Online parts selling tools, when properly set up and utilized, can perform like a counter person that only costs about $3/hr, but the key to getting the most out of these platforms is to effectively integrate them into the parts department. Whether your dealership already adopted an online solution or you’re in the initial phases of finding and implementing the right platform, here are a few tips to help your team successfully launch an online parts sales solution and to make sure you’re using it to its fullest potential.

Put effort into the setup to enjoy the output

As a member of the parts team behind the sales counter, especially if you’re the parts manager, you know you wear a lot of hats and have a ton of responsibilities. There’s always a lot to do and there are only so many hours in the day. In fact, it’s not uncommon for parts managers to say, “I don’t have time to set this up” or something like that… when talking about online solutions. However, it’s important to understand that if your team puts the time into the setup and implementation process for the online (known as eCommerce) tool, it will be well worth it, and you’ll likely recover all that time – and then some – over the long haul.
Think about it, when you hire a new counter person, you need to take the time to train them, get them up to speed, show them the ins and outs of the parts department, and so on. Whether you’re selling collision parts, mechanical parts, or both, getting your parts sales solution up and running isn’t much different (it’s likely going to be much quicker and easier) and it averages out to only a couple bucks an hour. This is especially helpful for smaller dealers with fewer people on the staff.
When you’re tight on resources, especially people power, the right online parts ordering tools, once launched, can really reduce the stress on the team by:

• Limiting non-revenue generating phone calls
• Allowing shops to be more self-serving
• Condensing orders, reducing the necessary processing
• Driving greater efficiency and helping your team multitask
• Lowering costs

The key, though, is getting the solution up and running properly. The work you put into the platform upfront will come back to benefit you in the end and the benefits will drastically outweigh the initial effort.

Interested in how shops and dealers connect using online tools? Check out this video!

Take advantage of the available resources

While it’s critical to take the time and put in the effort to launch your online parts sales solution, it’s also important to understand that you don’t have to go at it alone. Managing a parts department and processing customer orders is a lot of work, so take advantage of the resources that are available to you for setting up your department’s eCommerce tools and helping your team use the platform effectively.
If you’re looking to start using online parts sales tools, it is important to consider what resources are available to your dealership to help you succeed. If you’re in the research phase of your decision-making process, check on the support and training opportunities that are available with the different solutions. If you’ve already launched your solution, consider looking into the training programs or supplementary materials that may be available to your team.
More often than not, your parts sales solutions will provide a few, if not all, of the following options to help you get up and running. See if your team can take advantage of:

• Training Opportunities – Customer support teams are typically available to guide you along the adoption process and offer support after any initial training
• Online Knowledgebase – Self-service, online resource libraries are an excellent way to get the info you need quickly and are often driven by common questions other users have asked when using the tools
• Free Webinars – Learn tips & tricks that will help your team use online platforms more effectively and accomplish your ultimate goal: selling more parts
• Marketing Materials – Sales collateral and other useful resources are typically available for free and are designed to help your team connect with shops to encourage them to order parts online from the dealership

Dealership Performance Coaching Solutions are also available. Interested? Learn more here!

Take action using the available insights

Want to know one of the key benefits of establishing your online parts ordering solution and getting it up and running? The customer insights! Once you’ve put in the work – with the help of eCommerce experts – to launch your online parts sales tool and utilized the available resources designed to make you an online parts sales whiz, you get the added advantage of using the insights you get into your customers and their behaviors.

One of the more interesting pieces of information that you can access with these tools is a look at which customers are using the platform to browse – or even start a cart – but not moving along to the actual purchasing phase of the transaction. With this insight, you can reach out to the customer and encourage them to complete the process to ensure they’re getting the full benefits from the program.

By communicating with more precision to your shop customers, you can remind them of the advantages that these online platforms provide, including:

• Being cost-effective with many available for free to shops
• Saving time by providing a self-service option (reducing phone calls and time spent on hold)
• Condensing orders by helping shops get the parts they need in fewer orders
• Increasing accuracy and ordering the right part the first time

A side note: If you notice shops are reviewing parts or starting but then abandoning carts, they may be encountering something that you weren’t aware of, and then you know to make adjustments, maybe to the pricing formula, to encourage or correct the online experience for your buyers.
Ultimately, the online tools and the available insights allow you to access more information on customers, provide buyers with the knowledge they need to buy parts from your dealership and have fewer but more specific customer conversations. Online parts sales doesn’t mean you’re never going to speak with your customers – parts sales is still a relationship business, but with the right tools, the conversations you have with customers can be more targeted, direct, and productive.

If your parts department is really into business analytics, business intelligence tools are available that provide extensive, in-depth customer and sales data. The leading parts sales platforms, however, do provide basic insights, (mentioned above) that allow you to get a feel for business and customer data analytics and how they can help your sales performance.

