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ince the pandemic, the past few years have been a rollercoaster for the automotive industry.
SThere are still lingering supply chain and inventory issues that challenge dealers, and they
are looking for a better way to protect their business from future economic uncertainties. With the
average absorption rate sitting at 57%, finding ways to increase revenue in fixed ops is more critical
than ever.

To generate more revenue for the dealership, dealers should turn
By Lauren Epler to the parts department. Most parts departments are an area of
RevolutionParts untapped potential within the dealerships. Here are four ways your
parts department can help raise absorption rates.
1

Set Up an Online For the parts department, repeat customers are a major source of
Parts Business revenue. If you want to create as many repeat customers as possible,
here are the primary areas of focus to help nurture them:
When your parts department relies solely on its local market for sales,
there is limited business the department can do. Your sales come from • World-class customer service
your service lane, local wholesale, and local DIY-ers. While they can be • Collect quality customer data (VIN, year, make and model
important customer segments, they are only a piece of potential overall of vehicle, and contact info)
parts revenue. • Remarket with promos, discounts, and part and
accessory recommendations
When you sell your parts online, whether through online marketplaces • Easy online shopping experience
like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart (a RevolutionParts exclusive) or an Pivot Obsolescence Strategy3
online parts web store, you open your parts department to millions
of online customers across the nation. You can even sell your parts
internationally. The average parts department’s inventory can have up to 30%
obsolescence. It’s an ongoing issue that parts managers are
The online parts market is expected to reach $19.8 billion in 2022 for continuously trying to resolve. You can turn idle and obsolete inventory
auto parts eCommerce websites and $18.3 billion for marketplaces into revenue with the right strategy and tools.
like Amazon and eBay. If you are not selling your parts online, you are
missing out on a significant share of the market. One of the best ways to reduce obsolescence is to offer these aging
parts up on platforms like eBay Motors, the go-to digital marketplace
Focus on Nurturing More 2 for DIY-ers searching for older and unique parts.
Another great place to reduce this unwanted inventory is to sell them
Return Parts Customers through a designated web store. With a strong parts obsolescence
Did you know that, on average, return parts customers spend 3X as marketing strategy in place, you can get them in front of people across
must as new customers? Additionally, it’s 5X cheaper to obtain a repeat the nation and let them know that you have what they’re looking for.
sale from an existing customer than to acquire a new one. Over 50% of
all online parts sales through the RevolutionParts platform come from When someone is looking for an older part, or a special part of their
repeat customers. vehicle, one of the first places they will look is online. A simple Google
search (given the right marketing tools) will help bring them right to
your online selling channels.
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