The percentage of auto repair shop owners and technicians who purchase parts online increased in 2014 from 2013, according to the Aftermarket Business World Online Purchasing Habits studies conducted during the two years.
The number of respondents who said they purchase online parts all the time jumped from 3 percent in the 2013 study to 8 percent in 2014. The number of respondents who said they never purchase online dropped from 46 percent in 2013 to 39 percent in 2014. Those who purchase parts online zero to 10 percent of the time remained steady at 30 percent.
Those who use either a smart phone or a tablet for their work increased from 55 percent in 2013 to 56 percent in 2014. Those who said they would not use an app to purchase parts online dropped form 74 percent in 2013 to 71 percent in 2014.
When asked how they find online retailers and websites, more respondents appear to be using electronic bookmarks as those saying that they go to the websites of normally used retailers increased from 27 percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2014.
Those who said they conduct online searches to find retailers dropped from 38 percent in 2013 to 32 percent in 2014.
Some 19 percent of respondents said they are buying more online parts in 2014 than in 2013, while 66 percent said they are buying about the same number online.
Those who buy parts online say they do so because it’s easy to compare prices (23 percent), due to convenience (20 percent) and to check for product availability (15 percent).
They dislike most the potential to order the wrong part (27 percent) and paying shipping costs (23 percent). Click on Online Purchasing Habits Study to see the entire 2014 study.
Methodology: The Aftermarket Business World Online Purchasing Habits Study was fielded to ready of Motor Age via email. Results are intended to show general market trends, not statistical certainties.
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