Commercial campaign promotes retailer's specialty center

A television advertising campaign is showing consumers what Advance Auto Parts really has to offer their vehicle, and it’s letting the national retailer tap into brand new markets without all the hassle of excess inventory.

Released this spring, the commercial program touts Advance’s Special Order Center, a service started last September that gives consumers over 1 million incremental items that are not available in the stores, says Advance Spokesman Adam Bergman.

“We’re trying to raise awareness of our Special Order Center — those parts not available through our typical store stock inventory,” he explains. “There’s a physical limitation to how many items we can stock in the store. This allows us to fill customer demand for additional, specialty items.”

Bergman continues that the goal of the commercial is to “make people who already shop with us aware that this program has been added and also let those people who aren’t shopping with us know it’s available.”

The TV commercial is part of an existing campaign designed to differentiate Advance from other stores, says Bergman, who adds that sections of Advance’s monthly print flier reference the Special Order Center as well.

Through the Special Order Center, which is available in all of Advance’s nearly 2,900 nationwide stores, patrons can find and order customized products through the store’s computer network. Bergman says products include everything from custom wheels, seat covers and spoilers to toolboxes, trailer hitches and bed liners.

He adds that consumers have everything they need at the store to order products, including catalogs with pictures and product descriptions, information that will help determine whether an application will fit their vehicle, brands and pricing.

Advance has partnered with FedEx to handle all door-to-door deliveries; standard shipping is free. Orders can be shipped directly to a customer’s home or business, or to their local Advance store. A fee is added for faster delivery.

Bergman did not provide numbers on how much business comes from the order center, but he thinks it has been a success.

Inventory concerns are the nature of the business when it comes to the automotive aftermarket, but Bergman says the Special Order Center gives Advance a chance to sell slower-turning items. Their overall sales, according to our annual Top 100 Report, were more than $3 billion in 2005.

“There’s a limitation to how many of these specialty items can be in the store,” he notes. “This allows the best of both worlds — we’re not tying up valuable shelf space, but we’re still able to offer these products to consumers on a relatively quick basis.”