eCommerce Shifts the Way Auto Dealers Sells OEM Parts: What You Need to Know

The world of eCommerce has disrupted many industries over the past couple of years, but not more profoundly than during the pandemic. While the automotive industry was slow to join in on the eCommerce landscape, the pandemic highlighted just how important eCommerce is to local and regional dealership chains, especially when it comes to a dealership’s parts and service department.

How Have Dealerships Seen a Change in OEM Part Sales?

Whether it’s a Honda, Chevy, or Mazda dealership, drivers all over the nation follow the same process when it comes to getting replacement parts. Customers would typically get their hands on automotive replacement parts by stopping in to the dealership’s service center and having a technician assess their vehicle for the replacement part they needed. After this assessment, customers were ushered to the parts department where technicians helped them order the parts they needed so that it could be delivered to their home or dealership.

With the rise of e-commerce, dealerships began to contend with other vendors including online automotive parts services and junk yards that were successfully able to move their inventory online. The rise of e-commerce gives consumers more options to shop around and find competitive pricing for both genuine OEM parts and aftermarket parts.

Pandemic Highlights eCommerce Demand

During the global pandemic at the start of 2020, dealerships began to see just how important eCommerce was for connecting consumers with automotive parts. According to data compiled by the National Automobile Dealers Association, dealerships nationwide lost a combined $6 billion in revenue brought in by their parts department.

Only those dealerships that were selling parts online through e-commerce platforms were able to recoup some of those losses. Data compiled in a 2020 report from Revolution Parts details that dealers who were able to connect their customers with replacement parts online saw a 27% increase in their parts sales.

Despite the economic woes the nation faced during the pandemic, dealers who had made the adjustment to eCommerce were able to continue meeting if not exceeding revenue goals. Seeing as Americans were stuck home during the pandemic under lockdowns, many saw this as an opportune time to work on DIY Auto Repair projects. Dealers that made it easy to connect with customers via eCommers sales of parts were more likely to see those sales take place.

What Is the Future of eCommerce For Auto Parts?

The pandemic caused many industries to shift standard operating procedures permanently. The Auto industry is no exception. As consumers continue to shift their shopping habits to e-commerce, automotive dealers will need to catch up. It’s likely that big and small chain dealers will continue to improve the online presence for their parts department if they haven’t already.

As for the consumer, this means more access to shopping for replacement parts, and oftentimes, you’ll be able to save more as the opportunity to compare prices will be easier than ever.