The Future of Automotive Retail
- Written by Diana Smith
Buying auto parts online is a concept that a lot of people find to be quite advantageous, even though some still have problems with it. On the one hand, you can order parts from across the world or find more competitive prices. Sure, you can’t inspect the part in person but let’s be realistic – would you really be able to tell the quality of a specific part by holding it in your hand? Probably not! With that in mind, the idea of buying online auto parts sounds better with each passing minute. Here are five perks of using online auto parts retailers.
1.Saving money on repairs
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that the easiest way for your mechanic to scam you and overcharge you is by “buying” a part for your car. This is why some mechanics refuse to show you old parts (that they’ve allegedly replaced) or outright refuse to show you the bill. By buying a part and paying them just for the replacement, you’re minimizing their potential profit in scamming you. This way, you’ll eliminate opportunity and motivation for this negative outcome. Also, since you’re buying with your own money, you’re more likely to shop around. Speaking of which…
2.Easy comparison
Another major benefit of buying car parts online lies in an easier comparison. On the one hand, you have tools that allow you to compare two parts from different manufacturers by seeing their lists of features and costs next to each other. You can even do this manually by having separate parts on different tabs, parts of your monitor or even different monitors (for those with multiple-screen setups). The thing is that you can also do your research while comparing. All you need to do is read the specifications and proceed to customer reviews.
3.Customer reviews
Customer reviews are one of your most credible sources of information. Sure, it’s always possible that someone will slander the manufacturer for no reason. It’s also possible that a person writing a negative review has gotten that one faulty part in the entire series. The thing is that you can find safety in numbers. Sure, 10 reviews may not be reliable, but what about 100 or 1,000 reviews? The greater the number, the lower the likelihood of bias will be. In other words, rating and review systems are quite reliable when used in the right way.
4.Finding the right part
By looking for parts online, you have a much easier task of narrowing down the exact part that you’re looking for. For instance, if you’re looking to make a couple of replacements on your Ford, you can always look for Ford parts. Naturally, you can further narrow down your search to the exact part you need. Then, you should check if the retailer in question delivers to your region. In other words, you can find what you’re looking for in a matter of minutes, which is a monumental advantage that you should never underestimate.
5.E-stores are incredibly pragmatic
E-stores are incredibly pragmatic because they give you intuitive navigation and a filter system. This means that you can get to the category that you’re interested in after a couple of clicks. Here, you can apply all sorts of filters, like the cost of the part. This allows those looking for car parts on a tight budget to easily check if the part they need is even on the site instead of wasting hours to find out it’s not in stock. Overall, while you are unable to see and inspect a part in person, you have a much easier time browsing an online store than you would with any brick-and-mortar retail place.
As you can see, e-commerce in car parts retail seems to be quite advantageous. This results in its ever-growing popularity and expansion. Even downsides like being unable to physically inspect the part can be made up for with the availability of customer reviews. Convenience and pragmatism are also massive factors that are going ever in its favor.