Helmets by the numbers

In the U.S., sales of helmets and helmet accessories for V-twin dealers run from 3-9 percent of total parts and accessories sales, according to an ADP Lightspeed study of 219 V-twin dealers from Jan.-Sept. 2012. Indiana ranks highest among nationwide V-twin dealers in sales of helmets and helmet accessories, with helmet sales comprising 9.1 percent of their total P&A sales. West Virginia V-twin dealers show that helmets account for 2.9 percent of total P&A sales, the lowest of all states.

Do helmet law states factor into a consumer’s helmet purchasing decision? ADP Lightspeed data shows that states without a helmet law make up 7 of the top 10 states when considering helmet sales as a percentage of total P&A sales. Indiana, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska, North Dakota and Puerto Rico are all states without helmet laws, and they ranked among the top 10 for helmets sales as a percentage of total P&A sales.

The 219 V-twin dealerships who use ADP Lightspeed sold $3.1 million in helmets during the first nine months of 2012, part of $60 million in total P&A sales.

Metric dealers who use ADP Lightspeed, meanwhile, generated $21.4 million in helmet sales from January to September, part of $287.3 million in total P&A sales. Helmets and helmet accessories by metric dealers run from 3-13 percent of total P&A sales. Delaware checks in highest, with helmet sales making up 13.3 percent of total P&A sales. Wyoming is lowest at 3.3 percent. Seven of the top 10 states in the study are states that require riders to wear helmets.

In Canada, sales of helmets and helmet accessories by ADP Lightspeed dealers account for 1 percent to 4 percent of total P&A sales. Saskatchewan (4.3 percent) ranks highest, with Newfoundland/Labrador (0.7 percent) last of the 10 provinces. The 117 ADP Lightspeed dealers included in the Canadian study sold CAD $213,000 in helmets as part of CAD $8 million in total P&A sales.

Top V-twin source
Among V-twin dealers, Harley-Davidson, Tucker Rocky and Parts Unlimited are the source of 87 percent of helmet sales. In fact, nearly 2 out of 3 helmets (64 percent) sold by ADP Lightspeed V-twin dealerships is a Harley lid. Dealers who use ADP Lightspeed sold $2.07 million in Harley-Davidson helmets and helmet accessories over the January to September period.

Tucker Rocky (12 percent) and Parts Unlimited (11 percent) follow, ahead of Western Power Sports (6 percent) and Fox Racing (3 percent).

The 212 V-twin dealers who use ADP Lightspeed sold 27,893 units for $3.2 million in sales, for an average price of $114.70.

Top metric source
Helmet sales from Tucker Rocky lead the way at metric dealerships, with 36 percent of all helmet sales coming from the Texas-based distributor. Parts Unlimited follows with 22 percent, with Western Power Sports at 18 percent. Fox Racing claims 8 percent of the metric helmet sales market by ADP Lightspeed dealers, with Sullivans (5 percent) and Helmet House (3 percent) also eclipsing the $600,000 in sales mark from January to September.

A total of 1,136 metric dealers sold 211,211 units for $21.7 million in the ninth-month period, for an average price of $102.74. Tucker Rocky’s final sales tally for metric ADP Lightspeed dealers was $7.8 million for the nine-month period.

In Canada, Parts Canada/Power Twins (58 percent), Sea-Doo Water (9 percent) and Ski-Doo U.S. (8 percent) are the source for
75 percent of helmet sales in by the Canadian dealers.

The 85 Canadian dealers who use ADP Lightspeed sold 1,633 units for $217,000 in the Jan.-Sept. time period, for an average price of $132.88.

By price

When considering the percent of helmets sold at price range, from January to August 2012 by ADP Lightspeed dealers, the largest retail segment lies between $50 and $100 (35 percent).

The study takes into account 307,000 unit sales from 1,420 dealers from January to August 2012 who use ADP Lightspeed.

Helmets priced in the $100-$200 range closely follow with 34 percent of the share, while helmets priced $200-$300 make up only 6 percent of the sales. Helmets priced at more than $500 account for 1 percent of total sales.

About 107,000 lids were sold in the $50-$100 price range by ADP Lightspeed dealers from the January to August time period, while about 103,000 buckets in the $100-$200 range were sold.

By month

The ADP Lightspeed study of 1,420 dealers who did $36.5 million in helmet sales from August 2011-August 2012 shows that March, April, May and June were the top months for helmet purchases, with 40 percent of helmet purchases occurring in those months.

The early spring brought the early buyers out in March, when ADP Lightspeed dealers made 11 percent of their annual sales. April and May followed with 10 percent each of the annual helmet sales, with June at 9 percent. August 2012 saw 7 percent of helmet sales, compared to 9 percent in August 2011.

December accounts for 8 percent of helmet sales.

Webinar Exclusive
To view more ADP Lightspeed helmet study charts and data — and to hear from analyst Hal Ethington — view the Powersports Business State of the Industry webinar. Go to PowersportsBusiness.com/webinars.