Understand the available integrations

When your dealership adopts an online parts sales solution, it’s important to understand the integrations (the other products it works well with) that the solution includes and are available to help your dealership. Integrations are designed to make the job of the parts team easier, but there are some common misconceptions about how products work together. These integrations are important to understand, since they are often misunderstood and, while many people believe that their current tools don’t work together, the truth is actually the opposite: not only do many online dealership tools work together, but they’re also easy to integrate, making your job easier. These integrations include:

• Estimating systems – The leading online parts selling platforms work well with existing estimating platforms and they’re really easy to integrate (just a few clicks of a button)

• Delivery solutions – On-demand delivery solutions are commonly underutilized but are integrated into a few parts sourcing platforms and, especially in a time of tight resources (meaning parts department employees), having a parts delivery option available is huge

Online parts sales & setting yourself up for success

Online parts sales tools are designed to help your parts department – and customers – work more efficiently, provide better insights and training, and, ultimately, grow your bottom line. It is important, however, to set expectations with your team and know what needs to be done to be set up for success. Also, understand the resources available to help your parts department maximize the platform. Right now, resources are tight, especially trained employees and time. The leading parts sales platforms take the burden off your team (in a cost-effective way) and allow you to use your time behind the parts counter more productively while also helping shops serve themselves online – a win-win for everyone.

If you have any questions about online part sales or would like to know which tools would be best for your team, let us know and an eCommerce expert will be in touch.

The pricing on a digital solution for a parts locator varies. At OEC, our dealers do not pay a fee for the backorder and parts locating services we provide. The pricing for D2D Express varies for each Manufacturer. The price varies as it is based on the number of transactions that are matched in the system. You will work with your National Account representative to establish rates.

This can cause huge problems for your business – with space limitations or with the bottom line of your wholesale business. By marketing your parts that are non-returnable, or sitting idle for too long, with a larger discount, you can help to entice buyers and sell your parts.

Utilizing a parts locator solution such as D2DLink can combat idle inventory by creating visibility to your parts inventory for other dealers to buy. With a simple search, other dealers can see what parts you have available (with discounts) and they can buy from you in no time at all.

If you have a larger lot of slow-moving or non-returnable parts you’d like to sell, you may also want to consider an idle parts solution that sells these type of parts in bulk. By sharing this inventory, an idle parts software solution (like our PartsBrokerDirect) matches you with buyers and allows you to create customized rules on parts you will sell and discounts you want to apply. You can also create bulk shipping discounts to help make shipments easy. If you want to see how an idle parts solution works, check out PartsBrokerDirect which matches idle parts buyers and sellers with personalized brokers to assist in set up and customization.

To learn more about personal brokerage solutions at OEC,click here.

While there may be other options out there for how to sell parts online, our solution (D2DLink) was created twenty years ago because of this issue. Price can vary, but for D2DLink there’s a one-time enrollment fee per dealership ($199), and then a standard monthly subscription starting at $269/month (this can vary depending on the size of your inventory).

While the buyer is ultimately responsible for shipping costs, it’s up to the buyer and you to make those arrangements. Shipping arrangements can vary depending on the amount of parts within the order and the distance between your dealership and your buyer. Often times, if the buyer is local, they’ll send their delivery vehicles out to get the part, or you can have your delivery vans drive it over. Successful dealers utilizing the OEC solutions offer same-day or next-day delivery.

While you don’t have to share your inventory to participate in purchasing parts, you do have to share your inventory if you would like to sell your parts. Luckily it’s very simple.

Other solutions may vary, but for D2DLink and D2D Express, you complete a simple setup procedure that our Customer Success team guides you through. Once we have access to your inventory (varying setup dependent on your DMS provider), we integrate with your DMS, and then pull inventory data automatically.

If you don’t have a DMS provider, you can send a list to us, and we manually update inventories.

Buying parts from other dealers can be the best solution to your problem. With a parts locator solution, you can quickly search for the parts you need, see exactly what quantity is in the other dealership’s inventory, and how much the parts cost. You get the part needed for the repair faster – sometimes even with same day delivery and in turn your customer is back on the road faster.

What should you consider when looking for a parts locator solution?

• Daily inventory updates to ensure accurate parts availability information
• Integration with your Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC)
• Easy-to-use

Parts locator solutions such as OEC D2DLink connect you to other dealerships so you can order the right parts when you need them most. Investing in a parts locator solution allows you to view dealer inventories and order online instead of wasting time calling around searching for parts. Overall, by reducing the time it takes to locate the part, you will greatly reduce your downtime, resulting in your customers leaving happy and a higher likelihood they will return.