At the ecommotors ‘Automating Automotive’ event, held in partnership with eBay and held at their Richmond HQ, eBay set out a series of programmes demonstrating why they are leading the aftermarket parts business in the UK.
Data is critical to many of their programmes, with ecommotor’s Andrew Rowson explaining why it is critical to retailer’s success or failure. But it goes much deeper than simply being able to manage your stock and prices – data is integral to many of the motors aftermarket programmes on eBay.
Fitment and Item Specifics are a challenge across the entire industry, with even the same make and model from the same year having different components with only the Registration Number (or more likely the VIN number) of the vehicle being able to confirm the exact parts required.
eBay are only too aware of this issue, which is why buyers can enter their car registration and confirm make, model and trim, either at the point of search or stored within their eBay My Garage. This opens the door to a major eBay initiative – Assured Fit.
eBay Assured Fit provided a money back promise, with a simple free returns process if a part arrives and doesn’t fit as expected…. So long as motorists enter their vehicle information using eBay’s newly enhanced MyGarage function, which allows customers to find the right vehicle parts with confidence and ease. When shoppers purchase an eligible part or accessory, they can be sure it will fit their vehicle. If, for any reason, it isn’t the right part upon arrival, they can return it for free within 30 days for a full refund.
This is an industry first and aims to give confidence to shoppers, and eBay have been able to roll this is based on the data in the background matching the correct parts to vehicles. Incidentally, it also makes search a heck of a lot more attractive to buyers as only parts matching the vehicle they’ve selected will be displayed in search. That does mean that if sellers haven’t entered the correct data their parts won’t be displayed for sale.
Another innovation from eBay is Click and Fit – the ability to buy car tyres on eBay, select a local service partner from eBay network of trusted tyre fitters near you, schedule a date and time, make the purchase on eBay and have the tyres shipped to your selected fitter, so that all the motorist has to do is turn up at their allotted time. This again relies on data – not only that it’s the right tyre but also that the seller will ship the tyres on time so that they’re actually at the tyre fitters when you turn up to your appointment. eBay are rapidly growing their network of garages with over 500 independent fitters already registered on the marketplace enabling buyers to select a local fitter.
eBay are supporting their aftermarket parts sellers with a raft of promotions, at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year and the BSB. Plus you’ll hear ads on Radio X, as well as aftermarket parts messaging on eBay owned channels such as onsite and on their social media platforms.
