Auto parts retailers play an important role in helping consumers fix their cars at home. While many of these customers shop in-store to get advice or assistance in diagnosing and repairing their car, a rapidly growing portion of the market is shifting toward online purchases. Additionally, many mechanics that go through local parts retailers make their purchases 100% online.

While this has meant higher eCommerce sales for many retailers, not every business has been able to take full advantage of the modern age of shopping. This is largely due to the higher level of competition involved when consumers have unlimited access to different sellers, no matter what they are shopping for. This means that auto parts retailers need to present unique offers and features to better compete.

So, today we will cover useful sales strategies to help auto parts retailers increase eCommerce sales, including:

• Embed a live chat on the website
• Offer a money-back guarantee
• Get active on social media
• Send abandoned cart emails
• Offer payment plans throughout the purchase process

Not only that, but we will also tell business owners exactly how to get involved with the most effective option on the list.

Embed a Live Chat to the Website

Online consumers have short attention spans, and anything business owners can do to get them the information they need as quickly as possible will help increase conversion. Live chatbots are easy and affordable options that are becoming a standard in eCommerce, and they can be embedded onto a website to help give consumers a more personalized way to get help navigating an online store.

Offer a Money-Back Guarantee

Car repairs are stressful, and the feeling that most consumers seek in their auto parts purchase is peace of mind that they will be able to get things up and running without any further expense. Auto parts retailers can increase eCommerce sales by providing this peace of mind through a money-back guarantee, ensuring consumers know they will receive a refund if the parts they buy break or underperform.

Get Active on Social Media

A social media presence is a vital tool to increase eCommerce sales, as social media catches potential customers while they are actively browsing the internet. This means more than just having a social media account that posts every once in a while. 

There are a few different ways that businesses can engage better on social media, like:

• Reply to messages on all platforms in a timely manner.
• Post frequently, especially when adding a new product or announcing a sale.
• Offer social media exclusive deals and contests to increase consumer engagement.

A social media presence without all three of these strategies present is not sufficient for a modern business. Each of them provides value to consumers in a way that encourages online shoppers to engage with the social media account and social media followers to engage with the online store.

Send Abandoned Cart Emails

Every online store should have an automated system for sending emails to consumers that abandon their carts. While many consumers abandon carts because they truly aren’t interested, many carts are abandoned by consumers still in the market. These consumers may have gotten distracted, moved to a different page to do more research, or done any number of other things that only temporarily grabbed their attention.

Abandoned cart emails remind these consumers that they had a cart built, and give them a reminder to jump back on the site and purchase. This may be the little push they need to choose that eCommerce retailer over the competition.

Offer Payment Plans Throughout the Purchase Process

The single most effective way to increase eCommerce sales and average cart size is to offer quality consumer financing. The best option for most consumers, and the fastest-growing financing product of the past few years, is a buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment plan. In fact, companies that offer some form of BNPL see an average 20-30% increase in conversion and a 30-50% increase in average ticket size.

Not only should these options be offered at checkout, but websites that offer them should advertise them throughout the online store. This way, it is more likely that consumers will adapt their purchases to their increased buying power. It is harder for them to do this if they aren’t aware of it until they check out.

For business owners looking to offer financing to their consumers, Skeps may be the best option.

Increase eCommerce Sales With Skeps

Skeps offers a comprehensive, end-to-end consumer financing program that helps businesses modernize their entire payment process. We go above and beyond one-click payment, also offering a one-click application process for several different types of consumer financing, including:

• BNPL
• Store credit cards
• Consumer loans and leases

If you want to partner with a forward-thinking fintech company that will keep consumers' eyes on the purchase while offering best-in-class financing, Skeps is the perfect fit.