires) panel allows manufacturers and retailers to understand for the first time brand share changes, competitive activities, and sell-out pricing at the tire level. With data from January 2016 to the current month, GfK’s panel allows executives to benchmark their performance against the channel and bring a richer, fact-based perspective to decision making.
