Importance of e-commerce sites during a parts shortage - Trucks, Parts, Service

E-commerce sites for heavy-duty truck parts have gotten much slicker since they first began popping up on the internet. Their user interfaces are easier to use; they source a wider network of possible suppliers; and the sites often provide additional helpful information such as related parts or installation instructions.

In early March, Trucks, Parts, Service looked at how the parts shortage was affecting aftermarket service providers’ ability to perform services on their customers’ trucks. Looking for parts is time-consuming and oftentimes limits providers to their local areas. Industry e-commerce sites should be in the playbook of all parts and service providers when sourcing much needed truck parts.

“When your normal sources don’t have a part, you start calling other people — typically they’re dealers in your area, so you’re not seeing inventory outside of your geographic area,” says David Olsen, executive vice president, FinditParts.

“If you think about any service provider specific to trucks, by our calculations, their counter/purchasing people are spending a minimum of 25 percent of their day trying to find a part they don’t have. It’s this whole antiquated daisy chain of phone calls,” Olsen says.

FinditParts, like several other truck part sites, free up that time so staff can be tending to other important aspects of the business.

E-commerce advantages

The goal of Paccar Parts’ e-commerce platform is to provide its dealer network with the easiest, most user-friendly...

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