Manufacturers and Digital Commerce Planning Workshops
In February of 2022, GCommerce was fortunate to participate
in a gathering of the Dana
Aftermarket Team for a Digital Transformation Workshop designed to help their
team better understand the digital transformation and eCommerce trends in the auto
parts aftermarket, so they could confidently engage customers and facilitate
growth. Digital transformation is happening in the automotive industry now. Understanding
and making the necessary moves it takes to stay current with the auto industry’s
digital direction is paramount for continued growth and success.

According to Data from the Auto Care Association and AASA, Digital Commerce in the Auto Parts Aftermarket has been growing at a 19.24% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) since 2013, while brick and mortar business has been growing at a 2.54% CAGR over the same period. Digital Commerce now represents 12% of total aftermarket sales, and studies show that 70%+ of end users are using digital channels to research prior to purchase. Learning to navigate this changing and growing channel is imperative for auto parts manufacturers and distributors alike.
Benefits of Digital Commerce to Brand Owners include:
- Improved Brand Equity through
direct control of Online Product Content - Direct Influence over resale
price; versus trying to police Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) - Infinite Aisles of Aftermarket
Automotive Product for Customers; visibility to Distribution and Manufacturing
Inventory - New Product Introduction for parts
not yet stocked by Brick and Mortar outlets, which also provides proven sales
history to promote stocking within the Supply Chain. - Direct feedback from Customers,
which eliminates lag time and allows for better decisions. - Increased sales for Distribution
partners through tools provided by Brand Owners
Internal speakers from Dana covered topics such as lead generation, Google, benchmarking, and digital diagnostics at the Digital Transformation Workshop. Guest speakers covered Digital Trends in Industrial segments, Aftermarket Automotive Digital Commerce, product content, drop shipping/fulfillment, change management, and customer experience. Digital Commerce touches many different operations within a manufacturer, and it is important to include them all.
