Motor accessories traders have a number of unique problems that don’t affect sellers in other categories selling on eBay. Most products fit 10s if not 100s of vehicles, typically parts at best are line drawings in a catalogue so photographs have to be shot of each item before it can be listed on a marketplace.
Today in the Part II of specially commissioned Q&A from a diverse range of partners, eSellerPro asks Silvia Kirilova, Senior Account Manager at Pentagon Interactive, to shares her top tips for Vehicles, Parts and Accessories (VPA) sellers selling on eBay. Part I of this interview was published yesterday.
What’s next for Vehicles, Parts and Accessories sellers?
What will be the biggest emerging market trend over the next 1-2 years and how can VPA sellers maximise it?
In my view, a mixture of two things – the eBay compatibilities and tools developed by eBay to utilise this, together with the spread and growing popularity of eCommerce and Mobile shopping at large.
This will be an opportunity also for many other parties to grow providing assistance by developing different tools to manage the data, fitment, tools to be used within the stores, and other external apps. This is especially applicable to the case of mobile shopping, as many consumers nowadays use their mobile devices to shop exclusively on marketplaces, such as eBay. Therefore, the more those mobile apps are customised for this purpose, the higher the usage.
Listings must be effectively optimised for mobile to allow buyers to find them when they search for parts, and to be able to get as much information as possible by looking at informative and clear to read descriptions, suitable for smaller screens, as well as providing high resolution images. There also needs to be clear and working links for moving within the different sections of the store, especially “Contact Us” details.
To add to this, while social media may not be the best means for selling car parts, it definitely is a great source to drive traffic to your online store. It is essential for sellers to engage with customers via this channel and informing people to know what you are offering and where.
What are your top tips for VPA sellers over the next 1-2 years
– Adopt the fitment application ASAP
– Use the most suitable eBay categories where possible and do not miss the opportunity to fill in all Item Specifics
– Make the mobile buying experience easy and smooth so that it is user-friendly and easy to navigate
– Offer clear warranty and return policies and ensure that stock levels are correct and regularly updated
– Offer international shipping where possible specifying the domestic regions delivery charges and stick to Free P&P for UK deliveries. Use the option to include a customised message if your handling time is longer
– Manage buyers’ expectations, and take a pro-active approach to resolve any issues within 24 hours
– Check each transaction for product suitability by requesting the registration number, in order to decrease the number of returns and bad feedback
– Make sure descriptions are accurate and images of the products are high quality and clear
– Monitor your competitors regularly, as this is a price sensitive business so check on their strategies too
About Silvia
Silvia has worked for Pentagon since February 2010, and is currently an Enterprise Account Manager in the Vehicle Parts Team, where she looks after clients including BMW and Nissan. Silvia has extensive experience of the eBay and Amazon marketplaces, and was the first Account Manager at Pentagon to take an account to over £1 Million sales in a single month. Silvia holds a BA Degree in Business Administration, and Political Science from the American University in Bulgaria. If you want to learn more about Silvia’s work and what she considers important in driving sales on marketplaces, then come back tomorrow for Silvia’s top tips for VPA sellers selling on eBay.
