ACDelco eForum has distributors online

DETROIT — Chances are you do most of your ordering from your distributor today on a computer. That’s the way business is headed in today’s industry, and ACDelco this year at its annual eForum is making sure your jobbers, WDs and retailers are up-to-speed in the changing electronic world.

Robert Roos is vice president of marketing at XL Parts in Houston and a member of the ACDelco Distributor Marketing Committee. He says the WD recognized where business is heading made a conscious decision a few years ago to gather as much information and data in these new electronic means. He says it helps provide his repair shops with connectivity through many different sources, including WrenchHead, DST and Acitvant.

“If we have the availability to connect with a customer, we will do it. We think there’s just huge value in that, the ease of taking a customer’s order, the ease of being able to provide them data, inventory, pricing information, all that kind of stuff,” Roos says.

But in today’s repair shops, still not everyone has taken hold of electronic means of business. Roos views that as a challenge in today’s industry.

“I think one of the largest challenges that our industry has is education and driving that down to the installer level,” he states. “Getting an installer to realize the importance of computers and the electronic age and all of this information, and cataloging data and pricing information and all of that is very huge.”

XL Parts during the last couple of years has identified that as a major part of its work with its customers. “We want to help that installer become a better businessman,” says Roos. “These types of tools are very key in being able to do that.”

Tools of the Trade
So what exactly is being done up the supply chain from your shop? A lot of it comes back to the changing social landscape of today’s society and the importance of feedback. Starting to employ social media, marketing and other electronic processes is important to do now, not later, says Paul Copses, executive director at ACDelco.

“I think we’re starting early, relatively early. I believe the generation we’re dealing with today probably doesn’t see this as mainstream,” he says. “Things do take a long time to get installed in people’s minds. We’re starting to make sure that first we get a basis of understanding of the comprehensive tools available.”

He notes that ACDelco is working with both mainstream and innovative vendors to take the core automotive data and put it into an easy-to-use format. Nancy McLean, director of ACDelco marketing, says that is imperative in getting both ACDelco’s distributor clients and you involved.

“There are hundreds and thousands and millions of combinations of vehicles and parts that go on them. We’re in a time where all that information is shooting at you and it is overwhelming at times,” she says. “We try to focus on simplifying it. Simplifying the information so it just keeps being intuitive in how you look for data.”

Part of this is addressed in the implementation of ACES and PIES data, as well as items like multiple photos of products to ensure that you are able to order the right parts and that your distributors ship the right ones.

“I think every piece of it, you have to keep stepping back to how do I simplify this? How do I make it fasters and more accurate in terms of how it’s available? That’s what people are going to use,” McLean says.

No longer is just having a hard copy process good enough. All of this information must be electronic for today’s distributors and end users. The easier to use, the better, and can result in better feedback for the company.

Feedback Plays a Part
ACDelco takes what the customers and end users say and utilizes it as these processes change and evolve. Stephen Sigg, eBusiness manager for ACDelco, showed eForum attendees new features in ACDelco products that include thumbs-up images to track feedback.

The new process allows you to provide instant, simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down replies to your distributors. Copses adds that this allows ACDelco to make more changes to better serve you and the distributors.

“When we’re seeing a bunch of thumbs down sings in terms of a site that we’re suing a tool that we’re providing, that’s an indication that the dogs aren’t eating the dog food,” he says. “From my perspective, I believe we’re taking lessons learned from those that are doing it best. The more people that are looking at things in our information sites gives us an indication of the interest. To me e-tools, be them standards tools delivered on our customers’ systems or on social media sites, the traffic will determine what we work on.”

In addition to the visible tools for feedback, Sigg adds that lookup impressions also are tracked to better serve ACDelco customers.

“Our attitude on lookup impressions is that anybody that comes in and looks up a part, that means that that part is being serviced in that WD’s sphere of customers,” he explains. “If he came in with a Volkswagen for an alternator, in all likely that same customer is going to come back to you customer base for brakes. It not only records that he actually looked up that specific component, but you can also leverage that information across all product lines anticipating that that vehicle is going to be serviced in your customer base.”

Feedback also is run back up the supply chain. For example, Roos says that exchanging information electronically for faster feedback started between XL Parts and ACDelco about six years ago. While he uses e-commerce to assist you in your shops, it also helps him.

“If I don't have a vendor that sends me that information electronically, it costs my company a lot. We’ve done analysis that says if I can get an electronic packing slip and invoice from a vendor, I can get merchandise from the time it hits my dock to the time it’s on my shelf and ready to sell, it shortens that time by almost 36 hours. That's a day and a half just by trading electronic data,” he says.

“It’s the same sort of situation with our customers. Being able to provide them with instant available, pricing information, it makes it easier for them to make decisions. It makes it easier for them to quote their customers, which is just huge benefits to all of us.”

The ACDelco eForum brings together distributors and ACDelco customers from around the U.S. This year’s eForum focused on a goal of driving incremental sales through e-business solutions. This is done by leveraging data to maximize customers’ inventory value, getting ACDelco to be great on catalog and product information and delivering first-choice e-business solutions.