Dot Commerce - Introducing the Styling & Performance "Internet Connection"

Helping You Use the Internet to Increase Your Business

In this special bonus issue of Styling & Performance we want to introduce our "Internet Connection" feature called Search-Autoparts.com which is co-branded with industry e-catalog leader DCi's CatalogRack.com. This is a powerful Web-based parts sourcing service designed to link aftermarket auto manufacturers with WDs, distributors and jobbers.

Let's say you have a customer who wants to buy a set of running boards. You can log on to www.search-autoparts.com where you can either register and continue or keep going as a "non-qualified" guest business user. There are benefits to becoming a qualified business user (it's free) that will become apparent later on.

One way to find parts is to search by product category or product name. The search engine is so sophisticated it takes into account the different names used for the same product across the country. If the customer calling doesn't know the name of the magic elixir is nitrous oxide and simply calls it "juice" the system will still find it. Using this same system you can also look up parts by vehicle application or by part number.

For our demonstration here we will search for running boards so we have to use the year, make and model search because running boards are specific to certain vehicles. With carburetors it would be different because they can be found by: year, make and model search, or by part number search.

Continuing our demonstration, we find 25 different running boards listed for our test vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab pickup truck. Now the search engine presents some qualifier questions that will help us narrow down the choices. Do we want aluminum running boards? Or do we want aluminum diamond-tread running boards? Or do we want molded fiberglass running boards? Selecting a specific type of running board will narrow our choices.

This is where being a qualified user can help speed up the process. A qualified business user can do what is called "configure your catalog rack." That means you can give one supplier precedence over another. Say you have an account with Lund; you can give Lund products preference and have their products pop up first. If DeeZee is your choice you can give them preference. It's your choice if you are a registered, "qualified business user."

As part of the "Select Your Rack" feature, you, as a registered user, can turn off or turn on selected brands. You can also rank various distributors or simply include or exclude them, effectively turning them on or turning them off. Registered business users can also set their own published prices and customize pricing for various levels of buyers.

Back to our parts search. We select diamond-tread running boards and six choices pop up on the screen along with a price sheet. Because this is a business-to-business site, the price sheet being shown is the jobber price. The information also includes the billable weight of the item along with the actual weight.

What is "billable weight"? Billable weight is a new wrinkle in the shipping industry. Due to new regulations, shippers can charge based on the amount of space the item needs for shipping rather than just weight alone. Let's say our diamond tread aluminum running boards actually weigh 47 pounds and the billing weight is shown as 55 pounds. That means you pay the 55-pound rate for shipping. The bad news is the rate is slightly higher. The good news is that you already know about it and can advise the customer of the estimated freight charges.

When you find the running board your customer wants, you click on the part number. At this point in about 85 percent of the cases, a photograph of the part will come up on screen. If a photo of the product is not available and not in the system, the company logo will pop up onscreen. Now you can move to the stock checker feature. StockChek tells you what the warehouses have in stock. It doesn't give you the actual number of units in each warehouse; rather, it tells you if the item is in stock in sufficient quantity and can be shipped.

Let's say that ABC warehouse is close to you but has fewer than five units in stock. Your screen will say "under 5/call" or "built to order" or give the "plan-to-build date." This allows you to be honest with your customer and not lose the sale. You, as a jobber, can explain the situation to your customer and provide them a realistic delivery date.

WDs can have their product information included at no cost but the information must be provided to DCi in a suitable format. Additional sales tools for the jobber include installation instructions in PDF format and a list of required parts (with running boards, the customer will usually need a mounting kit or bracket kit). You will also see on the screen a recommendation for related parts so you can cross-sell and up-sell the customer.

Who can use Search-Autoparts.com? WDs, jobbers and wholesalers can all use the Website. WD call centers will find it particulrly useful. When a jobber customer calls a WD, their personnel can get the answers the jobber needs quickly. If a jobber gets a general "what's available for my car or truck" question, they can quickly use Search-Autoparts.com to find the answer. The system is designed so the counterperson will be knowledgeable and not make a mistake.

This is especially important with Universal products. If the customer has a custom vehicle or a hot rod where make, model and year information will not help, the counterperson can still assist the customer. It allows the counterperson to make good suggestions. There is also a provision for the user to send comments back to Search-Autoparts.com. The system will grab a screen shot so the comment or question makes sense to the Website host.

The Internet Connection is all part of the Styling & Performance brand. Take advantage of this special offer. Log on, register and check it out.