To drive more sales of vehicle parts and go after a new base of customers, Automotive Specialty Accessories and Parts, which owns and operates J.C. Whitney & Co., is launching a new online service provider network.
Automotive Specialty, which ranks as No. 86 on the Internet Retailer Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites, is calling the new network Installpro Services and is rolling out the program on JCWhitney.com. J.C. Whitney’s traditional customer is the do-it-yourself vehicle owner who likes to install his own equipment.
But Automotive Specialty, which carries more than 100,000 SKUs on JCWhitney.com, sees a new market for customers who like shopping online at J.C. Whitney, but who may need assistance in finding a service provider to install a car stereo or a new set of brakes.
“We call this new customer the DIY who needs a little help with a project and we think the market for parts and service for this customer is at least the same size as the parts aftermarket, which generates $200 billion in annual sales,” says Greg Herman, executive vice president of Installpro Services. “It’s a new market segment and a whole new direction for us.”
So far, Installpro, which JCWhitney.com rolled out in late June, has signed up about 400 providers in 40 states, with a goal of several thousand providers by December, Herman says.
J.C. Whitney has created an extranet that service professionals can use as a part of their Installpro program. Service professionals can use the extranet to signup for Installpro, maintain inventory, order parts and execute other transactions, Herman says.
Installpro providers must be nationally certified within their specialty and agree to abide by a national range of installation fees that J.C. Whitney will post on the Installpro portion of its web site. J.C. Whitney won’t charge Installpro service providers any fees for joining the network and it won’t collect any percentage of the transaction.
The payoff for J.C. Whitney is increased parts sales by creating an e-commerce platform that provides more value-added services for its do-it-yourself customers and vehicle repair shops, both of which order parts from JCWhitney.com. “We will act as a bridge between the DIY customer and the service provider,” Herman says. “We can help the service provider reach a whole new set of customers using our new web program.”
Installpro will offer service providers in about two dozen categories, Herman says. “This will be a whole new e-commerce program for the automotive parts aftermarket,” he says.
J.C. Whitney will promote Installpro in its catalogs and through upcoming e-mail and search engine marketing programs, says Geoffrey Robertson, vice president of e-commerce for Automotive Specialty. Web sales for Automotive Specialty, which includes J.C. Whitney and Stylin’ Concepts Corp., are on track to exceed $90 million in 2005, says Robertson.
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