Last year, the Austin-based Mac Haik Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealership launched an e-commerce site in a bid to become a national OEM parts distributor. Now, the dealership is actively searching for nationwide wholesale partnerships and distributors to help expand its parts distribution efforts.
What are the goals of this outreach program?
What we found in the past year was a large percentage of our business comes from local wholesale customers, auto repair shops and other dealership. We're in the middle of a major renovation of our Ford store, and we have built a giant warehouse. Half of that warehouse will be dedicated to a joint effort to sell more Ford and Mopar parts. We're trying to provide a hub for Ford and Mopar parts. It will make it easier to ship these parts nationwide, and have a recurring customer base of larger, established clients instead of just selling one-off parts. We'll have volume.
What kind of partners are you looking for?
We're looking for collision shops, privately owned dealerships that need to source parts for reconditioning of used cars and other online retailers.
What will be the advantage of partnering with Mac Haik for these companies?
We're going to offer volume discounts as low as 10 percent over our cost, and that could decrease even more depending on the volume. So competitive pricing would be the first benefit. We will also guarantee delivery of every single one of the parts without damage. By ordering directly from our dealership, the parts are still covered by the factory warranty, which is a one-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
Have you had to do anything to prepare for a larger volume of orders?
We've already contracted with different freight brokers, so we can have expedient turnaround times on shipping, but also competitive pricing on freight items. If somebody orders a 500-pound engine, we'll use the freight broker to negotiate for the best price. We have to have a rock-solid shipping plan to get the parts to the customer expediently.
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