Online aftermarket parts shoppers are demanding. And whether your customers are professionals, consumers or more experienced enthusiasts, they’re most likely buying from more than one online marketplace, often for a single repair or upgrade.
Knowing this, it’s essential that your business offer parts in as many places online as is feasible, while maintaining a high fill rate, great customer service, multiple shipping options and generous return policies. But engaging with multiple online marketplaces and gaining new customers means your staff, infrastructure and technology all will be put to the ultimate test.
Your inventory must be optimized as fully as possible and supply chain management must be flexible enough to accommodate orders that arrive from these new and numerous sources. An inventory system that previously supported only one online marketplace that is thrust into a complex online world of selling could quickly show strain, lose sales and alienate customers.
It’s paramount that your parts operation identify and implement the key attributes of a well-run inventory system. For one, your business will need to automate its shipping practices, to quickly and efficiently get parts out the door and without errors. If you ship parts internationally, an expert third party partner’s services can help your business print labels, upload customs documents, set up shipment alerts, and provide comprehensive inbound and outbound tracking.
An aftermarket parts distributor must have a holistic view of shipment tracking and inbound-outbound scheduling. What about the ability to immediately tell customers if there is a change in delivery? Can your inventory management system automatically update customers without intervention from staff? Choose a provider that provides offers a consolidated view of all the online marketplaces in which your business sells on one dashboard. Allow your employees to efficiently edit order details or combine multiple orders into a single shipment.
But what about the parts, the actual, physical replacement parts that take up space, the ones your automotive aftermarket technician customers install to keep vehicles on the road? In serving so many new customers, your operation will need more space.
Look to an enterprise that can to provide scalability to your quickly growing aftermarket distribution operation. Your current warehousing may not provide all the space your business suddenly requires. But a partner that maintains its own facilities around the world can be an extension of your own warehouse. Minimize your capital investment by utilizing the IT services of a partner to save money that can be put back into the business.
From figuring it out to getting it done. UPS is here to help. See how at solvers.ups.com/automotive.
