Sometimes, there are certain categories of brands where every company associated with that category presents no significant difference from each other.

One such category of undifferentiated companies is auto part dealers.

This morning, on my way to work, I drove by one of these auto part dealers and, for or the life of me, I simply couldn’t remember if It was an Auto Zone or an Advanced Auto that I passed by. Thinking on it now, I still cannot accurately tell you which shop it was.

This kind of tells you something, doesn’t it? It has for Stealing Share, as it has reminded us that the auto part category is in desperate need of rebranding. It is also prime for a properly branded company to steal market share from its competition.

The sheer meaninglessness of these brands does not end with Auto Zone and Advanced Auto Parts. Hardly. In fact, it runs head first into the rest of the competition, you know, companies like: PEP Boys, CarQuest Auto Parts, and O’Reilly Auto Parts.

Where’s the difference between these dealers? And why would I personally benefit from shopping at CarQuest rather than at an O’Reilly Auto Parts? Is location the only thing that separates these shops? Nothing, as far as I can tell, has led to a brand preference.

Truth be told, there is not one iota of difference between the brands of these auto shops. It is a vague and undefined category. And what a shame. After the purchase of a home, the second most significant purchase of our life is that of our automobile. That means we should have an emotional affinity for the provider who helps take care of that car.

Even the external appearances of these shops lack any significant difference from one another. Step inside any of them, and the indistinctness shines through even more boldly.

At the end of the day, auto part dealers must do better and not consider their clientele as consumer cattle. So auto shops, it’s time you delivered.